Our focus belongs on Christ alone

Our focus belongs
on Christ
alone

Stay with Him

Do not stray
into the world
and become
enamored
with every delight
you think should be yours
or get caught up in
life's circumstances

Stay close to Christ

Do not stray
For when you do,
you have allowed
Satan to rule
your life journey
that takes you
along paths leading to
Rebellion
Resentment
Rejection
Rage

Do not let it be so

Repent -
Turn away from all that the world teaches
for "Friendship with the world is hostility toward God. So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God." (James 4:4)
and
Turn toward Christ

Resist -
"Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands ... Purify your hearts." (James 4:7-8)

Stay close
Draw near
Keep your focus on Christ Jesus
He is your refuge
He will guide you
along paths of righteousness
He will provide comfort to your weary body
peace and joy
to your heart and soul.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

October 29-30, 2018

joy comes

for a little while
we weep
we mourn
our sorrow is full

but then
in a little while too
joy comes
fills our hearts
We are one
with the Lord

Until that day
when we return
to our Father in heaven
... for it is He
who gives us
the breath of life
and new life.
Until that day
we ask
we seek

Because as Jesus
says in John 16:23-24,
"anything you ask
the Father in My name,
He will give you ...
so that you may be complete."

And then,
O blessed thought,
we no longer need to ask
because we know.
We are complete. 

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

Oct. 26, 2018

The Lord's desire

The Lord's
desire
is for us
to be
still
silent
long-suffering
(patient)
in the
midst of battles
that come
at us
on every side.

To lay aside
to put away
everything that
hinders,
prevents us
from walking,
journeying
with Him.
Do not fall into
traps that catch us
off guard
that lead us along
paths of neglect
for those under
our care
or destroy
relationships
because of mistaken
thoughts and beliefs.

Do not follow
the world
that shows you
its perception
of right
and wrong

Follow Me
Run with Me
My strength
My power
All that I am
within You
My child
will help you
endure
all that lies
ahead of you.

Keep your eyes,
your focus
on Me
I am the prize
you seek
There is nothing
better or greater
than Me
for I am
the source
I am
He
who perfects you
I am
Jesus,
I am
His Father,
Your heavenly Father
I am
He
who
suffered for you
bled for you
died for you
was buried for you
and rose again
for you.

Through Me
you have
a new life
a new hope

Be still
Be silent

"... lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfector of our faith."  ~ Hebrews 12:1-2

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

Oct. 24, 2018

always a reason

always a reason
for every answer
God gives
every no
and
every yes

We do not understand
His reasoning
We ponder why not
for one thing
and why this
for something else

His plan
His reason
His thoughts
all are bigger
and greater
than any of our own

He sees the whole picture
We see but bits and pieces

When His time
is right
for us to know
the whys and wheres
it will be revealed

We will know
without a shadow
of a doubt

He always has a far
greater good planned
A greater gift
A compassionate blessing
Love

Our Lord
loves us so

We should not
ever
second guess
Him
He knows all things
in all places at all times.

He Is.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

Oct. 10.23.2018

sometime, somewhere

sometime, somewhere
it will be

the blessings
promised
will come

Our Lord, My Lord, My Savior

Every promise made
will reach fulfillment
He said so
He does not lie

but too, we will learn
(I will learn)
to wait
wait through tears
and prayer
through relationships
through trials
unimaginable

sometime, somewhere
it will be
the blessings
promised
will come

perhaps already
we have received
a promised blessing
but fail to see it

Our eyes, our hearts
are blinded by
misconceptions
and we think
God has failed us

He has not!!

sometime, somewhere
His every promised blessing
for you and for me
will come

and we will see
His eternal love
spilled out and overflowing
upon us.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

Oct. 17, 2018

called to ...

Called to follow
Christ

Called to goodness
and kindness
and faithfulness
and gentleness
and self-control
and love
and joy
and peace
and patience

Called to endure
suffering
in the midst

Why?

Because of Christ
Because He suffered for us

He suffered
in the midst of all,
yet He remained
faithful
to His Father God.

"He himself bore
our sins 
in His body
on the tree...
so we 
might live 
for righteousness." 
(I Peter 2:24)

Jesus
is our example -
His steps
we are
to follow

No sin
No deceit
No insults
No retaliation

Called to follow
Jesus

Not our own
selfish
wants and desires

Called to follow
our Savior,
to endure
the pain
life throws at us

Called to receive
God's blessings
because of
our obedience
and love
for The One
who loves us
so much
He endured
the pain
and suffering
of the cross ...
all for us.

We are called

Have we answered

Do we answer
daily - hourly - minute by minute

Do we
endure
every pain
and remain kind
and gentle,
loving,
joyful,
peaceful,
patient,
faithful,
good?

Do we ask
the Lord's forgiveness
for our own
shortcomings?

Do we seek
His guidance
to overcome
every setback?

Have you
"now returned
to the Shepherd
and Overseer 
of your soul?"
(II Peter 2:25)

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
Oct. 6, 2018

We ...

We come
He and I
asked by another
sent by God

We go
He and I
to preach The Word
to guide

A pastor and his wife

We stay and we give
He and I
to show The Way
to offer suggestions

We question
He and I
why our help
is met with silence

We remain
He and I
until God says
to move on.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

October 2, 2018

He knows

Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ... I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me." 

~ John 15: 1, 5

It seems
pruning
destroys,

cuts all away
and there be 

nothing to see. 

But He

who is the
pruner - The Master Gardener 

He knows
what will be.

Pruning

brings 

life
and an abundance
of fruit-full
blessings.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
Sept. 20, 2018

There is Jesus

No matter what
There Is JESUS

No matter who passes on
Jesus sits with you
He is near to comfort you

No matter the pain
of physical or mental aches
Jesus is near to calm and soothe you

No matter the weather --
be it rain - hot and humid -
tornado - hurricane -
earthquake - avalanche
- forest fire - flooding
Jesus walks with you
He stands beside you

No matter the sleeplessness
Jesus quiets you
and shelters you

No matter what comes
into your life
or that of your children
and spouse or any other
loved one
JESUS is always present
always within reach
unseen with your eyes
but recognizable with your heart.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
Sept. 6, 2018

Readiness...

We wait on God
for a response
from Him
It will come
He will have
an answer
But He waits
until He knows
we are ready.

We wait for God
for a response
from Him
It will come
He will have
an answer
But He determines
when He is ready.

We cannot rush into
or rush along
We must be
patient
The answer
will come
when all is ready
for it to be accomplished.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
Sept. 5, 2018

Becoming new

To move ahead
Look forward,
not back
Look upward,
not down
Become
a new person -
Not the one
we were
before things
unraveled

A New Beginning

Memories -
good and bad
The bad ones
we need to stay away from - 
do not dwell there.
Only when we can see the good
that God brought about
because of the bad,
should we consider visiting
and even then
the visits should not be too long.

Think of lessons learned
and where we do not
want to return

Move ahead
Look forward
One step at a time

The steps
backward
are a stumbling block
Pick yourself up
dust yourself off
and continue on

Take hold of the One
whose hand reaches
toward yours
The Lord Jesus
will be with you
through every bad moment
and every good

Just trust Him
to guide you
along the way.

Do not lose sight
of the One
whose Light
shines
in the darkened corners
of your minds
and your hearts.

Believe in His Promises
made to you and me
centuries past
current
and to come

Love Him
for without God
without His Son
without The Holy Spirit

There is no beginning.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
Sept. 3, 2018

The Light of Jesus shines through

Paul
in captivity
tight
yet
freedom
reigned
within
his soul.

He was
a prisoner,
yes,
but not of
some people group
or government
but rather
for the Lord.

The bars
kept his body
imprisoned
yet his soul
was free
to be and do
the work of
His Lord.

The darkness
did not
overcome
him

The Light
of Jesus
shined
through him
and beyond him

Messages
sent forth
beyond the cold
and damp
and solitude
to
buoy,
encourage
others
even you and me
in the days ahead
for centuries to come.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
Aug. 27, 2018
based on devotional readings
in Streams in the Desert

Our longings are with Jesus

We long to be
where we are not
We think our efforts
to find and dwell
and be satisfied
will be
right around the next bend.

But it is not.

Our longings are not
found in another person
or another place

Our longings
are with Jesus
God Himself
Our Creator
Our First Love
Our shelter and refuge
Our confidante

Our home is in the heavens
That is where we long to be
Long to have
But many do not see
and many who come in search
do not find what they have sought
and many do not know where to go.

But there remains
a remnant
of God
who search and find
who see
and know where to go

It is I, is it not Lord Jesus,
to show another
the way to Your Holy Throne?

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
Aug. 26, 2018

You say you know ... but

You say you know
But how can you.....

unless you have opened the Holy Book
and read God's word
of His wisdom
His knowledge
His promises

You say you know
But how can you....

unless you pray, bowing before Him
turning your heart toward the heavens
pouring out heart and soul
to the Lord Almighty
with your every fear
your every question
your every hurt

You say you know
But how can you....

unless you have a personal relationship
with the God you believe in
with Jesus, God's son, whom you accepted as your Lord, your Savior
with the Holy Spirit, who resides in your heart

You say you know
But how can you....

unless you gather with other believers
to worship the Holy One
to sing praises
to join in a Bible study
to learn how to apply  what you learn in living your life anew
to make friends

You say you know
But how can you....

unless you take your children with you to Sunday School
so they too will learn about Jesus
and how much Jesus loves you all

You say you know
But how can you....

unless there is a change -
in and out -
within your heart
and your witness shown on the outside

You say you know
But how can you....

unless you take the necessary steps to know.

You say you know
But how can you....

unless you love the Lord your God
as He loves you
for He died for your sinful soul

You say you know

But,
until you go the way of Jesus
until you are obedient to His commands / instructions
until you do - walk / live the life Jesus shows us

you do not know.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

July 12, 2018

Be ALIVE!

Don't give up
when you see
life around you
dwindling to nothingness,
being destroyed by the world's enticements

The Lord Jesus called
you to Himself
and you answered,
surrendering
to a life with Him
and Him alone

Don't fall into the pits of hell,
where Satan waits,
biding his time
to snatch you away
from God's goodness
and unending love

Satan wants only to show you
a better way to
succumb to death
It is death he seeks for you,
an eternal, endless
place of flame, torture and pain

Life IS Jesus -
remember ...
He was born
He grew to manhood
teaching Christian principals
He bled at the cross of Calvary
He died for the sins of all
and He rose - again
He is ALIVE! He is ALIVE!

Jesus is the epitome of LIFE
He shows The WAY
He imparts The TRUTH

Wake up and BE ALIVE!

Right now
you are dead
Dead to thoughts
that bring you down
Dead to memories
that remind you
of your faults
Dead to comments
from others
whose words and actions
deteriorate you

You believe the lies.
Their blame,
their bitterness
their hate
becomes a part of you
and you believe
what they say
is who you are

But is it really?!
God, the almighty God,
creator of the heavens
and all the earth
and of you
called your name
in the stillness
of your beating heart
and you answered ...
Yes

Jesus is Alive! He is Alive!

And you too are alive
a child of the King
Not of Satan
You have been forgiven
God forgave you
the moment you believed Christ died for you
and accepted
Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection

The Lord has filled you with His love,
His peace, His joy, His gentleness,
His kindness, His goodness,
His patience, His self-control. He has
given you eternal life.

Do not spend your days
wasting what you have
been given
to cower in a darkened corner,
reminding yourself
of every negative thing

Trust in the Lord
Believe in Him

Be ALIVE!
Go The Way of Christ
Obey The Instructions of Christ
Do The Will of Christ

Trust He is who He says He is
Believe His every promise
Read His every miracle
Follow the Lord Jesus -
He will never lead you astray.

Be ALIVE!

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the yes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world." ~ I John 2:15-16

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

July 11, 2018

He does not tarry

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it, Because it will surely come." ~ Habakkuk 2:3

You pray
You make known to God
the desires of your heart
of which He does know
He has told us
time before
and now
and again
Do not be anxious
Do not fret
Do not question
when

The Lord will answer
in His time
All is in His time
not ours
He knows what we want
and when we want it
But our wants are not
always His best for us
And our time table is not
always His

We may think He tarries
But He is NEVER too early
NEVER too late
But just the right moment

God still rules
in every facet of our lives
Thank Him for His provisions
Be grateful
instead of in a state of
constant turmoil
Keep your focus
on the Lord Jesus
He will guide you
and bring a calming peace
to your every struggle.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

July 4, 2018

Are we "being still" or are the sounds destroying us?

The sounds can destroy us

The Lord speaks
I have heard His gentle voice
I have listened to His words of wisdom
I have obeyed His instruction

Yet
It has not always been so
and is not now

I could hear Him -
I was "still"

Now
It is hard to be still
when pushed and pulled
in every direction

My own thoughts
tear me down
filling me
with questions, concerns,
irritation,
even outrage

Calling
Asking
Seeking

Noises distract
ringing, rattling, talking

Where is my time
with You, Lord?!
When will the "stillness"
You desire of me
return

The Enemy seeks to devour, destroy

I miss what I know
I miss what I had,
what I remember

My Jesus
My Lord
My Father God

Show me the way back
to being still in Your Presence

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
June 30, 2018

___________________

I wrote the following on April 24, 2015, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is titled "Be still, and know."

"Be still, and know
that I AM God." (Psalm 46:10)

God is here
with us
His Presence
our refuge
our hiding place
our strength

Be still
Will yourself
to focus
on Him
who is...
GOD

Remove
yourself
from endless thinking
planning
for any and every
circumstance

It is not easy
Keeping yourself
away
from where
you should not be
should not travel

Oh Lord
guide my steps
my every step
guide my thoughts
so I am not
led places
that are unfruitful

You are my Light
How can I be
fruitful
and multiply
if I stumble
along the path
before me?

You, Lord
show us
love
and joy
and peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
self-control (Galatians 5:22)

to show
another
the way
to You
the way
You lived
the way
You are
the way
for us
to become
like You

So much
seeks
to destroy
our walk
our life
with the Lord
Selfish desires
become
a higher priority
than
God's desires (Galatians 5:19-21)

We hear
but not
that which
God wants us
to hear
We see
but our vision
is cloudy
We think we
comprehend
but are misguided
True Understanding
escapes us

Do not fear
but we are afraid
The Almighty God
creator of the universe
and of us
lowly humans
We fear His Promises
are not real
We fear His Presence
is not surrounding us
We fear His Power
is not enough

Oh we of little faith
Where is our trust
We make ourselves
bigger
We are so small
so insignificant
yet God loves us
Loved us
so much
He sent His Son
to be
the sacrificial lamb
to die
in our place

Be still
and know
Ask for all
you do not receive
Seek all
you do not find
Know
as much as
He will share
and understand
He Is.

Jesus had it

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."                                                                                         John 14:27 NKJV

"Rest is a state of calm rising from a heart deeply and firmly established in God."                                                                         ~ Henry Drummond

Jesus had it
within His heart

Although turmoil and
life's everyday troubles
wore His body down
Peace
and rest
sustained Him
and gave others
Hope.

Cathy Orrick Luders
June 13, 2018

Later... we will know

"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." ~ John 13:7

Our days
we do not understand
Sometimes dismalness
crosses our path
and stays a while
We are saddened
No one seems to notice
or care
But God is at work
If only we would
remember
He is always with us,
always working
Life is not about me
nor you
It is about the Lord
Yet we forget
to look only and always
unto Him,
letting our thoughts
take precedence,
becoming our reality.
Woe is me.

God told us
through the apostle Paul,
"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Do we not love Him
Did we only say we did to get Him off our back

Woe indeed we are
My good
Your good
Those who love Him
who follow Him
study His book
meditate on His word

Those who are called ...
We all are
but not all have heard the message
nor listened
nor obeyed
nor trusted
nor believed

God is calling
God has called

The call goes forth -
Come
Come to Me as little children
Come to Me and sit at my feet
Come, My child
learn and know
Bring your every burden unto Me and find rest

Take that step
One step at a time
not one forward and two backward,
but one in front of the other,
Come, Follow Me

The dismalness of your days
will dissolve
as you rely more and more
on Me
for I AM
He who was
and is
and forever will be.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

The Lord knows - do we?

Jesus said, "Do not be afraid, only believe. ... The child is not dead, but sleeping. ...And they ridiculed Him."  ~ Mark 5:36, 39-40

The Lord knows
if one is sleeping
as at rest
or
as dead

Who are we to ridicule
He who is greater
more powerful
than all we are
all we know
all we think

Who are we to reject
He who came to earth
to save our souls
from the pits of hell,
worse than any terror
we face on earth

Who are we to condemn
He who spoke the truth of His Father
who knew no evil

Who are we to love
He who died,
bearing our sins upon His body
who was buried
and three days later,
rose from the grave

Who is He we say
He who we have ridiculed
rejected
condemned

He is Jesus
Our Savior
Our Redeemer
Our Foundation Rock
Our Everlasting Promise
Our Teacher
Our Refuge
Our Protector
Our Strength
Our Witness
Our Truth
Our Hope
Our Wisdom
Our Light
Our Life
Our Way
Our Peace
Our Patience
Our Kindness
Our Faithfulness
Our Joy
Our Gentleness
Our Forgiver
Our Healer
Our Judge
Our All

Jesus
is He
Who is The Way
The Life
The Truth

Jesus
is He
who loved us then
loves us now
will love us tomorrow.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

June 2-3, 2018