Only in Christ are we anything

God is the Truth
We crucified Christ
We crucified the Truth
We set up our own truth
We determined our way
was the right way, the best way
We knew what could
make another happy
We had only to persist
in making them see the light
We are messengers of His Light
yet we fight against it
and follow our own way.

Jesus was humble
a servant among us
yet we
do not follow the way
of His humbled heart
but become
full of pride
and domineering
toward another.

We develop an attitude
of being better
using position in life
to usurp another.
We should not so reason
for fellowship can be destroyed.

No one is greater
It is our faith
in the Lord Jesus
that brings us together,
unites us.
Not our experiences
Not our prestige
Not anything
other than what we are,
what we have
through Christ, our Savior.

Single-Minded Obedience: So simplistic yet so hard

To obey
To be obedient
To rely totally
always
only
on Christ
on His Word

Not on self
Not on peers
Not on feelings
Not on governments
peeling promises
resulting in half truths
and lies

But to cling
to all that the Lord is
to all the security He offers
no matter what the world
suggests

To remember
the dream
He gave you

To listen
to His still small voice
heard
during the nights you cannot sleep
or during an exam you struggle to comprehend
or even with another with whom personalities clash
Don't let barriers prevent you
from hearing
with your ears, your eyes, your heart

Jesus hears
He listens
He answers

Do you pour out your heart to Him
who does hear your agony and
frustration?

Do you wait for His reply?

Are you obedient in your response
when His answer
requires
a step of faith?

Cathy Orrick Luders 

5.27.2011 

The path to joy is found in JESUS!

We rejoice.
By God's mercy
through His Son
We are blessed
with a new birth
a living hope --
The resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead.

Our inheritance
not of gold or silver
but of that which
will not perish,
undefiled, unfaded,
kept secure in heaven
for you and me.

We rejoice.
Our obedience to God's call
brings us to salvation
- the new birth -
our souls have been cleansed,
and to faith.
It is our genuine faith
in the Lord Jesus
that fuels our obedience.

We rejoice
when we've come through
the fiery trials
that bewilder us
and bring much turmoil.

We rejoice
bestowing praise and honor and glory
upon the Lord Jesus

Him
whom we have not seen
yet love
Him
whom we believe in
and have
glorious JOY
(paraphrased from I Peter: 1:3-9)

Where is the path to joy?
Jesus is our joy!

Henry van Dyke penned the words to "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee." Music was written by Ludwig van Beethoven.

verse 1:
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, Opening to the sun above,
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day.

verse 2:
All Thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain,Call us to rejoice in Thee.

verse 3:
Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living, Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother -- All who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, Lift us to the joy divine.

verse 4:
Mortals, join the happy chorus With the morning starts began;
Father love is reigning o'er us. Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us sunward In the triumph song of life.

The call

The call
extended
The answer
given
Obediently
I go
from a life
past lived
to one anew
Learning,
growing,
fellowship
sweet
Faith blossoms
with Him
as my Lord
and me
as His child

Pretty Things At Our House

A Beacon of Light

Today's devotional led me to Psalm 119:10-16, particularly verse 13. I was reading in the New King James version when I decided to see how it read in the Chicken Soup for the Soul Bible (New Living Translation).  Those verses are here:
10 "I  have tried my best to find you -- don't let me wander from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your principles. 13 I have recited aloud all the laws you have given us. 14 I have rejoiced in your decrees as much as in riches. 15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 16 I will delight in your principles and not forget your word." 


What lies within our heart will come out of our mouth. If it be God's word we profess to carry, then the Lord must have command of our whole heart, not just a teeny portion we feel obliged to share.

The very next page in my Chicken Soup for the Soul Bible was a story titled "A Beacon of Light." It was about a woman who had been considering suicide yet found her way to a church, whose tower was a brilliant beacon of light.

Suicide. It seems it is running rampant these days. Young people falling into despair and not knowing where to turn, who to turn to, how to turn around. What have they missed ... do they not know they are loved? Has the sadness within themselves brought such a lostness and forlornness ... does no one see it? Does no one reach out.

A beacon of light ... God's light ... is there shining, reaching out to you.  All around you. Look up to the Father, talk to the Lord Jesus who understands your pain. He died for you. Grab hold of His hand that offers you a new life. A ray of hope. 

Being a Christian; a follower of Christ

Christ is not the bringer of a new religion, but the bringer of God. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christ came
God sent Him
The gift
Our gift
of Christ
and eternal salvation
is God's love
God's grace
culminated at the cross.

We accept
His death
His burial
His resurrection
His Spirit
alive in us.

We follow
His Way
We read and study
His Holy Word
We obey
His Truths
We remember
His Promises
We seek
His Will
We are known
as Christians
for we are
followers of Christ.

But being a Christian
Is not just a word
to be added to a resume
or hung on a wall
Is not a denomination
Is not our own interpretation
of the Scriptures
Is not a denial of what God says
Is not listening to and believing
what people of the world profess
as truth, as real
Is not preaching falsehoods
Is not a license to kill, or be hateful
Is not living for your own selfish motives

Being a Christian
is about Jesus
and our walk,
our journey through life
with Him
as our guide
and teacher
and mentor
and friend
and judge.

Being a Christian
means
we follow Christ,
The Lord Almighty.

We share
His Love
for us
with every other.

"And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."  (Acts 11:26)

"If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God." (1 Peter 4:16)

God's will or yours?

"And lo, I am with you always." - Matthew 28:20

God's will ... different? 

Can it be

Is it true 

What we believe to be God's will one day

may not be another day.

How can we 

follow the path 

we believe God has laid out for us 

if it may change at a moment's notice 

Have you stopped to consider ...

We can follow the Lord, yes, 

but we each can make changes, 

detours along the way

that may prove to be 

vastly different from God's plan.

Have we asked God 

about the detour we ponder taking

or have we made our own decision 

Is it right or or is it wrong --

to seek God's will 

perhaps find it

but ignore it

to discredit it 

to say no, God's doesn't know. 

I know. 

God's will ... different? 

Perhaps it is our will 

that is different

out of step

not in tune with His

If we are really His believers, 

His followers, 

living under His truth,

in obedience to Him,

our will would be His will.

We would look anew 

every day 

at what He 

has to say 

to us.

We would continually 

ask of Him ...

Lord, is this the way?

Lord, what will you have for me today? 

Lord, show me how to get out of this pity party.

Lord, where do you want me to go today?

Lord, who do you want me to be a blessing to today?

Lord, is this the job you want me to continue?

Lord, what is your desire for me this day?

"Low, I am with your always"

Jesus tells us 

Where are we

Are we with Him?

Have we forgotten 

what He has taught us

Do we follow and listen 

only to the sounds 

of our steps 

within our heart and mind, 

within our personal observations

and experiences 

Or, 

can we truthfully say 

we seek God's will 

and rejoice when we do find

Cathy Orrick Luders

5.14.2011

The Lord reigns over fear

Fear overwhelms us
Takes control
Drags us along the crooked and perverse
passages
over rocks
pebbles
we stumble upon
missing,
and falling
deep
withdrawing
into cocoons

the unknown
scares us

We want to know
what will be tomorrow
today
yet we do not

God knows
All
In knowing
for ourselves
all He knows
wouldn't greater fear
protrude its
ugly head?

Is it not safer
Are we not more secure
alas, even more confident
if / when
fear envelopes us
we look upward
to Him

Him
The Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord of all
of life
of death
of fear
of courage
of strength
of love

Look upward!
and pray
share your concerns, your worry, your fears
with The One
who does understand
Seek the meaning of His Word for you
Believe in His promises
of hope and a better tomorrow
Believe in Him
In His Love for you.
He has conquered fear
and death
He is The Overcomer

Fear does not belong
here
For if / since
we are one
with Him
through Faith
we have His peace

His peace
His love

Peace.
Whatever comes
God knows all
and we are surrounded
by His presence,
His love
and that is enough.

We face an unknown
our fear escalates
But the fear within us
will dissipate, yield and fade
Freedom  reigns
through faith
in the strong and living Savior
The Lord Jesus Christ.
(See Matthew 8:23-27)

Cathy Orrick Luders
5.7.2011

 

The form of Christ

To be formed, shaped
The form of Christ
is the way to be
His form works on us
so His form becomes our form
We live and strive
to be as He is
in the world
in all of time.

We are not to be like
David or Moses or Paul
or Esther or Ruth
They were who they were
and we each
are us,
individuals.

We cannot be another
The path we take
may be similar to another
but not completely
It is ours
and it is our faith
in the Lord Jesus
who guides us
who shapes us
Our form is His form
in us.

Are we human ... as Christ?

Jesus Christ
The Incarnate One
God became human
because of His love for creation

Jesus Christ
The Crucified One
God pronounces final judgment
on His fallen creation

Jesus Christ
The Resurrected One
God puts an end to death
A new creation, a new life is born.

To be real
To be new
To take the form of Christ
as
human

What is real
What is new
How is the form of Christ
different

In Ephesians 4:17-32,
we see a new creation
in righteousness
and holiness,
according to God

To give up former ways, old ways
of conduct that lead us away from God,
away from The Truth,
to self-seeking / selfish behavior,
to evilness.

Away from foolish talking and coarse jesting,
bitterness, wrath, loud quarreling,
excessive and continued anger

To take the form of Christ
as
human

To be kind
tender
forgiving
loving

Once in darkness
now light in the Lord
We are to walk as children of light.
(See Ephesians 5:8)

The form of Christ
The one who came
to save
The Incarnate One
The Crucified One
The Resurrected One

In Galatians 5:16,
we are reminded to
"walk in the Spirit"
and we won't be overcome
with the lust of the flesh.

The form of Christ
as
human

to bury (all) our desires of the flesh

The form of Christ
as
human
We to live
is and in
as He

love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
self-control
(See Galatians 5:22-23)

Not conceited,
not provoking another
not envying
not deception

The form of Christ
as
human

Is real
new
and alive

Are we human
as Christ?
Is His example the one
we follow?
Are you
a child of the Light?