Giving thanks in all things

My husband read the following anonymous work to the congregation when he had the opportunity to preach in July. I came across it today when looking for other things and decided it would be a good time to share and to remind me and you of just how great our God is.

I Refuse to be Discouraged.
I refuse to be discouraged,
To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted,
and here’s the reason why . . .

I have a God who’s mighty,
Who’s sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me,
and I am on His team.

He is all wise and powerful,
Jesus is His name;
Though everything is changeable,
My God remains the same.

My God knows all that’s happening;
Beginning to the end,
His presence is my comfort,
He is my dearest friend.

When sickness comes to weaken me,
To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God;
Into His arms I go.

When circumstances threaten
to rob me from my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast,
Where all my strivings cease.

And when my heart melts within me,
and weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms,
He soothes my heart and soul.

The great "I AM" is with me,
My life is in His hand,
The "Son of the Lord" is my hope,
It’s in His strength I stand.

I refuse to be defeated,
My eyes are on my God;
He has promised to be with me,
as through this life I trod.

I’m looking past all my circumstances,
To Heaven’s throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God,
I’m resting in His love.

I give God thanks in everything,
My eyes are on His face;
The battle’s His, the victory’s mine;
He’ll help me win the race.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I AM with you

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10

It happened
The unimaginable
A child dies
A job is lost
Health deteriorates

Our concern
gives way to anguish
as we pursue
over and over
and over again
in our minds
the possible reasons

But the source
of all that is
The One
who knows
the whys
and wherefores
stays silent

Where do we go
What is the next step
How do we move on
past this point
of deep despair?

He tells us
to stay focused
not on the what if's and buts
not on the what once was
and is now gone
not on what we wish could return
No,
He tells us
to remember Him
to "Fear not,
for I am with you;
Be not dismayed,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes,
I will help you.
I will uphold you
with my righteous right hand."
(Isaiah 41:10)

We see,
but do we see Him?!
Does the brokenness of our hearts
cause us to dwell
more on our pain
than on the Lord
who can heal us?

Jesus,
our beloved Savior and Lord,
shows us
the way to peace.
Through Him
we find comfort and consolation,
we find beauty and love,
we find hope.

We must be in His Word,
study His Word,
talk with Him,
listen to Him.

We must not settle
our selves on events
in and of the world
that will cause us to stray
from
The One
who gives us life,
who is our life.

Cathy Orrick Luders
11.18-19.2011

Guilt

Guilt.
Amazing how another can make you feel
Not build you up
Not encourage you
Not say I'm praying for you
Not asking how a loved one is doing
   or how you yourself are doing ...

simply amazing.

You receive what you think
is an act of kindness
but find it is not.
Given under false pretense,
wrong motive

Guilt.
Feeling you need to apologize
for the situation you're in
Feeling you need to explain
why laundry and dishes
and grocery shopping
and preparing meals
don't get done
in a timely fashion.
Feeling you need to come to your own defense.
Of course I know how to cook.
I know how to do laundry
and wash dishes
and buy groceries
and pay bills.
Knowing how is not the issue.

Guilt.
Feeling the need to rest,
to relax,
to put your feet up
and do nothing for an hour or two
is wrong.

I am guilty before God,
but He does not condemn me.
He forgives me for all of my shortcomings.
He forgave me at the cross.
He forgave me when I asked Him into my heart.

He has compassion

He is patient, faithful,

He is gentle and kind. 

He is love. 

Who are we when if what we say and do does not show Christ in us? 

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5:25-26)

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." (Galatians 6:9-10)

Guilt. 

You are as much guilty as the next person. You are not free from sin. You are not above another. God does not tell us to be "goody two shoes" and forget how to be filled with His love and His compassion. 

Cathy Orrick Luders
11.16.2011

He

If you reject Christ
you also reject God
for God is He who
came in the flesh

Jesus the Christ
Son of God
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. 
No one comes to the Father except through Me." 
(John 14:6)

Jesus the Christ
Son of Man
born of the Virgin Mary
conceived of the Holy Spirit
to save mankind from their sins

"Do you not believe 
that I am 
in the Father, 
and the Father 
in Me? 
The words that I speak to you 
I do not speak on My own authority; 
but the Father who dwells in Me 
does the works.
Believe Me that I am 
in the Father
and the Father in Me, 
or else believe Me 
for the sake of the works themselves." 
(John 14:10-11)

Who, you question
is
The Son of Man
Who
is this Jesus
whom you declare to not know?!

You consider the commandments
sent forth by God to be
followed at any and all cost,
but Christ came
to fulfill the law.
You are too blind.
God said
in His word
it would be so.

"Keep on hearing, 
but do not understand;
keep on seeing, 
but do not perceive." 
(Isaiah 6:9)

"He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart, 
Lest they should see 
with their eyes
and understand with their heart,
Lest they should turn, 
so that I should heal them."
(John 12:40)

God is He
Christ
And the Lord
Is He
God
And the Holy Spirit
dwells within

Cathy Orrick Luders

11.4.2011

Help me to wait, to not be hurried

What is, was
What will be, has
Round and round
The lives of all revolve
Struggle to maintain balance
sanity
clearness of mind and thought
Fearful of the unknown
So much there
God said He would be with us
All
Nothing
is so perfect we can move without thinking
We cannot be in a hurry
But hurried we are
Harried too
Must rest
Must pray
Must stay rooted
Must seek His guidance
Must
Must
Must
So hard
Help me Lord
Help us all
Keep us mindful of all You are
Help us to not be in a hurry over anything and everything
Nothing is trivial
Everything we go through You are aware of it
Help me, help us to wait
Help me to be confident
in You, to trust in You,
Your answers, Your timetable.
I pray in your name.

Cathy Orrick Luders
11.11.2011

A Prayer

"And in the 39th year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was very severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians." (II Chronicles 16:12)

"Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord." (Jeremiah 17:5)

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but her leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."        (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

"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." (I John 2:15)

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:7)

You live in the world, but don't let the world become your life. Don't let all that surrounds you, all that is, in the world be a priority over the Lord Jesus you have aspired to follow. What appears to be is not always what is. Assumptions are not always the best. Only God knows for definite. He knows our comings and goings, our beginnings and endings. He knows all and everything there is to know about every single person and thing. We do not. God enables us to do, to be, to overcome, to endure. With Him as our lead, we can do all things. We can climb the steepest hill and not be overcome with drudgery and despair. We cannot settle for less. We place our hope on Him who is our hope and we live our lives trusting in His promise. We may have plenty or we may have little. All we have is enough if in the Lord we seek his sustenance. Even in the midst of little we can yield His fruit.

You live in the world, but don't let the world become your life. God -- your relationship with Him is your life. Surround yourself with Him, His word, meditate and pray for Him to show you the way. Do not succumb to the way of another. The Lord is all you need. He will show you where to go, how to proceed, who He has enabled to provide you with the answers you seek. Abide with Him and He will enable you to pass through the fire and flames of this life without injury, without anxiety, with peace.

Amen.