Orange Moon Cafe "All Things To Enjoy"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe...

 

  "All Things To Enjoy" 

 

   God made creation with color, sound with music, food with flavor, the atmosphere with fragrance, and substance with texture.  He also made us with the sensory components that allow us to experience and enjoy the "wonders without number" that proceed from His artistry (Job 9:10).

   

    "God… giveth us richly all things to enjoy" (I Timothy 6:17).

 

    Think of what this implies and directly reveals about our glorious Lord.  He created beings He knew would use their freedom to rebel against Him (Psalm 147:5).  He nevertheless made us with the capacity for enjoyment, and the universe with so much to enjoy.  Even unbelievers during their earthly lifetimes benefit from God's gracious largesse.  "He giveth to all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, of course, both this life and forevermore offer God's gifts whereby we rejoice in Him and His generosity.  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:6).  Again, what does this tell us of our Father?  So very much that only eternity will begin to display the revelation of His lovingkindness and inclination to bless.  "The Lord is good to all, and His tendermercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145:9).

 

   God purposes that we use our senses to enjoy the gifts He gives as a way of honoring Him.  I have recently incorporated into my prayers for fellow believers and myself the request that the Holy Spirit will remind us to enjoy the gifts our Lord gives of "life and breath and all things."  We thereby please our Father greatly as we benefit from His giving.  We also find our hearts greatly strengthened and motivated to honor Him as we personally rejoice, and then serve as beacons of Christ's joy to others.  Yes, God could have made all things as merely means of survival.  Instead, He made all things as conveyors of joy and enjoyment. He also made us with the senses to experience, and the heart to be grateful.  Let us think about what this says about Him as we give thanks and prepare ourselves through Christ for the eternal voyage into our Lord's everlasting goodness…

 

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

(Ephesians 2:4-7)

 

Memory Verse

   But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Orange Moon Cafe "He Is"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe...

 

  "He Is" 

 

   "He that cometh to God must believe that He is" (Hebrews 11:6).

 

   From the moment of our conception, the greatest influence in our lives is the One who gives us life.

 

    "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

    "The true Light… lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9).

 

    This would seem to ensure that every human being would inevitably believe "that He is."  Of course, this is far from the case.  Sin so darkens the heart of humanity that what should be patently obvious becomes purposefully omitted.  "All we like sheep have gone astray.  We have turned every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6).  Of course, this does not mean every human being embraces atheism as a matter of philosophy.  Many people believe in God with the mind.  However, mere mental assent does not suffice regarding the belief that redeems our hearts and draws us into faith as defined by the Bible.

 

   "With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness" (Romans 10:10).

 

   Whatever we many think in our minds, salvation and subsequent fellowship with God results from the belief that occurs in the innermost temple of our being, in response to the Holy Spirit's working therein.  Such grace and truth, personally wrought and personally received, leads to a faith that has genuine impact on our life and being.  The Christian makes decisions of the heart based on the realization and determination to believe that "He is."  We also fail to do so at times, and thus wander in a practical atheism from  which our Heavenly Father has to deliver us.  "Awake to righteousness and sin not" wrote the Apostle Paul to the believers of Corinth (I Corinthians 15:34).  Sometimes we come to our senses in the awareness we have been responding to aspects of life as if our Lord does not exist.  We haven't left our faith in the sense of relationship with God.  However, we do at times realize we haven't made the choice of the heart that leads and enables us to act in the light of God's involved presence and working.  As Jacob confessed at Bethel, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not!' (Genesis 28:16).

 

    "Believer" is not merely a descriptive title.  Believing is what we do as Christians.  "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).  Moreover, we believe with the heart, making choices to trust God and His Word regardless of appearance, emotion, or full understanding of how our Lord is working.  Our salvation began accordingly and we can expect it to continue with countless opportunities to open our eyes and walk in the light of "He is."

 

"Behold God is my salvation.  I will trust."
(Isaiah 12:2)

"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you."

(Romans 6:17)

 

Memory Verse

   But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dear Orange Moon Friends

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe...

 

  Saturday Songs

 

48 - "Glory and Praise"

   

   Friends: this is both a new one and and an old one. I wrote this quite a few years ago. Frances and I have been singing it privately at times since then, but never publicly. It has always seemed so simple that I didn't know if it warranted anybody else's listen. However, we enjoyed recording it, and purposely tried to maintain the simplicity. Hope you find it encouraging. Glen.)

Here's the link for the addressto copy and paste for the song:

https://app.box.com/s/pc83cy7ir73e3oy5zeiqg2fnu8pj3dtn

Glory and Praise

Glory and praise to the Father.

Glory and praise to the Lamb.

Glory and praise to the Spirit,

The great I AM, the great I AM.

Glory and praise.

Wonderful the Father,

Glorious the Lamb.

Beautiful the Holy Spirit.

The great I AM, the great I AM.

Glory and praise.

The great I AM, the great I AM.

Glory and praise,

Glory and praise...

"Sing forth the honor of His Name. Make His praise glorious."

(Psalm 66:2)  

 

Memory Verse

   "LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am."

 (Psalm 39:4)

 

 

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