Orange Moon Saturday, July 12, 2025 "More Than Enough"

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

"More Than Enough"

    

    There were not enough fish.  There were not enough loaves of bread.  But there was more than enough Lord Jesus Christ.

   "And when it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart, give ye them to eat. And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.  He said, Bring them hither to Me. And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, He blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children" (Matthew 14:15-21).

   In countless ways, "not enough" characterizes  human experience.  God administers and allows circumstances, situations, and conditions that illuminate our hearts to our need for the Lord Jesus to be and do for us that we can never accomplish for ourselves.  Apart from such challenge, we would never realize the truth that we exist as creatures utterly in need of God for "life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  The deception of "ye shall be as gods" embraced by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden exists in hearts of all born of their race (Genesis 3:5).  Nothing could be further from the truth, but without our Lord's administration and allowance of need, we would never begin to recognize our blindness.  "Before I was afflicted, I went astray.  But now have I kept Thy Word" (Psalm 119:67).  

   Even after we trust the Lord Jesus, the strain of independence remains in our flesh (Galatians 5:17).  We still require "not enough" in various modes and measures to remind us that "without Me, ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).  Or far more, to remind us that the Lord Jesus is infinitely more than enough to  feed the multitudes in our lives, with more than enough supply.  He will act according to His wisdom and purpose, of course, and we must often see His with eyes of faith whereby we "judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  Our Father will not disappoint us, however, as we remember and affirm His promise of the supply in Christ that always meets our truest need.  "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phlippians 4:19)

   When we must feed thousands, as it were, with only five loaves and two fish, let us remember the "twelve baskets full" that actually proclaims the primary truth of the story.  Not enough fish.  Not enough bread.  But enough -  more than enough - Lord Jesus Christ.  Or, as the Apostle Paul stated…

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen."

 (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Weekly Memory Verse 

     Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 (Romans 5:20-21).

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Orange Moon Friday, July 11, 2025 "Nope? Yep!"

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

(Thanks to Tom's ankle for inspiration on this one)

"Nope?  Yep!"

    

    Our beloved beagle Ellie may be the sweetest of all the dogs that have so blessed us through the years (Sparrow, of course, being right there with her).  If you've been with us for awhile, you're heard the stories about Ellie that bear witness to the gift of God she is to us.  There will doubtless be more to come.  Today, however, I'd like to share a particular beagle proclivity we recently heard another another owner of the breed express.

    "Nope."

     Like all beagles, Ellie loves to please her owners.  Frances has done a wonderful job training Ellie, and she does so many things we want and tell her to do.  However, she can be a contrarian at times, particularly if she catches a scent of something that interests (fascinates; thrills, intrigues, et al) her.  On such occasions, Ellie almost seems to lose her mind as "Nope!" overwhelms the "Yep!" we most often see in her.

    "I delight in the law of God after the inward man.  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Romans 7:22-23).

    Two laws presently exist in born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus," and "the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).  The former is greater than the latter by an infinite measure, based on the Lord Jesus Himself being the very heart of "the law of the Spirit of life."  It (He) has freed us from the tyranny of sin.  It does not always seem this way in our lives and experience, however.  Believers can and do still walk after the flesh at times as fleshly inclinations and impulses deceive us into believing sin to be our truest delight.  "Nope!" often feels like our most desired response to the will of God, although "Yep!" actually constitutes our deepest and most primary inclination as wrought in us by the Holy Spirit:

    "With the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin" (Romans 7:25).

   The Apostle Paul was not bragging by his affirmation of "delight in the law of God after the inward man."  He rather confessed the truth of his Lord's promised indwelling, and even more, His graciously and unconditionally assured grace: "it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).  "Yep!" to the will of God forms the disposition of every believer's spirit, based not on ourselves, but rather on God's presence, promise, and power.  "Nope!" still resides in our flesh, that is the earthly faculties and members inherited from Adam.  "The flesh lusteth against the spirit" (Galatians 5:17). Regardless of contrary emotion, sensation, or experience, however, the plainly stated "Yep!" of a "new man, created in righteousness and true holiness" forever abides as the truth of our innermost being in Christ (Ephesians 4:24). 

   You can learn a lot from a beagle.  Ellie teaches us constantly about love, devotion, sweetness, and how to greet beloved family members when they return home after being away.  She also reminds us of our "Yep!" of the spirit and "Nope!" of the flesh.  If you ask us about Ellie, her "Yep!" will be our primary response, regardless of those times when her "Nope!" can be exasperating.  We do well to apply the same emphasis to ourselves.  "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you" (Romans 8:9).  Far too much was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary for believers to focus on our flesh as primary.  It is not, and has not been since were were born again through faith in the Christ who died not only to make forgiveness possible, but rather to make actual the grace of "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.  "Old things are passed away, behold all thing are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).  Through Him, "Yep!" is the delight of our Christ-indwelt hearts.  Realizing the truth makes possible and far more actual our necessary addressing of the "Nope!" that presently remains in our flesh.   Now, if we can communicate this to Ellie!

"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh… If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

(Galatians 5:16; 17)

"Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you."

(Romans 8:9)

Weekly Memory Verse 

     Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 (Romans 5:20-21).

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Orange Moon Thursday, June 10, 2025 "Philemon" - Conclusion - The Brothers Beloved

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

(We conclude our consideration of the Apostle Paul's epistle to Philemon, one of my favorite portions of Scripture, and one of its most Christ-exalting and revealing revelations of truth.)

"Philemon"

Part 10 - "The Brothers Beloved"

    

     

     The Apostle Paul's epistle to Philemon encourages us to not surrender hope regarding any relationship that requires repair and restoration.  Surely Philemon and Onesimus did not anticipate that God would bring them together as brothers rather than the master/servant relationship that had characterized their initial knowledge of one another.  Like Jews and Gentiles united in Christ, God had "broken down the middle wall of partition" between two men of such different lives and backgrounds (Ephesians 2:14).  They doubtless found "the unity of the Spirit in the body of peace" in ways not recorded by Scripture, but which we can surmise beautifully revealed the redeeming and unifying love of the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 4:3).  

    "For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever, not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved" (Philemon 1:15). 

    As a child long ago, our Heavenly Father began to reveal such grace to me with my first best friend, Bruce.  We got along well, and enjoyed playing sports, riding bicycles, playing army, and just learning what it means to be friends.  Occasionally, however, we would have an argument or even a brief tussle.  One of us would try to have the last word or shove, and then run for our house, often with the other in hot pursuit.  After a cooling off period, we invariably apologized, usually not with words, but with little boy smiles and gestures that said, "Hey, no harm, no foul!"   Intriguingly, after the disputes, our friendship invariably seemed stronger and closer than ever.  I did not know it at the time, but a profound lesson regarding God's ability to rescue relationships presented itself to my heart and mind.   The grace of the Lord Jesus so redeems the believer that we grow in knowing His love and in loving Him after times of wandering (inexcusable as they are).    A deeper devotion arises in our hearts because He so graciously acts to redeem and restore us.  I often think of Bruce and those occasions when we became better friends after briefly acting as enemies.  I think even more about the countless times during my almost fifty years as a believer when our Heavenly Father's longsuffering mercy has so often revealed His love in a greater way, leading to the desire to love Him in far greater measure and dedication.

    A thought occurred to me while working on this series of messages.  Perhaps in eternity, if we ever wonder where Philemon might be, some fellow brother or sister might tell us, "Oh, as usual, I saw him with Onesimus, working in that vineyard where you'll find them so often together!"  Such is the grace of the Lord Jesus, the freely given favor we receive that becomes the freely given favor we bestow upon others.  We do well to often ponder the rescue and redemption of relationships our Lord is so able to perform, with Himself, with each other, and yes, with the brothers beloved, Philemon and Onesimus.

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

(Ephesians 4;31-32)

Weekly Memory Verse 

     Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 (Romans 5:20-21).

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