Orange Moon Saturday, April 11, 2026 "Responsibility and Relief"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

“Responsibility and Relief”

 

     

     “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (II Corinthians 4:5).

     The Apostle Paul realized his calling to represent not himself or his own thoughts, beliefs, convictions, and opinions.  He rather served as an “ambassador for Christ” (II Corinthians 5:20).  The same calling applies to all believers in the Lord Jesus, whatever our calling of life may involve.  Born again believers represent not ourselves, “but Christ Jesus the Lord.”

    This primary truth of our being involves great responsibility.  We will reflect well upon our Lord in the venues of our lives, revealing who He is in our countenance, demeanor, attitudes, words, and deeds, as led and enabled by the Holy Spirit.  Or we will misrepresent Him, as led by the flesh in response to devilish and worldly temptation.  Our spheres of influence desperately require us to bear witness to the Lord Jesus, certainly in words as opportunity presents itself, but just as importantly, in how we conduct ourselves in life and relationship to others.  As the saying goes, “Preach Christ to everyone you meet.  Use words, if necessary.”  

    “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31).

    Great responsibility indeed.  But also, what privilege!  And what relief!  Former sinners, strangled by the serpent of self reliance, self emphasis, and self importance become redeemed saints devoted to the honor of their Savior.  No higher calling can be imagined.  Nor does any other purpose for existence compare with the blessed gift of serving as moons to God’s sun (Son), absorbing and reflecting His glorious light in all we do.  No longer must we worry about how we are viewed, but rather rejoice in the peace of being devoted to how He is viewed.  Yes, we breathe a sigh of relief upon every remembrance that God has delivered us from the tyranny of “I, me, and my” unto the tranquility of “Not unto us, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give glory, for Thy mercy and Thy truth’s sake!” (Psalm 115:1). 

    We will be tempted otherwise, of course.  The flesh of even the most devoted believer remains susceptible to furthering its own reputation (Galatians 5:17).  Deep in the spirit, however, where the Christ-honoring Holy Spirit lives, the responsibility and relief of “we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” shines as the brightest of all glories (John 16:14).  Let us then accept the responsibility.  We exist to glorify the Lord Jesus, in this day and forevermore.   Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Nothing else.  Then let us then breathe the sweet sigh of relief as the same truth blesses us with the peace of we exist to glorify the Lord Jesus, in this day and forevermore.   Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Nothing else.

“I will glorify Thy Name forevermore.”

(Psalm 86:12)

Weekly Memory Verse 

    Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place.

 (II Corinthians 2:14)

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Orange Moon Friday, April 10, 2026 "This Moment"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

“This Moment”

 

     

  We cannot change the past, whatever it may have held regarding our response to God.  The future has not yet arrived and thus offers no opportunity to presently trust and obey Him.  We have only the now of this moment in which we can direct our hearts by the leading and enabling of the Holy Spirit to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by trusting and obeying Him.  The Psalmist illuminates the matter with a particularly powerful motivation and enabling of truth:

    “And now, Lord, what wait I for?  My hope is in Thee” (Psalm 39:7).

    No proper response to God, be it trust, obedience, repentance, or sacrificial devotion to Him and people, occurs without the hope of faith.  Without expectation, no moment will find us rightly relating to our Heavenly Father.  Will we find Him faithful as we determine to trust, obey, repent, or devote ourselves?  How we answer determines whether we will wait until another moment, a most foolhardy choice since we have no guarantee regarding the future.  “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee” (Luke 12:20)

    The truth of the matter is that our Lord’s presence, guidance, and enabling always lies immediately at hand and in heart regarding proper response to Him.  “I AM” He declared to Moses, echoed by the Lord Jesus to His disciples (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  Doubtless, the Holy Spirit in this moment bears witness to us all that God is presently whatever we need Him to be regarding the faith and obedience He commands.  Will we hope?  Will we believe in the grace that leads us to the response His will involves and requires right now?  The question ever applies as each moment becomes the only opportunity we have to do the will of God.  As the prodigal son decided when a mere glimmer of hopeful light shone within his heart regarding the possibility  of mercy awaiting him upon return to the heart he had rejected, “I will arise and go to my father” (Luke 15:18).

    We do well to frequently ask our Lord, “What is Your will in this moment?”  Hope in His promised presence, guidance, and enabling will lead us to inquire with confidence in His faithfulness.  He does not disappoint those who do not wait to respond to Him in the future, but who seek Him in the present moment, wherein hope will lead in the opportunity that lies at hand, and in heart…

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

(Hebrews 11:1; emphasis added)

Weekly Memory Verse 

    Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place.

 (II Corinthians 2:14)

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Orange Moon Thursday, April, 9, 2026 "Process and Perfection"

PThe Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

“Process and Perfection”

 

     “The eternal purpose which He (God) purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” involves our becoming like Him in character, nature, and way:

    “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Ephesians 3:11; Romans 8:28-29).

    Presently, this marvelous purpose involves a process.  “Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Corinthians 3:18).  Ultimately, the same means will perfect the work: “When He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:2).  

    Note the means of both process and perfection, namely, beholding and seeing the Lord Jesus.  Clearly, the issue involves our response to God’s revelation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus by His Spirit, His Word, His children, and His working in our hearts and lives along the pathways of providence.  Increasing Christlikeness in character, nature, and way occurs to the degree that we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).  Who is He?  What has He done?  What is He doing?  What will He do forever for His Father’s glory and our benefit?  These are the questions that focus our attention on the current process leading to ultimate perfection.

     Note the defocusing of attention on ourselves.  The matter of growth in Christlikeness does not and cannot succeed by that which constitutes the very essence of sin, namely, the idolatry of establishing “I, Me, and My” as the emphasis of our existence.  We were not made to be guided by narcissism, but rather by altruism.   Certainly, we will think about ourselves in various aspects of truth as we walk with God.  Never, however, does focus on ourselves serve as the dynamic means of increasingly becoming the moons that absorb and reflect the light of the sun (Son).  “Consider Him” beckons the writer of Hebrews, “lest ye become wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3; emphasis added).

    No human being has ever directly seen their own face.  Our eyes are set in their sockets to look outward, upward, and away.  Certainly, this tells us something of vital importance regarding more than physical vision.  Our Heavenly Father made our hearts and minds to direct their gaze upon something other than ourselves.  The primary other is the Lord Jesus, the very origin, source, and reason for God’s eternal purpose and our eternal existence.  Again, who is He?  What has He done?  What is He doing?  What will He do forevermore?  We will one day be perfected by the discovery of the answers.  Presently, the matter involves process and our determination to set gaze of our hearts upward, outward, and way…

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”
(Hebrews 12:2)

Weekly Memory Verse 

    Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place.

 (II Corinthians 2:14)

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