Orange Moon Wednesday, January 7, 2026 "Transcendent"

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

  

"Transcendent"   

  

      

    Perhaps you have heard the rhetorical question, "How big is your God?"  The interesting answer is that He is not big at all.  That is, our Lord is spiritual rather than spatial.

   "The heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee" (II Chronicles 6:18).

    In the 1920s, the astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered the universe to be far more vast than previously known, and that it also expands at an unimaginable rate.  The James Webb telescope, active since July, 2022, has revealed the size and expansion to be of immeasurably greater scope than previously realized.  The number of galaxies is presently estimated to be at least in the billions, and possibly the trillions, many of which likely contain billions of planets.  Moreover, the acceleration of expansion may well be far greater than present calculations, considering the increasing awareness of creation's scope and measure.  "Thus saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out" (Isaiah 42:6).  "Overwhelming" serves as the only adjective that comes to mind when pondering such wonder.

    "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1).

   Far more than overwhelming is the Creator of a universe that "cannot contain" Him.  God transcends all things by an infinite measure, although again, His spiritual reality does not involve a matter of measure, size, or scope.  What does this mean for creatures such as ourselves who are subject to limitations in our understanding of such a mystery?  

   First, we acknowledge that we cannot understand.  We have no frame of reference for the transcendence of a reality - God - whose existence dwarfs the creation He made.  Regardless of how vast the universe may be, or how complex and intricate, its Maker stands infinitely above and beyond all things.  Unto a race of beings fallen into the deception of "ye shall be as gods," the truth of how small we are in relationship to the living and true God serves as a vital illumination (Genesis 3:5).  "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).

   The transcendence of God also fills and thrills our hearts with hope, especially since He has communicated His desire to provide for us in every way.  "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).  Apply this to the blessings of life, given so abundantly from a provision inexhaustible and never ending.  Gratitude fills our being.  Or see the challenges, pains, sorrows, and problems of life in the light of the infinite One who promises to be present, involved, and able to lead us as our "very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).  Indeed, while it is permissible to suggest God as bigger than our problems, the truth rather beckons us to see Him in terms far greater.  "Very present… in trouble" declares that the greatest reality in both earthly blessings and challenges is the Heavenly God whose presence and provision transcend all.  "It is I" revealed the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples in the midst of a violent storm (John 6:20).  He beckons us in all things with the same assurance, the assurance of His presence and transcendence.

    "It is I."  No simpler statement graces the pages of the Bible.  No greater reality shines forth from those same pages.  May our Heavenly Father grant much grace to see our lives in the reality far beyond our sight, senses, and comprehension.  Yes, He made a creation that boggles the mind.   It pales in comparison, however, to His own being, which thrills, fascinates, and illuminates our hearts as we look to see the light that will forever reveal the inexhaustible and immeasurable glory of God.

"His greatness is unsearchable."

 (II Chronicles 6:18)

Weekly Memory Verse

    We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

(II Corinthians 4:18).

   

   

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Orange Moon Tuesday, January 6, 2026 “Sequence and Saturation - The Way, the Truth, the Life”

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

  

"Sequence and Saturation - The Way, the Truth, the Life"   

  

      

    "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6).

     Our Lord's affirmation of Himself can be interpreted in a number of ways.  In fact, His statement bears as much eternal meaning and significance as any communication ever expressed.  We will never fully know or understand what it means that our Lord exists as the singular way, truth, and life of human hearts.  As one poet expressed of Him, "Shoreless ocean, who can sound Thee, Thine own eternity is round Thee, Majesty divine!"

   One way to construe the Savior's meaning involves simply following the sequence of His statement, namely, He is the way to truth, and truth is the way to life.  In an existence wherein the Lord Jesus serves as our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Master, no possibility exists of finding a path to truth that does not begin and forever continue in Him.  All other ways wherein we seek to understand reality actually detour us from it.  Indeed, regardless of how well we know seem to know any subject, if we fail to realize Christ as the heart of the matter, we never actually approach truth in its actual substance.  We may not always understand how a thing or a matter is Christ-saturated.  We must, however, know that it is.   He is the way to truth, as the Apostle Paul declared, "The truth is in Jesus" (Ephesians 4:21).

    The truth of Christ then leads to the life of Christ.  When a sinner believes the propositions of the Gospel, the personal life of the Lord Jesus enters the heart with the vitality of His living presence.  "To live is Christ… Christ is our life" (Philippians 1:21; Coossians 3:4).  Before faith in the Lord Jesus, we may perceive life in countless other ways.  "My family is my life… my career is my life… My possessions are my life…. My enjoyments are my life."  While such blessings can and should be properly appreciated as gifts of God, none can serve as our life.  The truth of God's Spirit, Word, and providence continually bears witness that our hearts were made for Christ to serve as the Life of our lives.  Nothing else suffices, and until we believe the truth in the new birth, we cannot perceive ourselves as truly alive.  "He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).  Yes, the truth, the living truth that is the Lord Jesus, leads to life.

    Throughout Scripture, proper sequence always matters.  This particularly includes the "I am" of the Savior as the way, the way that leads to truth, and the truth that leads to life.  We experience this in the new birth and beginning of our relationship with God, and also the life of fellowship with God lived thereafter.  If we would know our Lord's life, we must know His truth, and if we would know His truth, we must know Him as the way thereunto.  A Christ-saturated existence indeed, just as we would expect of the God whose eternal purpose is focused upon and saturated with the glory and revelation of His Son…

"The eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

(Ephesians 3:11)

Weekly Memory Verse

    We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

(II Corinthians 4:18).

   

   

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Orange Moon Monday, January 5, 2026 “A Moment In Time. Eternal Significance”

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

  

"A Moment In Time.  Eternal Significance"   

  

       It was a small gesture in time.  But greatly appreciated, and bearing significance forever.

      All the pumps were occupied as I pulled into a gas station yesterday.  I took my place in line behind a gentleman who was filling his tank.  When he finished and pulled away from the pump, I noticed he drove to a parking place nearby.  He stepped out of his car and walked toward the station, perhaps to pay for his gas or to make another purchase.  I realized he had moved so I could pull in to pump my gas, something he did not have to do.  I rolled my passenger side window down and thanked him.  He smiled in response, and we had a very brief discussion about kindness and conscientiousness.  The man's attitude matched his actions, and I drove away realizing opportunities lay before me based on his graciousness.

    First, I could give thanks to our Heavenly Father for blessing of the moment.  It was little more than that, but the Lord meets us along the pathways of His providence as we seek to walk with Him by faith.  We can miss the fact of His presence and working in matters that may seem merely human, but which actually teem with His living presence.  I realized this in the encounter with the gentleman, that his attitudes and actions served as a blessing that flowed through him, but which originated in Another.  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17).

    I also realized ongoing opportunities await at the throne of grace, based on the gracious action of the gentleman.  I prayed for him as I drove away, and hope to do so whenever I visit the gas station.  Again, we had little time for more than a brief mention of the Lord and His blessing.  Far more time, Lord willing, will allow me to pray for the man in the future, that whatever his need may be in relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ, God will work accordingly.  Indeed, brief encounters portend of eternal glories as they lead to prayer, and as God answers in ways that will bear significance forever.  "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (II Corinthians 4:18).

   Finally, I felt encouraged and challenged by the man's example, and have little doubt it will influence me in days to come and ways to come as a guidepost planted by a human action, but which will serve as as a divine reminder: "This is the way.  Walk ye in it" (Isaiah 30:21).  Human beings are imitators of one another, for good, and sadly, too often for ill.  God gives people to serve as reflections of His character, nature, and way.  Following good examples can be synonymous with following Him, even as the Holy Spirit directed the Apostle Paul to beckon believers to walk in his footsteps: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:10).

    Again, a small gesture.  It looms large in my heart, however, and continues to bequeath significance for me, and perhaps now, for you and others with whom I will share the blessing.  God works through the multiplier effect, infusing seemingly small actions and brief  moments with glories that will extend into eternal blessedness.  He receives all the glory thereby, and we receive the blessing of seeing His hands, feet, and heart in those of people who likely have no idea of the blessing they are to us, based on their serving to reveal the Source of all goodness, kindness, and gracious conscientiousness.

"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen."

(Romans 11:36)

Weekly Memory Verse

    We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

(II Corinthians 4:18).

   

   

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