Orange Moon Thursday, February 12, 2026 "The Word and the Word"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

"The Word and the Word"   

    

    The Holy Spirit miraculously conceived the living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the virgin womb of Mary.

    "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.  Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

     The same Holy Spirit miraculously conceived the written Word, the Bible, in the hearts of the prophets and apostles.

    "No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (II Peter 1:20-21)

     It has been said that the Bible is Christ in print, and Christ is the Bible personified.  The Lord Jesus directed His hearers to God's written Word, promising that the written Word would direct them to Himself:

    "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39).

        

     In this light of the personal and written Word, we relate to God. We cannot understand the Bible apart from living relationship with God through Christ.  Nor can we rightly relate to Christ apart from the revelation and authority of Scripture.  We "worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).  God made us with hearts to know, and minds to understand.  He also gave the Holy Spirit to dwell within us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, whereby the One who conceived the living Word and inspired the written Word leads us in our fellowship with God.  Thereby, we come to the Bible through Christ, and to Christ through the Bible.  "In Thy light shall we see light" (Psalm 36:9).  

    Keeping this living and written Word in heart and mind greatly illuminates the path of righteousness upon which we "walk in the Spirit" and "walk in truth" (Galatians 5:16; III John 1:4).  The Spirit who ignited both beams of holy Light will guide us to know our Lord in living fellowship and vital understanding as we seek the Word in the Word, and the Word by the Word.

 "And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me. Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures."

(Luke 24:44-45)

Weekly Memory Verse 

   Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

(Hebrews 13:8)

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Orange Moon Wednesday, February 11, 2026 "This Day"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

"This Day"   

    

    We can only begin from where we are.

    "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee" (Isaiah 60:1).

    We cannot change yesterday.  Tomorrow in this present world is not guaranteed.  We have only today in which to "arise, shine," whatever this moment in time may hold of condition, circumstance, and situation.  God called Israel long ago to avail itself of this glory "risen upon thee."  His Word beckons now to born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom an even greater measure of grace abides…

    "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

    To whatever degree we have availed ourselves of this most wondrous of gifts in days gone by, the day upon us promises and commands that we live in the light of reality.  It is factual that the Spirit of the Lord Jesus lives and walks in us (Galatians 4:6; II Corinthians 6:16).  Will we experience "the hope of glory" in actual terms?  Will we believe in such glory risen within us, namely, the risen Christ given by God as the very Life of our lives?  We must, regardless of yesterday, and mindful that opportunity to walk in truth and reality tomorrow will not be available until we arrive at its doorstep.  "Now is the day of salvation" declared the Apostle Paul, a declaration that applies to unbelievers in the reception of God's grace, and to believers in the realization of its presence and power to lead us in the day, the hour, and the moment at hand (I Corinthians 6:2).

    The Spirit of God presently beckons to every believer: "Arise, shine."  The grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus enables us to look back with thanksgiving for grace already given, and repentance for failure if necessary.  His hope allows us to view the future with expectation of His presence and promise.  Most of all, He lives with and within us in this day, the only time we have in which to "arise, shine" for the glory of the Lord Jesus, as led and enabled by the indwelling hope of glory He is to us ever and always.  Including the only day we have to "walk in the light, as He is in the light" (I John 1:7).  Today.

"That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee."

(Proverbs 22:19)

Weekly Memory Verse 

   Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

(Hebrews 13:8)

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Orange Moon Tuesday, February 10, 2026 “Careful In Evaluation”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

"Careful In Evaluation"   

    

    We can be tempted when seeing unChristlike behaviors and attitudes in professing believers to quickly dismiss them as being false professors of faith in the Lord Jesus.  The Apostle Paul, conversely, took a more measured, deliberate view.

    "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus" (I Corinthians 1:1-2).

     While Paul strongly affirms the Corinthians in his salutation as genuine believers, he also presents the most strident challenge directed to Christians found in the New Testament epistles.  "Ye are yet carnal" declared the Apostle of the Corinthians' blatant attitudinal and behavioral waywardness (I Corinthians 3:3).  Never, however, does Paul indict his brethren for bearing a false confession of Christ.  On the contrary, the first nine verses of I Corinthians offer perhaps the most affirming of Paul's commendations found in any of his epistles.  Had one never read the letter, the introduction of I Corinthians would lead to the perception of a strong and vibrant fellowship of believers.  Moreover, Paul affirms the Lord's presence in the Corinthians: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16).  The epistle to the Corinthians nevertheless exists because of the Corinthians' carnality in attitude and behavior.  The most affirming commendation.  The most strident challenge.  How can both be directed to the same company of believers?

    The answer lies in Paul's teaching in other epistles regarding the present challenge believers face within our own being.  Born again believers' hearts are inhabited by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus - "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus."  We also bear in our earthly members and faculties - "the flesh" - a "law of sin" (Galatians 4:6; Romans 7:22-25; 8:2).  The Apostle himself acknowledges this confluence of conflicting inclinations: "When I would do good, evil is present with me" (Romans 7:21).   In our present lifetime, the possibility of sin (including grievous carnality, as with the Corinthians), will remain with us.  Doubtless, this is the reason Paul did not immediately question the salvation of professing believers who were not living in accordance with their confession of Christ.  He knew from his own experience the challenge all believers face regarding temptation and fleshly inclinations.   "Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 5:16-17; Galatians 6:1).

      Of course, it remains true that no excuse whatsoever exists for any sin a believer commits, including the detours from God's will that characterized the Corinthian believers.  Born again believers  in the Lord Jesus are super-energized vessels of the power of Christ, equipped to overcome any temptation (I Corinthians 10:13).  Our Lord overcame every enticement to sin He ever faced - "in all points tempted like as we are, and yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).  He now lives in us to empower our own overcoming, including the most wayward among us.  Thus, we must expect of each other - and most of all, ourselves - a quality of life that reveals the presence and power of the risen Lord Jesus who dwells and walks in us as the very Life of our lives.  "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (II Corinthians 9:8).

     This grace notwithstanding, no believer ever in this lifetime advances beyond temptation and the possibility of sin.  We must join Paul to not quickly dismiss as false professors of Christ those who may bear Him within, but who do not seem to outwardly reflect His presence.  Certainly, false professions of Christ do occur.  People can "believe in vain" as failure to bear fruit may suggest the absence of the Root (I Corinthians 15:2; Matthew 7:20; Proverbs 12:12).  However, the Lord's chief apostle would counsel us to be very careful in our evaluation of authenticity.  Perhaps most of all, he would tell us to "consider thyself" when we are inclined to a dismissiveness we may direct toward others, but which we are far less likely to apply to ourselves.

"I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ, that in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you."

 (I Corinthians 1:4-6)

""If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

(I John 1:8)

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

(I John 2:1)

Weekly Memory Verse 

   Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

(Hebrews 13:8)

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