Orange Moon Tuesday, March 4, 2025 “The Rails of Reality"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

"The Rails of Reality"   

      Truth can be defined as the communication of reality as it is.  The Bible reveals this light of God in both personal and propositional terms.

    "I am… the truth" (John 14:6).

     Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17).

     Relationship and fellowship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ involves both the person of the Savior and the pages of the Scriptures.  We must love Him "with all thy heart… and with all thy mind" (Mark 12:30).  Or, as the Apostle John declared, "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17; emphasis added).  Indeed, we cannot know grace apart from truth, and we cannot survive truth apart from grace.

    This dual reality of the living and written Word must be firmly constructed as the twin rails upon which the train of truth travels in our walk with God.  Through Christ, He must be known personally by faith in order to please His heart and fulfill ours.  Through the Bible, our Lord must be understood in principle to ensure we truly know God as He is.  Without the Spirit of God personally informing our minds, the Bible lies dormant as the most marvelous of documents, but nevertheless concealed to our understanding.  Moreover, without Scriptural revelation and authority, any "Jesus" we may believe ourselves to worship will fail to meet the test of authenticity, resulting in deception and spiritual disaster.   

   Does the Christ we know conform to the Scriptures He declared "testify of Me"?  (John 5:39).  Does the Bible lead us not only to the facts of God, but to to the faith whereby we relate to Him in living, personal terms?  "Spirit and truth" that "came by Jesus Christ" must lay the rails of reality as they guide us in relating to God, and living in a manner both personal and principled.  To know the love of His heart and mind requires the response of our heart and mind.  Only thereby does the train of truth journey within us, leading to knowing our Lord in truth, and knowing truth in our Lord.

"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."

(Hebrews 10:16)

Weekly Memory Verse

   As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

 (I Peter 4:10)

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Orange Moon Monday, March 3, 2025 “Stewards of Grace”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

"Stewards of Grace"      

      God certainly calls born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to confess our sins to Him, and when appropriate, to "confess your faults one to another" (I John 1:9; James 5:16).  He does not intend, however, that we constantly bemoan our sins, failures, and weakness in a false humility that draws attention to ourselves, dampens the faith of others, and distracts from the glory of His presence in our lives.

   "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (I Peter 4:10).

    We exist to serve as those who direct focus and faith unto the Lord Jesus' person and work.  This will include times when we share our personal testimony of His long-suffering patience, forgiveness, and faithfulness bestowed upon all believers, none of whom come close to perfection in this present lifetime.  However, overmuch lament expressed regarding our sins and faults does not serve God, others, or ourselves.  "Good stewards" who have "received the gift" rather seek to extol their Lord's perfection, virtue, and faithfulness.  Indeed, even in times when we honestly acknowledge our failings, we seek to do so in a manner that leaves our hearer not dwelling on ourselves, but rather on the God whose gracious mercy redeems and restores.  "O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise" (Psalm 51:15).

   We do well to tell of how merciful our Lord has been to us, and how much we have needed His undeserved grace in the Lord Jesus.  We do so, however, ever seeking to exalt Him rather than draw attention to ourselves by a bemoaning that does no good and much harm.  We endeavor to emphasize and extol God's mercy and forgiveness even as we bear witness to our need for it.  Only thereby do we truly honor Him, bless others, and experience our Lord's faithful and patient working in our hearts and lives.

"Let the God of my salvation be exalted."

(Psalm 18:46)

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so."

(Psalm 107:2)

Weekly Memory Verse

   As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

 (I Peter 4:10)

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Orange Moon Saturday, March 1, 2025 "Strong In the Lord"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe

"Strong In the Lord"      

     

   Our memory verse for the week, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" beckons to every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as each day begins (Ephesians 6:10).  "Christ the power of God" dwells in us through the presence and working of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 1:24).  Thus, regardless of our yesterdays and how well or poorly we availed ourselves of "the power of His might," this day offers fresh opportunity to live by the immeasurable strength of the One whose created and sustains all things.  "We shall live with Him by the power of God" (II Corinthians 13:4).

    Apply this to everything in life.  Everything.  Our Heavenly Father calls us to navigate all paths by His guiding and enabling grace, that we may live beyond ourselves for His glory in all things.  How we relate to God and people. How we think.  How we speak.  How we act. How we enjoy His blessings.  How we survive and thrive in our difficulties.  How we perform our responsibilities.  How we humble ourselves in success.  How we arise from failure.  How we "do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).  How we love God and love people through the Lord Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, and in accordance with the Word of God.  Being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might involves every aspect of spirit, soul, and body, and every step of circumstance, condition, and situation.  "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).

   The power of God teems within the spirits of believers through the presence of the Spirit of God.  Like a mighty racehorse in his stall yearning to be free and to run far and fast, our Lord's enabling awaits our faith to open the gate through which we arise, walk, and run by a strength far beyond our native human abilities.  In most cases, the power will manifest quietly, unobtrusively, and in ways we ourselves may not even realize.  It works nevertheless in the hearts and lives of those who believe that the God who merely spoke to create a universe vast and vital beyond comprehension dwells nearer than our next breath.  He maintains that universe by merely speaking - "upholding all things by the word of His power" - and He promises such "grace of life" to all who trust the Lord Jesus (I Peter 3:7).  

    We did not arise in this day to foolishly seek to be strong in ourselves and in the power of our illusory might.  Instead, the command brimming with glorious promise beckons to our hearts: "Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might."  The Apostle Paul spoke to this grace, and we close with his assurance that our Lord not only lives within us, but moves within us to empower a life far beyond mere human means…

"I will dwell in them and walk in them."

(II Corinthians 6:16)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

(Ephesians 6:10)

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