A SINGLE ORANGE!

 

Thursday, December 14, 2023

 

A SINGLE ORANGE!

 

Phil 4:12-13

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

          At Christmas 1971, I was a bi-vocational pastor of a baby church. I was fresh out of college and working at a hospital in a small Kansas town. On the time clock in the basement was a note that said, “be sure to pick up your orange in the cafeteria.” This was the Christmas bonus given to each hospital worker that year. A single orange.

 

          I went to the cafeteria to see what might be there. On a table was a cardboard box full of oranges. No bow and no wrapping! Just an orange. I picked through the box to find one that was not too soft, and I took it home to share with my wife.

 

          Why did I tell you this story? Because it was a learning experience. I learned how to be abased, which is the Greek word tapienoo. It means “to humiliate.” It wasn’t pleasant at the time, but I needed to learn how to respond to such conditions. Only then was I ready to enjoy abundance.

 

Dear Lord, most of us move through life with much more than we need and much more than we think we have. Thank you not only for daily provision but for overflowing blessings. AMEN