God's Fences - Martin Wiles

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 NIV

My maternal grandfather was a farmer whose land was circled by fences. Since my cousin and I had free reign to go and come as we pleased, we often encountered fences of different varieties. Most were hog wire fences. One step up and over, and we cleared the obstacle. Occasionally, the hog wire was topped by barbed wire. This required a little more ingenuity. We carefully pulled down the strand and held it against the top of the hog wire, allowing us to swing our legs over without getting snagged.

Of course, the most dangerous kind of fencing was electric. What hog and barbed wire couldn’t fetter, electric fencing could—primarily hogs. They inched their snouts near it and squealed as they felt the warmth of the pulsating electricity. My cousin and I proceeded with just as much caution as they did. Touching it would deliver a jolt we didn’t care to feel.

According to the psalmist, God does a bit of fencing himself. But it’s not hog wire, barbed wire, or electric wire. God’s means of fettering are different.

God fetters through the presence of his Spirit, who reinforces the knowledge of God's commands. Some perceive God as an unfriendly type who sits up in heaven, waiting to zap people for disobeying his commands—which they perceive as nothing more than a list of things they can’t do. And to be sure, God does have a host of “Thou shall not’s.”

But God’s commands are not given to cause us misery but to fence us in, making it more difficult for us to travel in fields we’d be better off staying out of. His commands are not designed to make life miserable but to guide us in a more pleasant direction. He has our best interests at heart. Obedience to his commands will ensure we experience the best out of life.

I’ll be the first to admit I’ve questioned some of God’s directions. And some of them I tend not to understand. Of course, I didn’t understand many of my parents’ directives either. I discovered later, however, that my parents were wiser than I was. God is, too. We can jump God’s fences or believe he has erected them for a reason.

Make sure you are responding positively to God’s fences.

Father, thank you for providing fences to keep me on a godly path. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Cheese Cake

 

Ingredients

2 BOXES JELLO CHEESECAKE MIX 

  

8 OUNCES CREAM CHEESE

8 OUNCES COOL WHIP

3 CUPS MILK

Directions

IN A MIXING BOWL, WHIP CREAM CHEESE UNTIL SMOOTH.

ADD CHEESECAKE MIX TO CREAM CHEESE. 

MIX WELL UNTIL IT FORMS A BALL. 

GRADUALLY ADD MILK UNTIL BLENDED.

FOLD IN COOL WHIP AND PLACE IN A PAN.

REFRIGERATE UNTIL READY TO SERVE. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Doing the Religious Mix - Martin Wiles

Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor; they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead! Psalm 106:28 NLT

I suppose Timmy thought no one would notice—and they didn’t. A church I once pastored decided to host a wild game supper since no church in our immediate area did. Timmy hunted anything—and cooked everything. What better person to head this up, I thought.

Among the many interesting dishes Timmy concocted was a wild game-bird perlo. The name of the particular bird that was supposed to inhabit this perlo escapes me, but I haven’t forgotten what Timmy whispered in my ear before the supper began: “I wasn’t able to kill enough _____ to put in the perlo, so I had to add some ____.” Then he listed a few non-game birds—killdeer, robin, mockingbird. My stomach churned. I knew this man and what he was capable of cooking. Could I try this? For fun, I walked over to the pot labeled “Wild Game Surprise” and dished out a large spoonful. Tasty.

The nation of Israel wasn’t as successful as Timmy at mixing things. The nation began with Abraham and God’s call for him to leave his pagan homeland and travel to a new place. Abraham’s descendants had a checkered history of trying to mix religions. Baal was the primary god of the land—a fertility god. Worshiping him and his female counterpart would ensure their crops, livestock, and families produced—or so they thought. They tried numerous times to get this religious mix mixed correctly but never succeeded. That’s because we can’t mix religion.

I have also discovered what they discovered: God doesn’t share His affection with anyone or anything. He is jealous—or zealous—not in a sinful way, but in a way that is for my good. He knows my pandering after other things at his expense will lead to ultimate disappointment and spiritual failure. I can’t mix loving and serving him with anything else.

The good news is that we don’t have to. God’s love for us is unconditional, immeasurable, and sufficient. What He gives us—love and possessions—is all we’ll ever need. We don’t need compromise; we simply need to trust Him . . . period. Jesus said we couldn’t serve him and mammon—money, possessions, or anything else.

Jesus is all you need. Don’t look for anything or anyone else. Doing the religious mix won't work. 

Father, when I think I need just one more thing to satisfy me, remind me you are all I need. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Satisfied - Martin Wiles

Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT

My grandson thought a clothing tag would satisfy him more than food.

I recall when my wife introduced one of our grandsons to table food. According to medical experts, he had only reached the age for eating baby food, but baby food wasn’t doing the trick. He was a big guy and needed more sustenance. Although our daughter would have fussed had he been the first grandchild, she was more lenient with the second. She put aside many of the first-time mother concerns and discovered grandparents knew best.

Although he loved table food, even it didn’t satisfy his appetite. One day, after arriving at her house with both boys, my daughter texted a picture to me, asking if the object looked familiar. I stretched the image to determine what it was. “A clothing tag,” I mused. She had fished it out of our grandson’s mouth after he began gagging.  

Just as baby food didn’t satisfy our grandson, so King Solomon didn’t find satisfaction in anything he tried. He was the wealthiest king ever to rule over Israel and had more abundance than any other world ruler who preceded or followed him. He had the means to try it all . . . and did. But nothing satisfied. To use his phrase, Solomon said his actions were like chasing the wind.  

Human nature makes being disgruntled rather than satisfied easier. I grew up in a lower-middle-class family, so I’m not accustomed to having much. I’ve had to learn to find contentment with what I had. Doing so hasn’t been easy. Looking at and longing for what others have is simpler. Being content with what God has given me without questioning him about why I can’t have what so and so has is challenging. But if I don’t capture this longing, I’ll live in a permanent state of dissatisfaction—a miserable existence. 

Solomon advises us to enjoy what we have. Doing so doesn’t mean we shouldn’t establish goals or have desires and initiatives. Our contentment comes from knowing we are where God wants us now. Why we can’t have more opportunities or things is his decision, not ours. 

We should enjoy life by accepting what we have and looking forward to what God will give us in the future—things and opportunities included. Think about attitudes that keep you from being satisfied.

Father, teach me the art of contentment—a feeling of satisfaction that does not depend on relationships or circumstances.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

People Patience - Martin Wiles

Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Ephesians 4:2 NLT

In the early 1980s, the church where my dad pastored gave him and Mom a microwave oven. Nothing like the present ones, though, in size or weight. As big as a large-screen television, it must have weighed fifty pounds. Although bulky and ugly, it did one thing well: warmed my food quickly. In a matter of seconds or minutes, my food was ready. For an impatient person, this was a gift from God. 

Microwaves are just one item that helps me hem in my impatience. The internet also does. No more going to libraries and spending hours researching information. All the knowledge I need on any subject is at my fingertips—literally.

But if the microwave breaks down or the internet fails, what then? A growing impatience rises in my chest, and I get restless--even angry. Unfortunately, such scenarios aren’t the only things that rouse my impatience. People can try my patience as well. Evidently, I’m not the only one with the problem. Paul instructed early Christians to be patient with each other. Everyone has faults, and sometimes those faults aren’t microwaveable or searchable.

We must learn to be patient with others. Just as I must learn to be content in life’s circumstances, I must also be patient with others. Remembering I’m not perfect myself helps. It’s also beneficial to remember that God created different personalities in people. I’m Type A, so getting along with other Type A’s is easy. But not everyone is a Type A. Type Bs are probably more prevalent. Their approach to life helps balance out those of us who are Type A.

When we allow God to help us develop patience with others, we give a good example for others to follow. Our patience demonstrates love. We don’t have to agree with everyone—nor do they with us—for us to love them. Patience with others also reminds us that all believers belong to one body. We are not competing but working together for a common cause. Praying for those we tend to be impatient with is good practice. Perhaps God will change our outlook, and we’ll see them and the situation differently.

Ask God for wisdom to develop people patience. After all, he’s patient with us.

Father, as you are patient with me through my faults and failures, help me be with others.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Butter Pecan Cake

 

Ingredients

1 BOX BUTTER PECAN CAKE MIX

4 EGGS

1/3 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1 CUP MILK

½ CUP SUGAR

1 CAN COCONUT PECAN ICING

Directions

IN A BOWL, MIX ALL INGREDIENTS.

FOLD IN COCONUT PECAN ICING.

POUR INTO A GREASED TUBE PAN.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 35 TO 40 MINUTES.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

When the Brook Dries Up - Martin Wiles

But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land. 1 Kings 17:7 NLT

Life is rarely enjoyable when the brook dries up.

One of the brooks I regularly drink from is writing. God gave me this gift some years ago, and I attempt to use it to honor him. But despite knowing he gave the gift, the brook runs dry more times than I wish.

Rejections. They are never easy for writers. Somehow, our self-esteem gets tangled up in our writing. Rejection letters strike devastating blows. In reality, the manuscript, article, devotion, or poem may be perfectly good, but the editor simply doesn’t have room for it. Yet, our self-esteem suffers. The brook dries up.

Elijah had just delivered a dangerous message to the king: no rain for an extended period. Then the Lord told him to hide by Kerith Brook. His water would come from the brook, and ravens would deliver food. Things went well…until the brook dried up.

Dry brooks come in many forms: financial crashes, relationship upheavals, marriage unfaithfulness, physical limitations, injuries, unemployment, rebellion, and addictions.

When the brook dries up, it isn’t a sign God has left and isn’t working. God is always working behind the scenes. We may not see God’s hand, as we don't see the set preparers at a play, but he’s there nonetheless. When the set changes during a play, we wait for the changers to finish their job. With God, we believe by faith that he is working. We continue doing what we were doing until we receive further instruction. Elijah remained by the dry brook until God told him to visit a nearby village.

When the brook dries up, God may be testing our faith or preparing us for more outstanding service. God tested Abraham’s faith when he told him to sacrifice his only son. God prepared Moses for greater service by having him spend time on the backside of a desert. Elijah was being prepared for greater opportunities. He would soon have a mountain showdown with four hundred pagan prophets.

Dried-up brooks offer the chance to examine our obedience. If we obey God, we can be sure the brook will again overflow its banks. Others may try to discourage us, but our faith and God’s power will carry us through.

Think of better ways to respond when the brook dries up.

Father, when the brooks dry up, increase my faith and determination to follow you obediently and to depend on you for wisdom.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.