Proving Our Faith - Martin Wiles

God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth by doing wonderful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. Acts 2:22 NLT

When I began dating my wife, I had to prove I loved her. Although I loved her initially, only saying that wasn’t sufficient. Actions were required—actions that included telling her I loved her and showing her in various ways. We went on dates, I bought her presents, and I showed her affectionate acts. I tried not to get angry with her. If I offended her, I apologized.

She loved me from the beginning, too, but she didn’t completely trust me. Through actions and words that proved my love for her, I also proved she could trust me—a necessary ingredient in any lasting relationship. By the time we married, she trusted and loved me completely. But marriage didn’t stop the need to prove my love. I continue to say and do things that let her know I love her.

As Peter preached to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, he reminded them how God had proven that Jesus was the Messiah of the world. God allowed Him to perform miracles and other wonders that no ordinary human could do. During His short three-year ministry, Jesus continually did things that proved His identity and love for humanity.

While God saves us by his grace and our faith in Him, we must prove our faith to others and ourselves. Such proof doesn’t come through an arrogant attitude and parading around as if we’re better than those who don’t follow Christ. The light we shine shouldn’t say, “I’m better than you.” Such an attitude repels instead of draws.

Good works prove our faith. Because we have the love of Christ in our hearts, we desire to share that with others through various means. There are myriad ways we can show good works. If we ask, God will give us opportunities and the wisdom to respond to them.

Consistency is also crucial when it comes to good works. A spurt of love now and again won’t suffice. God expects us to do godly things for others regularly. He also expects love to be the motivating factor behind those good works, not a guilty conscience or any other undesirable characteristic.

Think of ways you can prove your faith to others.

Father, I ask for opportunities to show others the love You have shown me and your love for them. 

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.

The Tasting - Lynne Phipps

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 NIV

My granddaughters enjoy baking. As they age, I am teaching them how to read and follow a recipe.  They need to understand what ingredients to use, how to read the measurements, and how to follow the mixing method. Knowing and setting the oven temperature and time is vital, as is choosing the right container or tray to use for baking.

As we prepare and bake the recipe, the girls comment on how good it smells. However, we only prove its goodness when we taste it. Unfortunately, two out of three of us are disaccharide intolerant. This means we can understand, follow, and complete a recipe, but tasting it is out of bounds if the product contains double sugar called sucrose. 

Just as one granddaughter and I have to miss out on this final tasting step, when it comes to baking, we believers can also miss out on tasting and seeing that the Lord is good.  Perhaps we have followed God’s recipe for salvation by believing and accepting Christ into our lives. Maybe we are regular church attendees. Reading our Bibles and attending Bible studies or prayer meetings may also be spiritual habits. 

Nevertheless, if we miss the vital step of trusting God and his Word enough to taste it by putting it into daily practice, we may only taste the Lord’s true goodness irregularly. We may know God’s Word by memory. We may even enjoy reading it. But it is only in the practical application that we taste the truth, goodness, and wisdom within it.

Although we may follow it and put it into practice, some questions arise--questions I ask myself. How often do we worry? Do we trust God enough to tithe and give generously above tithing? Do we talk to the person who has wronged us or instead talk about them? Do we do good to those who wrong us or only to those who do good to us? Do we unwittingly choose to only trust and put into practice certain spiritual teachings?

These are only a few of the questions we can ask ourselves. But in light of them, we must reconsider how much we taste and see the Lord’s goodness.

How about you? Think of some areas in which you might need to taste a little more of God’s goodness by putting all of his Word into practical action?

Father God, thank you that as I apply the truth of your Word to my life, I can taste and know how good you are all the time. In Christ’s name, amen.

Lynne Phipps and her family live on a small hobby farm in the heart of Alberta, Canada’s farming country. She has been writing devotions for forty years and never tires of the spiritual correlation the Holy Spirit blesses her with. He uses normal everyday events and the behaviors of the multitude of glorious creatures He has brought across her path to point her to the truths of God. Lynne is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More.

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.

Live in Hope and Thankfulness - Abigail Skelton

Praise be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV

On a hot August day, my friend Julie and I wore heavy coats and bike helmets—not because we were biking, but because we decided to go spelunking in the lava tubes in Northern California’s Klamath Basin. More accurately, I had decided to go. 

Julie was visiting from Germany and was at the mercy of my adventurous tour. But when we found ourselves lost in an underground tunnel that involved crawling on our knees over lava rock, the fault was truly all mine.

Losing track of directions is one thing. I have plenty of experience with that. But being underground in pitch-black darkness with no sense of north or south is even more disconcerting. We talked aloud about what to do if our phone flashlights suddenly stopped working. Had that happened, we could’ve easily found ourselves on search and rescue lists. Fortunately, retracing one’s steps is wise, and we reemerged into the blindly bright high-desert landscape within no time.

On the surface, Julie and I marveled over how starkly different the two worlds were: above ground, where the air was warm and we could see for miles, and below ground, where our breath hung in the air and we couldn’t have seen our own noses in the darkness.

To God, I imagine our sinful lives look like overly ambitious explorers wandering in the cave and trying to find a way out. Personally, I seem to enjoy wandering in the darkness. It’s fun to see how far I can make it—before I trip and scuff my knees on volcanic rock or cherished sins, which will do far worse damage than any lava rock. 

Jesus, too, ventured down into the dark recesses of sin and showed us the way out—back to daylight, back to God.

Don't let stubbornness lead you to venture back underground. Instead, live in the hope and thankfulness of a life spent with Jesus.

Abigail Skelton is from beautiful Southern Oregon, where she grew up with an avid love for Jesus, chocolate, and writing. She has lived in three countries while involved in missionary work and frequently travels and studies foreign languages. You can connect with Abigail on her website: https://abigailskelton.com.

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.

Tater Tot Casserole

 

Ingredients
1 BAG FROZEN TATER TOTS

16 OUNCES SOUR CREAM

2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE 

1 CAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

1 6-OUNCE CAN OF FRENCH FRIED ONIONS

Directions
ARRANGE TATER TOTS IN A GREASED BAKING DISH.

IN A BOWL, MIX TOGETHER SOUP, CHEESE, AND SOUR CREAM.

POUR MIXTURE OVER TATER TOTS AND TOP WITH FRENCH FRIED ONIONS.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 40 TO 45 MINUTES.
(Photo courtesy of wearychef.com.)

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.

Known for What - Martin Wiles

When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 1 Kings 10:1 NLT

Most know her only as the creator of Harry Potter. 

Most people don’t know what J. K. Rowling went through before becoming successful. Rowling first conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 as she rode a train from Manchester to London. She began putting the fully-formed story onto paper but was interrupted when her mother died after a ten-year battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

Two years later, Rowling moved to Portugal, where she taught English, met a man, married, and had a daughter. One year later, the marriage ended. She then moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, to be closer to her sister. By this time, she had three chapters of the future famous book in her suitcase.

Rowling didn’t see herself as a successful person but a failure. She had no job and no money. She was also divorced and had a child. Bouts of depression assaulted her, and she eventually found herself signing up for welfare.  

By 1995, Rowling had finished the book—but had also experienced rejection from twelve major publishers. One year later, Bloomsbury, a small publishing house, accepted her manuscript and offered her a small advance. They published the book in 1997 but printed only one thousand copies, five hundred of which they distributed to libraries.  

Amazingly, in 1997 and 1998, Harry Potter won awards from Nestle Smarties Book Prize and the British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year. Today, Rowling’s books have sold more than four hundred million copies, and she is considered one of the most successful women authors in the United Kingdom.

King Solomon wrote, too, but people knew him for more than that. His fame made headlines, so much so that the queen of Sheba had to see him for herself. His material and chattel possessions amazed her, but so did his wisdom. Especially the way he solved a puzzle about which mother a particular baby belonged to. When two women came claiming a specific child belonged to them—and neither would tell the truth—Solomon demanded that the child be cut in half and one half given to each woman. Of course, the birth mother didn’t want her child killed, so she offered it to the woman making the false claim.

Some girls are known for wanting the bad boys, and some boys are known for wanting the bad girls. Rowling certainly isn’t the only person known for overcoming difficult circumstances and moving ahead to success. Successful people fill history’s pages. And other authors trump Rowland’s reputation.

Of all the things for which others could know us—or of all the things for which we might want to be known—God has his own list in mind. His list might not make us famous or known worldwide, but living by his directory will bring us peace, fulfillment, and joy, as we won’t discover anywhere else.

God’s roster includes honesty, integrity, selflessness, kindness, love, joy, and optimism. Things Jesus modeled while on earth. Traits some didn’t appreciate but that others admired. Things, however, that pleased his heavenly Father.

Our enemy will tempt us to be known for things that displease God, but God gives us a different list. When we allow others to know us by the things on God’s register, we’ll please God. And that, after all, is the most important thing in life. At the end of the day, what God thinks is all that matters.

Make up your mind to be known by those characteristics that reflect the God you serve.

Father, I want to be known as your follower and reflect your traits in my life. 

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.

An Inheritance from God - Martin Wiles

How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Ephesians 1:3 NLT

Inheritances aren’t always what we envision.

My aunt had inherited most of the belongings from my maternal grandmother’s house when she died. When my aunt died, Mom hoped to get some of the family heirlooms back. But it didn’t happen as she wished. My aunt had three children. What she had was rightfully theirs. If they chose to share, we would appreciate it.

Several pieces of furniture that had belonged to my grandmother were especially dear to Mom. Mom voiced her love for them, but my aunt held on. All Mom received was a China cabinet she had purchased before she and Dad married—one she asked my aunt to keep while she and Dad were overseas—a picture my aunt had painted of the old homeplace, and two end tables and a coffee table that matched my grandmother’s living room suit that Mom had inherited earlier.

I come from a middle-class family and have no monetary or other inheritance in the waiting. But I do have another type of inheritance that surpasses anything I could get from a deceased family member.

Paul praised God for his spiritual inheritance—one available to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. This inheritance is eternal. When I placed my faith in Jesus Christ and asked him to forgive my sins, he immediately began preparing a heavenly home for me. Nothing can change that.

Earthly inheritances, we can spend. Even if we invest them, we must leave them behind at some point for someone else to enjoy. But our eternal inheritance is secure. God won’t change his mind and take it from us—even when we misbehave.

Our inheritance is also a present reality. We don’t have to wait until we die or Jesus returns to get it. Presently, God adopts us into his family. While some adopted children aren’t treated equally with biological children, God treats all his children the same. He grants forgiveness for every sin and never takes this back. Nor does he show favoritism. Instead, he loves all his children equally and gives us the same things he gives to his Son.

Abundant living—existing with peace and joy—also accompanies our inheritance. Because of what Jesus has done for us presently and promises to do for us in the future, we can enjoy life for the very first time.

Make sure you enjoy God’s present inheritance.

Father, thank you for the eternal inheritance I have in Jesus Christ. 

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.

Visually Impaired - Martin Wiles

He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. Isaiah 53:3 NLT

Without them, my world is one big blob of indistinguishable faces and blurry images.

While some wear glasses with plastic frames simply because they think they are stylish, this wasn’t the case when I first got them. Wearing glasses wasn’t popular. The derogatory term for those who did was “four eyes.” I endured the agony of being labeled. I was visually impaired and could do nothing about it but endure the agony of rejection and blurriness.

By the time I was retirement age, things hadn’t changed much. My blurry world remained the same if I removed my glasses. Then, my cornea specialist diagnosed me as possibly having early stages of glaucoma. Additionally, he diagnosed me with dry-eye disease.

Many also rejected the Messiah because they were visually impaired—just not physically. Theirs was a spiritual impairment because they missed such prophecies as this one and majored on ones dealing with His conquering nature.

What caused them to be sighted but blind can bring the same result in our lives. Pride can lead to visual impairment. The ancient Jews were filled with it. Jesus illustrated their prideful nature by talking about a Pharisee and a tax collector who prayed in the Temple. The Pharisee thanked God he wasn’t like other people, especially the filthy tax collector standing in the corner.

Pride leads to trouble every time. It is one of those sins God particularly despises because of its bitter consequences. Pride makes us think we’re better than others for whatever reasons we can concoct. The sin of pride brought Adam and Eve’s downfall and will bring one to anyone who lets it creep into their lives.

Prejudice will also impair our spiritual vision. Most of the ancient Jews thought they were better than their Gentile neighbors. After all, God had chosen the Jews as his special possession. Although God had a unique plan for them, it included bringing Gentiles into God’s fold. Unfortunately, the Jews often ignored God’s plan because they thought they were superior.

Additionally, selfishness impairs our spiritual vision. When life is all about us, we won’t see God’s plan—even when it’s staring us in the face. Selfishness causes us to miss God’s best while keeping the focus on me, myself, and I.

Don’t walk around with spiritual blindness. Let God remove those things that keep you from seeing his best.  

Father, give me the courage to put away those things that would spiritually impair my vision. 

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.