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.

Innocent before God - Martin Wiles

How can a mere mortal stand before God and claim to be righteous? Job 25:4 NLT

I love questions—especially the ones I have to ponder deeply.

I often ask difficult questions to encourage my middle school students to use their critical thinking skills. These include, "Why is there something rather than nothing?" "How do I know the universe really exists and is not merely an illusion?" "Do we have free will?" "Does God exist?" "Is there life after death?" "Can we really experience anything objectively?" "What is the best moral system?" and "What are numbers?"

Job offers an even deeper philosophical question: "How can a person be innocent before God?" Going free while being guilty is possible—at least in the American judicial system, if the judge sets bail and I can afford to pay it. But with God…

The Bible’s pronouncement on my predicament is clear: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Although I walk around in apparent freedom, a day will come when I’ll be tried…unless.

Unlike in the court system, we cannot pay our way out of our spiritual predicament. We don’t have enough money to bribe God or offer him a deal. Nor can we perform enough good works to make up for our sinful acts. Job’s fair-weather friends told him that sin caused his bad fortune. Yet, Job maintained his innocence. Although he asked, "How can a person be innocent before God, he honestly thought he was.

The good news is that we can be innocent before God. God declares our innocence through a big theological phrase: imputed righteousness. God takes what characterizes his Son, Jesus Christ, and imputes it to us. He credits Jesus' righteousness to our account. 

We're not righteous because we’ve attained perfection or a sinless state. Instead, we're righteous because God has made us so in Christ. When God looks at us, he views us in Christ. Living with that knowledge gives a new perspective on life. It changes how we view ourselves and others. It also gives us a more profound love for God. He did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves.

So, yes, Job, a person can stand innocent before God, but only because of Christ's actions. Now that you know the answer, how are you standing?

Father, thank you for the standing you have granted me 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.

God’s Buts - Martin Wiles

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much. Ephesians 2:4 NLT

Every time I see a but, I know something else is possible or about to happen.

In English grammar, there are five coordinating conjunctions. I help students remember them with the acronym FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. When I see for and and, I know things are connected. Or signifies the possibility of choice. So and yet are two of the weaker conjunctions and most likely give a result. So also functions as a subordinating conjunction that connects a dependent clause to an independent clause. But but gives me a contrast. When I want to show two different scenarios, I choose this conjunction. Selecting the right conjunction is essential; otherwise, the sentence's meaning is skewed.

Paul chose this very conjunction for an important reason. He has just reminded believers of their spiritual state before Christ. They were dead in their sins and doomed to an eternity separated from God. They obeyed Satan, the one who lives in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. Born with an evil nature, humans were destined to encounter God’s righteous wrath. Then Paul inserts that most important conjunction: but. Thankfully, God intervened.

I was one of those Paul spoke about. I was a sinner, but God offered me forgiveness for all my sins and gave it when I asked. I was once a prodigal who walked away from all I knew to be right, but God ran to me with open arms of forgiveness when I decided to come home. I’ve found myself in some pretty severe circumstances, but when I prayed and asked, God delivered me each and every time. I’ve said some gossipy, mean things to people and behind their backs, but God has shown me a better way to talk. I’ve allowed anger to rule my days and nights, but God has shown me how to forgive. 

God loves the conjunction "but." He loves to take what is and offer a better way. He enjoys intervening in the messes we make of our lives through unhealthy attitudes, choices, words, and thoughts. Instead, he offers a but and follows it with a better choice. Buts can signal a worse choice, yet with God, they usually offer a better way.

Let God’s buts take you in a better direction than you are presently traveling.

Father, I thank you for the buts you send my way. 

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.

Brown Rice

 

Ingredients

1 CUP RICE (UNCOOKED)

1 CAN BEEF CONSOMME (CAMPBELL'S)
1 CAN BEEF BROTH (CAMPBELL'S)
1/2 STICK BUTTER

Directions
MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER AND PLACE IN A GLASS CASSEROLE DISH.

BAKE AT 375 FOR 45 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.