When God Calls - Martin Wiles

So he said to Samuel, “Go lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Yes, Lord, your servant is listening.’” 1 Samuel 3:9 NLT

With a clear, distinct whistle, my grandfather mimicked the female bobwhite until the male was almost within sight.

Pappy, as I called my maternal grandfather, was an early riser. Why, I’m not sure. He farmed … a little. He made his living doing it but hired out most of the manual labor. He was up by five every morning, made his cup of instant coffee, and retired to the porch, where he smoked his cigarettes and waited for the sun to top the nearby row of pines.

As dawn began to break, the distant call of the male quail was common. Pappy puckered his lips, whistled a counter tune, and waited for the bobwhite to answer. When he did, Pappy would call again. Within a few minutes, the male would be perched in the large magnolia tree just a few feet away from the porch where Pappy sat. The male answered what he thought was a female’s call. What he found was a tall, overweight farmer.

After Samuel’s mother weaned him, she took him to the temple to assist Eli, the priest. As Samuel lay on his bed, God called. Not being familiar with God’s voice--and since God’s word was rare in those days--he assumed it was Eli. Eli thought the boy was hearing things, but after three times, he concluded it was God calling Samuel.

Just as my grandfather did the quail, God calls people to trust him as Savior, to enter a special area of service, or to walk closer with him. When God calls, we have a few options. We can obey, disobey, or delay doing anything. The free will God has instilled in us allows us to make these choices.

Of course, obedience is the best choice. We should obey all of God’s calls out of love and appreciation for what he has allowed his Son to do on Calvary’s cross. No one has ever demonstrated a more significant act of love. But obedience isn’t always so simple. 

Sinful patterns, fear of surrendering to God, or uncertainty over whether we’ve heard God can all lead to ignoring God’s call, or at least a delay in answering it. Obedience, on the other hand, builds experience by listening to his call so that we’ll not mistake the voice as Samuel did when God beckons in the future.

Think about how you will respond when God calls.

Father, may I always respond with obedience when you call me. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods 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.

Wrong Is Never Right - Martin Wiles

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil. Isaiah 5:20 NLT

Clay was usually a good student, but on this particular day, he broke the rules.

I sat with my back partially to the class, teaching from a PowerPoint about verbs. I could see most of them with my peripheral vision, including Clay, who sat in the back. As I taught, I noticed his hand continually slipping in and out of his pocket. Each time I looked at him, he gazed back with an innocent look. 

Toward the end of class, I remarked, “By the way, I know you’ve been eating.”

Quickly defending himself, he pulled out a piece of candy and said, “But I’ve only eaten one.” 

My look of disbelief convicted him. “Okay, two,” he said, “but I didn’t get to finish my breakfast this morning, and I didn’t have my milk.”

His remark was so comical that I and the rest of the class melted into a pool of laughter. Still, what he did was against the rules. 

Isaiah pronounced a “woe” upon those who called good evil and evil good. They had twisted values. Clay’s actions proved the mistake still existed. 

Though people and times may have changed, God’s standards haven’t. He still has an ethical and social code that he expects us to obey. I remember when even those who weren’t believers followed God’s code simply because most of society did. Not so many years ago, President Ronald Reagan said, “Without God, there is no virtue because there’s no prompting of the conscience. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” 

Circumstances should not determine right and wrong. Doing so leads to situational ethics. What was wrong initially is still bad and will be when time ends, regardless of whether we think God should change his mind. And following the majority is often the wrong thing for us to do. While the majority may win the vote, they can still be wrong—and they are about many forms of behavior currently accepted as permissible. 

God bases his standards on his nature, which is characterized by holiness and goodness. We can be sure God is not out to make our lives miserable. Following his guidelines will result in the best possible life there is to live. 

Satisfaction and joy never result from calling evil good.

Father, may my standards always replicate those detailed in your Word. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods 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.

Cherry Yum Yum

 

Ingredients

4 CUPS CRUSHED GRAHAM CRACKERS

2 STICKS BUTTER (MELTED)

1 16-OUNCE CONTAINER OF COOL WHIP

2 8-OUNCE PACKS OF CREAM CHEESE (SOFTENED)

2 CANS SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

2 CANS CHERRY PIE FILLING

2 PACKAGES INSTANT VANILLA PUDDING

3 CUPS MILK

Directions

MIX PUDDING AND MILK TOGETHER AND SET ASIDE.

MIX BUTTER AND CRACKER CRUMBS AND SET ASIDE.

BEAT CREAM CHEESE AND CONDENSED MILK UNTIL FLUFFY.

ADD PUDDING AND MIX WELL. FOLD IN COOL WHIP.

IN A LARGE DISH LAYER CRACKERS CRUMBS, PUDDING MIXTURE, AND CHERRY FILLING. REPEAT LAYERS.

SAVE A FEW CRUMBS TO SPRINKLE ON TOP.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods 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.

Cheating Death - Martin Wiles

You boast that you have struck a bargain to avoid death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. Isaiah 29:15 NLT

During my teenage years, I often cheated death--or so I thought.

Growing up as a teenager in the 1970s made it easy to rebel. Everyone seemed to be against something. Add to this that I was growing up in the home of a conservative preacher, and it should be easy to understand why I chose to join the rebellious. 

My rebellion took me down the path to bad addictions: tobacco, drugs, alcohol. Like most teens, I thought I was invincible. Although the thought of death frightened me, it didn’t scare me enough to make me change my ways. Driving drunk or drug-intoxicated was the norm on the weekend. How I got home safely without killing myself or someone else is nothing short of a miracle. I cheated death, but only because God had other plans for me. 

Isaiah spoke about death for his listeners who thought they could cheat death. God would send their enemies, and when they came, death would follow. 

I may have cheated death numerous times as a teenager, but I won’t cheat it in the end. If Jesus tarries with his Second Coming, I will walk the way all others have walked. Sickness will overtake me. My organs will finally shut down. A tragedy will strike. Whatever the form, death will strike. 

Death is the great leveler. We may differ from others in social standing, religious beliefs, and other ways, but the ground is level where the end of life is concerned. Science may discover many medical marvels, some of which can extend life, but it will never make a discovery that will prevent death. 

As a teen, I feared death, even while thinking I was unconquerable. Although I don’t enjoy thinking about it now, I no longer fear it. My life is now in God’s hands. He has forgiven my trespasses against him, cleaned the slate, and assured me of a heavenly home. I can now face death with the calm assurance of an eternity with my heavenly Father.

I knew Christ as a teen, but from a distance. Now I know him up close. I cannot cheat death, but I can face it through faith, with the knowledge that I’ll be victorious over it through the resurrection of my body and spirit. 

Don’t think you can cheat death. No one can.

Father, even though I must walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I know you are with me and will protect me.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods 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 Will Supply - Martin Wiles

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NLT

The news was bad … again. It typically was. 

I rarely enjoy filling out my annual state and federal tax forms. While I have received meager refunds for a few years, I usually owe at least one entity—often both. 

One particular year had been difficult financially. A supply-preaching opportunity had helped, but adding that income to my usual income caused bad tax news. My wife used an online service to calculate the results. 

“Well,” she mumbled, “we owe $1300 to the federal but will get a refund from the state.” 

My countenance fell. I knew we wouldn’t see the state refund. We owed the local hospital, and they’d snatch our refund. But where would we get the money to pay our federal tax obligation? 

One month after this discouraging news, we received encouraging news. The church where I had filled in now extended me the call to be their full-time pastor. Just in the nick of time to give us enough to pay our tax bill. Once again, God reminded us he would supply.

Paul was quick to acknowledge that God took care of him. When I read about his life’s challenges, I wonder how he could say that. God supplied his needs—but seldom in the manner he expected. 

I’ve noticed God’s way of doing things isn’t usually how I might do them. That includes how he supplied our needs. We planned to contact the IRS and set up a payment plan. God had another plan—one that paid the taxes in full. 

God’s manner of meeting our needs doesn’t always occur in the time frame we might imagine. Sometimes his supply comes over an extended period. At other times, as in our situation, he can meet the need in a split second. 

God can provide for our needs without the help of others but generally chooses to use others. In our case, He used a church. There have also been times when he used people who were not aware at the moment that he was using them. 

God is trustworthy. While his supply hasn’t always been what I might have wanted, it has always been just enough and what I needed. And along with the supply came the ability to endure—however long it took until he met the need fully. 

Trust God to supply your needs.

Father, I thank you that I can always trust you to meet whatever needs I have.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods 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.

Missing God’s Will - Martin Wiles

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years until all the men who were old enough to bear arms when they left Egypt had died. Joshua 5:6 NLT

Though my cousin and I missed more than we hit, the thrill of the throw kept us trying.

A large magnolia tree stood near the porch of my maternal grandparents’ old farmhouse. Beneath it were mounds of dead leaves and my grandfather’s old pickup truck—and the weapons my cousin and I used to aim at signposts: dead blooms. 

Those were the days when young boys could legally ride in the back of a pickup truck, stand behind the cab, or sit on the tailgate and let their feet scrape the road. Oblivious to our devilment, our grandfather puttered along at 25 mph as we aimed our weapons at every sign we passed. Most of them we missed.

The Israelites weren’t much better at hitting God’s will than my cousin and I were at smacking those signs. God gave them the Promised Land, but fear caused them to miss His plan—a decision that cost them forty years of wilderness wandering. 

Speed can cause us to miss God’s will. Although my grandfather was a slow driver, my cousin and I still had difficulty judging when to lob the magnolia bloom so it would strike the sign. I equate speed with busyness—the breakneck speed with which we often live life. Jesus took time to rest and pray to be sure he didn’t miss the Father’s plan. 

Selfishness is another culprit that can lead to missing God’s will. At the age of my cousin and me, life was all about us. We weren’t concerned about the danger of standing in the back of the pickup truck. We were invincible. Throwing while moving could have caused us to tumble onto the road, but we didn’t think about such things.

Of course, we also have disobedience to contend with. God told the Israelites he would help them take the land. They would have none of it. Once our grandparents discovered what we were doing, they no longer forbade us from throwing magnolia blooms at signs. But we did it anyway. 

Bad influences can also cause us to miss God’s will. Ten spies—rather than two--persuaded the Israelites to turn back from the Promised Land’s border. Millions listened to the majority, who, in this case, were wrong. My cousin concocted the idea of throwing the blooms. I listened and joined in the disobedience. 

Think of those things that typically cause you to miss God’s will.

Father, help me resolve to obey your will so I won’t miss what you want to do in my life. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods 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.

Cheeseburger Pie

 

Ingredients

1 POUND GROUND BEEF (COOKED, DRAINED)

½ TEASPOON SALT

1 ONION (CHOPPED)

1 CUP SHREDDED CHEESE

1 CUP MILK

½ CUP BISQUICK

2 EGGS

Directions

MIX ALL TOGETHER.

BAKE AT 400 DEGREES FOR 25 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.