Throwback Tuesday - God's Undo's - Martin Wiles

God’s Undo’s

I suppose I re-typed many things before I uncovered the meaning of the small backward facing curvy arrow nestled in the quick access toolbar of my Word document.

Somewhere in my journey of learning the ins and outs of computer technology, I discovered the Undo button. A marvelous little gem, probably invented by some young whipper snapper who had enough sense to think, “There must be a better way to undo my foibles than having to re-type them.”  The Undo button saves a mound of frustration. If I change something but don’t like it, I simply click the arrow. Or if I inadvertently delete something? Undo. Read more...

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A Trustworthy Guide - Martin Wiles

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 NLT

Though I had never seen this person before, I trusted him to guide me for the next hour.

My wife and I were on vacation in the mountains of Tennessee and wanted to visit somewhere we hadn’t before. Forbidden Caverns popped up as near our location and on the way home. I visited caverns as a child, but many years had passed since I had walked beneath the earth’s surface.

We waited in the lobby for our guide to appear. After he did, he led us down a hallway and stopped us at the end of the ramp. He told who he was and explained what we would be doing. As we toured our designated pathways, I noticed many more walkways going off in various directions. Knowing how dark it would be should the electricity fail, I was glad we had a guide who knew the layout, had the means to contact help, and who could give us accurate information about the cave’s history and about the present forms of life that lived there.

God told David he would guide him along life’s pathway—advising him along the way, and David trusted Him to do so. After all, He had guided him while he was a shepherd boy and did the same when he became king of Israel.

God is my trustworthy guide because He’s competent. My cave guide didn’t make the cave, but he knew it intimately. He had been trained and could now lead others. God is sovereign. He made the earth, currently guides all the affairs on earth, and will culminate the end by making a new heaven and a new earth. He is all-wise and all-powerful. He dwells in the future I’ve not experienced. He knows my future, has good plans for my future, and will guide me into it if I’ll let Him. He is also able to provide the help I need along life’s journey. When trials, tribulations, and confusing times affront me, He’s available to give me power to overcome and wisdom to make the right decisions.

All of the above make God a trustworthy guide. I’ve used maps, others, GPS’s, and phone apps to guide me, but they all failed at some point. God never will.

Choose God as your trustworthy guide to maneuver you through the often confusing thing called life.

Prayer: Father, we trust You to guide us through the dangerous and confusing obstacles along life’s journey. 

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Purpose Driven - Martin Wiles

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 NIV

“I’m in the middle of the road with a flat tire. Can you tell Dad to come and help me?”

My daughter was under the gun. She had given her landlord the notice she was moving out by the month’s end. Though she took a few days off from work, she hadn’t finished as much as she anticipated. On her last day off, as she rushed back and forth to the storage shed, a previously patched tire decided to leave her stranded in the middle of the highway—with three children in tow.

My wife and I hurried to her aid—not knowing whether we could help or not. We both suffer from back injuries and changing a tire isn’t what it used to be. I managed to loosen the lug nuts but couldn’t figure out how to remove the jack.

Frustrated, my daughter called a cousin who is a mechanic. Without effort, he removed the jack and changed the tire. When I commented on how easy he made the job look, he said, “Everyone has a purpose.” His was to help people who had mechanical issues with their vehicles.

Paul reminds me that God not only has a purpose but that He also works to fulfill His purpose in my life.

Discovering God’s purpose is essential for living the abundant life Jesus promises. God’s ultimate purpose is for everyone to know His Son as their Savior. He works to fulfill that purpose by sending His Spirit to convict people of their sins. He calls some into full-time mission work to take His message of love to those who haven’t heard. He calls others into full-time work to equip believers to do the same in their everyday worlds.

God wants us to know and experience His love, draw closer to Him, and then make His love known to the world. We were created to have a relationship with our Creator. We don’t have to be a career preacher or missionary to share God’s plan with others. Living out God’s love in my actions, attitudes, and words accomplishes His purpose. My cousin can do it as a mechanic. So can the attendant at the office store, the teller at the bank, and the CEO of a major organization. And so can you—wherever God places you.

Don’t wander through life wondering what your purpose is. Live a purpose-driven life now.

Prayer: Father, help us live with purpose by making Your love known through our daily experiences. 

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Flashback Friday - A Different Kind of Jesus - Martin Wiles

A Different Kind of Jesus

He was pastor of the First Baptist Church in my college town, but he wasn’t typical.

When you entered First Baptist Church, Graceville, Florida, and saw Dr. Jerry Spivey* sitting on the platform chair or standing behind the massive podium, it was immediately clear he didn’t fit a First Baptist mold.

Dr. Spivey wore a plain suit, not the three piece variety with a cuff linked shirt underneath. He didn’t carry an entire Bible to the pulpit but sported a small New Testament. His sermons weren’t Greek and Hebrew laden orations. Just simple stories and applications even small children could understand. And if he came to visit you, he might be wearing shorts. Read more...

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