Flashback Friday - How Can I Know Christianity Is the Only True Religion? - Martin Wiles

How Can I Know Christianity Is the Only True Religion?

Series: Hey God…I Have a Question

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NLT

Why can’t choosing a religion be like many other things in life? Many options…none wrong…some with just better benefits?

As a teacher, I’ve noticed most students tend to score higher on multiple-choice tests than they do on short answer or fill in the blank. Recognizing answers is easier than producing them completely on my own. Multiple-choice tests also allow one to use the process of elimination. One answer is clearly wrong and normally easy to eliminate. If I can find one small error in two of the other answers, then I can select the correct choice. Read more...

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Soul Drought - Martin Wiles

He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Ezekiel 37:2 NLT

The crunch beneath my feet told the story.

A moderate drought often descends on our area of the state. Spring rains come, and then about the time grass, flowers, trees, and gardens need water to stave off the summer’s heart, a drought strikes. Weeks pass with little or no rain. Things that aren’t watered by people or sprinkler systems wither and die. Grass crunches beneath my feet as I walk across the yard. Brief showers here and there do more harm than good when the sun quickly reappears with a ferocious bite of heat.

And vegetation isn’t the only thing affected during these drought periods. People’s attitudes sour. Their patience level deteriorates. Fights break out more often and more easily. Coarse words flow from mouths, fingers, and pens—words that ordinarily would remain unspoken. The ground is dry—and so are souls.

When the rains finally arrive, miracles occur. Branches on the trees perk up. Flowers raise their heads. Grass springs back to life. And people become nice again. Rain ends the physical and the soul drought.

God’s people in Ezekiel’s day experienced a soul drought. God had sent them into exile because of their disobedience to Him.

I’ve experienced the soul droughts more times than I care to remember. And I’m sure I have more ahead. I can bring on the drought the same way God’s people of old did when I choose to live in disobedience to God’s commands. Jesus promised abundant life for His children, but it only comes through obedience. When I choose another route, He sends a soul drought. One that zaps my happiness, my focus, and my joy of living.

But there are other times when the droughts come through no fault of our own. Life happens. Friends and family members die. Jobs disappear. Tests are failed. Relationships end—without us wanting them to. Health episodes happen. Surgeries occur. Falls take place. Tragedies strike. And if we are not careful, a soul drought will come on the heels of any of these things.

Droughts are staved off by turning to God—through confession, if needed, and through trust. We confess our sin, and we confess our inability to handle life without His assistance. When we do, He sends the rain that refreshes our souls and gives us the energy to take face another day.

When your soul drought comes, turn to the only One who can send the rain.

Prayer: Father, we depend on You to send the rain for our parched souls when the droughts come.

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God’s Plan: Confusing or Clear - Martin Wiles

We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine! Genesis 37:7 NLT

Soren Kierkegaard, a nineteenth-century Danish philosopher, said, “Life must be understood backwards … it must be lived—forwards.”

Tending to a three- and a five-year-old grandson five to six days a week is no easy task for my wife and I, but we love having them around. We spend much of our time teaching them directives that are for their own good—good we see but good I’m sure they don’t understand at their age.

Such as running in the house. We live in a small patio townhome, cluttered with too much furniture. We have a small yard—too small for them to run around in—so they often try running in the house. Not a better choice. When they fall, or run into something, and get hurt, we remind them that’s why we tell them not to run.

Even running in the great outdoors can be dangerous for them. Occasionally, we take them to a nearby Revolutionary War site where plenty of room exists for them to run. We still caution them. Falling on the paved walkway—which they have done—skins knees and hands. So does running down the steps of the overlook building. The five-year-old can attest to this.

Walking backward is another trick they once tried while we strolled uptown with them. They laughed as they did, and I cautioned them as they did. I saw what was coming: a pole.

Although my grandboys may not understand our directives, I know the reason behind giving them. And one day, they’ll understand that what confused them was clear to me. Joseph learned that about God’s directive. Through two dreams, God showed Joseph that he would one day rule over his family. What he didn’t know—or perhaps even later understand—was that the journey to that point would entail hatred, betrayal, slavery, and prison.

Scripture clearly teaches God has a plan for our lives. Through stories, it also shows we might not understand the plan—or enjoy the things we have to go through for God to accomplish His plan.

We have two choices: turn our backs on God’s plan, or trust Him to accomplish it in the way He sees best, whether or not we understand. My grandboys choose to trust my wisdom, and I plan to do the same with God’s plan for me.

Don’t rebel against God’s plan. Enjoy the journey, even when it involves misunderstanding and pain.

Prayer: Father, give us the faith to trust Your plan even when it appears confusing to us.

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Throwback Tuesday - Is God Real - Martin Wiles

Is God Real?

Series: Hey God…I Have a Question

They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” John 20:25 NLT

Some things I’m challenged to believe even when they fail every apparent test.

I have certain tests I use to determine validity. Quite naturally, they involve my senses. How do I know my wife is real? This may seem like an absurd question, but the tests I employ to test her reality are the same ones I use for more complicated issues. I see a body lying beside mine every morning, and I know I’ve seen this person before. I smell her odors…but in a pleasant way. With my ears, I hear her speak to me and others, and I recognize the voice. I can touch her. She feels like the same person I’ve touched for the last ten years. Touch lets me know she’s not an apparition. And if I’m really bold, I can nibble on her neck. When I’ve employed all these tests, I conclude, “She is real.” Read more...

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Building a Lasting House - Martin Wiles

Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Psalm 127:1 NLT

He wasn’t a carpenter by trade—and he never built a house.

As far as I can remember, Dad never had a hobby—until he began pastoring a smaller membership church in the lower regions of South Carolina. Since he had a lot of time on his hands, he needed a hobby. He chose woodworking.

He began with small projects—a square piece of wood on which he glued a nice outdoor picture. Then he started fancying up the frames a bit. From this small beginning, he moved on to more detailed and complicated projects such as potato bins, shelves, cedar chests, toy boxes, a canopy bed for my daughter, and finally a bedroom suite from mom. Any little nick nack around the house Mom wanted, he built. Most of what he built stayed around the house or was given to a family member.

Dad had perfectionistic tendencies, so nothing he built had flaws—at least not noticeable ones. He spent more hours than he should have on everything he built. When he finished, he proudly stamped his name in some inconspicuous place.

No matter what Dad built, he always used tools of some type: saws, lathes, sanders. And of course, glue and screws. Something had to hold together the items he constructed. Without these, nothing he built would have been of any use to anyone. By the time Dad died, he had an entire shop full of tables and woodworking tools.

Jesus also knew a little about building. He was a carpenter and had been taught the trade by His earthly father. What He built, we’re not told, but He built. And by the inspiration of His Spirit, He told the psalmist hundreds of years before a little something about carpentry—although carpentry of a different type. We must involve God in the building of a house—whatever type it is—if the house is to survive.

Earthly homes are only shells. The home is the relationships that inhabit the shells, and unconditional love, time, patience, and a willingness to adapt and change must characterize these shells if the home is to survive the storms that will rage against them. Dad knew a lot about those tools too. And so did Jesus … and the psalmist.

God is the only one who can give us the tools to build lasting homes. Let Him teach you how to build such a home.

Prayer: Father, we entrust our homes to You. Teach us how to make them endure.

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When the Barn’s Full - Martin Wiles

Then he said, “I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.” Luke 12:18 NLT

His one barn always seemed to be full.

One barn situated itself on my grandfather’s farm. I suppose one sufficed, since he was only a small farmer. He had enough money to build more, but chose to settle for only one.

And this red barn became one of the favorite places for my cousin and me to play. We pretended a monster lived in the barn, and we hid—or ran—from him. We plundered in the different rooms and stalls and looked at them as they brimmed with corn and soybeans. Some of the corn, my grandfather fed to his hogs; some he sold at market.

How the crops got into his barn, I never knew. He had no equipment that would have funneled it there. But, except for the winter months, the barn filled to overflow as my grandfather waited for the price to rise to what he wanted before he sold it. He wasn’t a wasteful man. In fact, some might have considered him cheap, but I suppose he was wise in many ways.

Also in the barn were snakes and rats. The snakes were there for the rats, and the rats were there for the crops. They couldn’t have ruined much of my grandfather’s crop, so he left them both there, hoping the snakes would take care of the rats.

Jesus knew something about full barns, too. He told a story of a man whose crop produced bountifully. So much so that his barns could not hold the crops. Unlike my grandfather, this man chose to build more barns. Then, he planned to sit back and take life easy … to eat, drink, and be merry for the rest of his years. What he didn’t know, or plan on, was that his death waited just around the corner. He stored, but didn’t plan well.

The rich man had two choices: hoard or share. God gives us time, talents, gifts, and possessions. He has expectations of us, but we have the same two choices the rich man had. I can open up my schedule and my hands to others and share, or I can close my fist and live life narcissistically. God won’t force me to do the first, and He will let me do the second—but not without consequence.

Life is better lived when we empty our barns into the lives of others. Think of something you can do to empty yours.

Prayer: Father, prompt us to empty our barns into the lives of others.

Tweetable: Are your barns full or empty? 

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Flashback Friday - How Can God Hear Everyone Praying? - Martin Wiles

How Can God Hear Everyone Praying at the Same Time?

Series: Hey God…I Have a Question

The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 NLT

The end of the school year was nearing, and we were about to celebrate our annual yearbook signing. The entire middle and high school gathered in the gym for the festivities. Separated by grade, they sat on the floor in their respective circles awaiting the announcement of their grade level. When each grade was named, a rousing roar ascended. Then one by one they strolled to a table to receive their long-awaited prize. For the next hour, students milled over the gym floor seeking signatures from friends and faculty. The hum of hundreds of voices played tricks on my ears. Rarely could I distinguish even a single voice. Read more...

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