No Laziness Allowed - Martin Wiles

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12 NIV

Laziness wasn’t allowed in my home of origin. As a first born child, my parents were out to make me responsible. Early on, I was given chores to do: take out the trash, help with the dishes, make my bed, clean my room. At twelve, I was using my parents’ push mower to cut neighbors’ yards for a small sum. When I turned fourteen, my grandfather procured me a job as a bag boy at a local supermarket. As an added source of funds, I also cleaned the church my father pastored. As soon as I graduated high school, I entered the world of full-time work and have been there ever since. There are days when I feel like being lazy—and am, but most of my time is consumed with work and doing other things I enjoy. Sitting around isn’t my style.

My parents didn’t appreciate laziness, and it appears from this verse and many others that God doesn’t look favorably on it either. Yes, there is a time for rest—God demonstrated that by taking a day off when he had finished the work of creation, but the norm is for us to work diligently during the years we are able to. 

Though I’ve never been lazy where it concerns secular work, there have been periods when I’ve been lazy with God’s business. Those times when I just don’t feel like attending church, reading my Bible, saying my prayers, visiting the sick, checking on the shut-ins, teaching a class, monitoring the nursery, etc. And of course, when my attitude sours it becomes increasingly difficult to share my faith. Inviting someone to follow Christ with a sour attitude and a face to match usually isn’t very inviting. 

Just as physical laziness will affect my health, spiritual laziness will bear on my spiritual health. There are days when I don’t feel like going to work, but I go anyway. And there will be times when Satan discourages me in God’s work, but I must maintain the course, knowing that my work for God is crucial and will be rewarded by him. 

Has an attitude of slothfulness stolen your joy and your effectiveness for God?

Prayer: God of glory and grace, when an attitude of laziness is stealing our effectiveness for You, redirect our minds and hands to the work before us.
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and pedrojperez.)

 ______________________________

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Clear Conscience Good Sleep

“If you go to sleep with a clear conscience, you won’t have any trouble sleeping,” the older gentleman said. And he was right.

Whether my conscience bothers me because I’ve done or said something wrong or whether it’s just filled with leftovers and undones from the day’s activities is immaterial. Either will keep me up. The mind is a funny thing. During the day when I’m occupied with other things, it doesn’t have much time to wander. But at night it can race with furry. Read more...

 ______________________________

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Waiting Patiently - Martin Wiles

Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. Hebrews 6:15 NLT

I’m the king of impatient. While growing up, one of my parents’ and grandparents’ favorite sayings to me was, “That money is burning a hole in your pocket.” They were right. What little money I earned from allowance I quickly spent. Interestingly, my wants usually occurred somewhere in close proximity to my birthday or Christmas. I was cautioned about buying things so close to these special days. “Wait and see if you get it for Christmas or your birthday,” they would say. Rarely did I. As I proudly displayed my new purchase, I often witnessed a sigh. Now they would have to think of something else to get me…or even take back what they had already purchased.  

God promised Abraham a son through whom millions of descendants would come. Twenty five years passed from God’s initial promise to the son’s actual birth. Abraham’s patience was interrupted by his wife’s impatience. She suggested they hurry God along. She gave her servant in marriage to Abraham as a surrogate mother. God wasn’t pleased, but still kept his promise. 

People say not to pray for patience because I probably won’t like the methods God uses to develop it in me. Nowadays, I rarely do, but I’ve discovered God uses the methods they were referencing anyway. God manufactures patience in me through life experiences that teach me to wait even though the money still burns my leg. 

Though I don’t always appreciate the methods God uses to test and develop my patience, the fact that I allow him to use them demonstrates my trust level. His methods are varied, sometimes illogical, and may seem unending, but he sees end results I can’t. Through his mercy driven tests, I learn to take things in stride without getting angry, upset, or running ahead of him. And to top it off, he produces spiritual growth and maturity so I can be a spiritual guide to those who follow in my footsteps. 

How are you responding to God’s efforts to produce patience in your life?

Prayer: Dear Father, give us the patience needed to allow You to accomplish Your plan in our life. 

______________________________

Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines. Share this devotion with a friend. 

Keeping Promises - Martin Wiles

For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name. Hebrews 6:13 NLT

He was currently serving as the United States military advisor to the Philippines. The day after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor—December 7, 1941, they launched an invasion against his adopted home. He was finally forced to flee his island fortress in 1942. Unfortunately, 90,000 American and Filipinos were left behind without adequate provisions or protection. As he fled to Australia, he made a promise to the people of the Philippines: “I shall return.” Over the next two and one half years, it was a promised he repeated on a number of occasions. On October 20, 1944, shortly after his troops had landed on the island of Leyte, General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore and made a public radio announcement: “People of the Philippines. I have returned!”

God told Abraham to leave his homeland and head for a place he’d never seen before, and he promised he would stand by his side as he traveled. He would also give him descendants as numerous as the stars in the heaven and the sands on the seashore. The assurance of the promise came when God swore by his own name, a name above which there was none greater.

When I make a promise, a handshake won’t suffice. Nor will saying, “I promise to pay,” or “I promise to do…” Anything I purchase on credit or any service I promise to perform must be accompanied by mounds of paperwork and countless signatures as well as initialing. In addition to protecting the one I’m doing business with, the contracts protect me as well. 

In spite of the legal issues involved in any purchase or act of service, I should be as good as my word. God was, and he’s my great example. He never reneges on his promise to love and care for me. Empty promises are of no value and reflect poorly on the one I claim to represent. My “I shall return”—or pay or do this, promises should be legitimate, well-intentioned, and only postponed—or broken, when there are extenuating circumstances. 

Have you made promises that need fulfilling? 

Prayer: God in heaven, thank You that we can depend on Your promises. Give us strength to be as faithful as You when we make promises to others. 
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and hotblack.)

 ______________________________

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Validate The Message

I was once employed with a local tax office. Customers could pay online with credit and debit cards, but our in house system wasn’t set up to process them. Cash and checks were the only methods of payment. Since most people didn’t carry cash we received numerous checks. 

Mixed in the checks were a few with inadequate funds to cover them. The Treasurer established rules dictating what information tellers must have when taking a customer’s check in order to safeguard our interest. They were typical: correct date address and phone number, driver’s license number and signature. And of course the teller’s initials. Some of these items only helped determine who took the check but some actually validated it. Without the correct date and a signature, the bank would likely return it. Read more...

Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines. Share this devotion with a friend. 

Never Forgotten - Martin Wiles

For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers. Hebrews 6:10 NLT

As an aspiring-to-be-recognized writer, I attended a local writer’s conference sponsored by an organization for which I had been writing devotions. Here’s my chance to hobnob with those who have pull in the writing world, I thought. I had been writing for a number of years and had always told myself I was doing this for God. Yet in the silence of some moments, I wondered if that was entirely true. Could I accept it if I was never published? Goodness knows, I had already received my share of rejection letters. 

I quickly discovered the writing world was a dog-eat-dog world. One of the break-out sessions I chose was hosted by the co-founder and editor of the organization sponsoring the conference. Imagine my discouragement when he stood before the group and told us how much it costs a publishing company to publish a book and what our chances were for getting published. It was decision time. With the bare facts before me, would I keep writing even if I was overlooked by everyone in the publishing world? Would it be enough to be rewarded only by God and never anyone else? 

I was convicted. Jesus often cautioned the religious authorities about doing what they did for recognition. Rather, he—like the present writer, investigates my motivation. The effects of my writing—and anything else I do for God, will be quickly forgotten if I do it for praise from others. But if my service to God—in whatever form it takes, is done so others may see my good works and glorify the Father, then the effects will linger long after my eyes have closed in death. 

Though I may face rejection and disappointment while on earth, God will never overlook what I do for him when it’s done with the right spirit. 

Let the assurance of God’s love and recognition bolster you when you feel forgotten. 

Prayer: Eternal God and Father, thank You for comforting us in those times when we feel overlooked and forgotten. 

 ______________________________

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Keep on Loving - Martin Wiles

Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Hebrews 6:11 NLT

I’m the first to admit, I’m not perfect. Never have been. And I’m sure there have been many times during my life when acquaintances, friends, family, and co-workers have found me difficult to love. Yet in spite of what I know about myself, I still frequently find it hard to love others unqualitatively. Such as the church member serving as treasurer who got mad because the ruling authorities decided they would audit the books annually. He took this as an affront to his credibility, and I was the one he chose to take his anger out on. Or the woman who blatantly accused my wife of trying to take over things in the church…activities no one else was doing. And the deacon who wanted to “think” about allowing me to go bi-vocational even though the church couldn’t pay me enough to live on. Then there was my good friend who decided he wanted my wife…and she agreed. And who can forget the man who challenged my decision to have a toilet at the church repaired without first voting on it at a church business meeting? All people who were difficult to love. 

Whoever wrote this letter wanted these believers to keep on loving those difficult to love people. In fact, their love would fulfill all God’s commands and keep them from becoming spiritually dull and indifferent.  

Just after loving God with my entire heart and being—according to Jesus—comes loving my neighbor as I do myself. The above are just a few examples of neighbors I had difficulty loving. There have been many more. But then again, loving them only when they’re easy to love doesn’t take much effort—or love, and doesn’t even define love. Unconditional is a better term. The way God loves me when I disobey him, affront him, neglect him, try to manipulate him, and totally disregard him. 

Whom do you need to show love to?

Prayer: God of all love, teach us to love others unconditionally as You do us.

 ______________________________

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Proving Identity with Patience

“I guess everybody needs a worst vacation story,” he texted. And they were having one. 

My nephew was playing in baseball tournaments in a small nowheresville town. At least he was supposed to be playing. A cold front was slipping through the area bringing with it severe thunderstorms. 

The entire family went along for the fun, but after four days they had experienced nothing but disaster. My brother’s texts were predictable. “What’s the radar showing?” Then “Game cancelled.” Between trying to find a place to stay, lining up daytime adventures, ball practice, rain and useless driving, I wasn’t surprised they were having their worst vacation ever. Read more...

______________________________

Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines. Share this devotion with a friend. 

Road Signs - Alisha Ritchie

You make known to me the path of life. Psalm 16:11 NIV

My fourteen year old son is getting ready to take driver’s education at school. When we drive together, I make an extra effort to point out road signs and discuss their meanings. I hope this will give my son an extra edge when he actually gets into the driving class. As a “seasoned” driver, I tend to forget how important the signs are and take them for granted. 

Wouldn’t it be nice if I had road signs to help me navigate life? “Curve Ahead” would signify trials that may lead me off the straight path. “Stop” signs would encourage me to slow down or stop so I don’t live my life in such a rush, missing God’s beauty all around me. “No U-Turns” would remind me not to live in the past but rather focus on my future hope in Jesus Christ. No matter the sign, each one would steer me in the appropriate direction.

God and His word act as road signs, guiding me in the right direction. Sometimes His signs are harder to see than at other times, but I’m confident He’s always there to direct me. Often, I think I can do life on my own and have everything under control. I sometimes neglect seeking God’s advice and will. That’s when the road becomes treacherous, and I get lost because of my own stubbornness. Losing my way is painful, but God promises He will be there to guide me. My focus must be on Him so I can read the road signs He has laid out for me.

You may also be traveling down a difficult road. Perhaps you long for the crystal clear road signs telling you what to do and where to go. Be encouraged. God will steer you in the right direction if you trust Him. Seek Him in all situations. He will not let you down. Pray diligently for discernment to recognize the road signs God puts along your path. They will route you to your final destination and give you abundant peace.

Alisha Ritchie is a wife, mother of two wonderful children, Physical Therapy Assistant by profession, and dedicated church member and Sunday School teacher. She resides in the small town of Stanfield, North Carolina, where she enjoys writing, spending time with her children, and ministering to others through her work and small group Bible studies. You can read other devotions she has written on www.christiandevotions.us.

______________________________

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

The Gift of Pick-Me-Up - Martin Wiles

We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. Hebrews 6:9 NLT

Our friendship is ten years old. I met him when things in my life had taken a turn south. He was my middle brother’s pastor and had been a pastor to my parents. In spite of how bleak I imagined my future to be, he continued to tell me, “Marty, God’s not through with you. He has a plan.” My wife and I eventually joined the church he pastored where we continued to build our friendship with our new pastor and his family. At the end of one particular year, the youth pastor resigned, and my encouraging friend asked if I’d like the position of Associate Pastor. I accepted, and for two years we worked together. During that time, he continued to remind me God had a plan. He was convinced greater things were in store and told me so often. God awarded me the gift of a pick-me-up…not in the form of medicine but in the person of a good friend.

Turning my back on God is possible but unfathomable. These early Christians had been warned of the dangers of doing so, but the author doesn’t think they will. Better things are in store for them. He picks them up by speaking optimism and encouragement into their lives.

My friend was a healer of my spirit. His words brought peace in my soul. Hearing someone speak hope into my future was enough to get me through another night and day. When I do this for others, the same occurs. By encouraging them, I’m encouraged.

Life is filled with disappointments, but their appearance doesn’t mean God has forgotten me. Through the tough times, he weaves his plan and accomplishes his purpose for me: being formed into the likeness of Christ. The trials ward off laziness because it takes hard emotional and spiritual effort to pattern the various threads of life.

I’m a product of my past—the tough times included, but I choose not to be a prisoner. They’re a part of my baggage God uses to encourage others that a brighter future lies ahead. 

Who can you encourage today?

Prayer: Eternal God, lift our spirits that we might raise the spirits of others.

______________________________

Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines. Share this devotion with a friend. 

Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Directionally Misplaced

I admit-I’ve been directionally misplaced a few times and refused to do anything about it. Directional misplacement is typically a man’s disease made evident by: “I’m not going to stop and ask for directions.” I’ve stopped on several occasions but only because I don’t enjoy going out of the way or needlessly burning up fuel. 

GPS systems and smart phone applications have helped the male egos tremendously. Now I simply plug in my destination and arrive safely without having to worry about getting directionally misplaced. Read more...

 ______________________________

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Gone Too Far - Martin Wiles

It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again.  Hebrews 6:6 NLT

Christmas season had arrived. My wife and I were living almost three hours away from our families but were eagerly anticipating the drive home to frolic with family and friends. Since my wife had been an avid shopper that season, the presents soon overtook our luggage. We opened presents at my family’s home first, and then it was off to my in-law’s to repeat the process. As we did, my wife noticed that her nephew and niece had no gifts from us. She had bought an entire box full, but where were they? “Did you get the box from the top of the closet,” she asked. I hadn’t, but we had gone too far to go back and retrieve them.  

At some point, too far is too far. This hotly debated verse has witnessed several interpretations. Among them that the writer was warning against apostasy, that the listeners weren’t true believers, that the listeners were superficial believers, or that he was merely posing a hypothetical scenario. Regardless of what it could mean, a scarlet thread runs through all the possibilities: unbelief. 

Unbelief is dangerous and has the potential to take me beyond the too-far point. When God gives more privileges, more responsibilities follow. Those who’ve heard the gospel but don’t respond will be held to a greater level of accountability than those who’ve never heard. Since God doesn’t give second chances after death, it’s essential that I make necessary decisions now—deciding to trust Christ being the most important. When I continue to ignore God’s call to salvation, my heart hardens. Hearing demands action and my actions demonstrate I’ve heard. 

The good news is that as long as we’re alive and in our right minds, we haven’t gone too far. We can respond to God’s call—most importantly to the call to salvation but also to various areas of service. 

No matter how far you are, God allows turn arounds. 

Prayer: Father, may we avoid the too-far points by responding quickly to Your summons. 
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and earl53.)

______________________________

Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines. Share this devotion with a friend. 

Peach Cups - Michelle Wiles

Peach Cups

Ingredients

1 large can of peaches

1 cup of brown sugar

2 packs of crescent rolls

Directions

Mix brown sugar and peaches.

Cook on medium low until they bubble.

Spray or grease a 12 cup muffin pan. 

Separate triangles of crescent rolls and form into each muffin cup. 

Reserve leftover crescent rolls for topping.

Place one peach in each cup, adding a small amount of juice.

Cut leftover rolls in half and place strip over each cup.

Save the peach juice for serving. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

(Glaze)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of milk

2 cups of powdered sugar

(If too thin, add sugar. If too thick, add tad of milk.)

Directions

Drizzle glaze over muffins.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

When serving, add leftover peach juice. 

______________________

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines.

Back to the Basics - Martin Wiles

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Hebrews 6:1 NLT

Country music artist Waylon Jennings sang about getting back to the basics of love. Christian group, 4 Him, sang about getting back to the basics of life. The importance of basics depends on what the basics are. If I choose a basic virus protection package for my computer, I give up full protection. If for my television satellite provider, channels I won’t be able to watch. The basics are the bare minimum. 

Whether having only the basics is enough merits further consideration. Basics carry disadvantages but are necessary to enjoy the frills. I can’t watch ESPN if I don’t at least have satellite or cable. I can’t enjoy full virus protection if I don’t at least have the virus program. I can’t get back to the basics of love if I don’t have love to begin with. 

When the writer says to leave the basics of Christianity and get on with mature spiritual living, he doesn’t mean the basics are dispensable. I can’t grow up in Christ if I don’t have Christ. While these early believers didn’t need to continually rehash the basics, the basics were imperative. 

The basics of the biblical message concern God’s love and humanity’s problem. God calls the problem sin, and he cannot associate with it because of his holy nature. Either I or someone else must pay. Because of his enormous and matchless love, God decided to allow his Son to pay the debt. He did so by dying on an old rugged cross on a hill called Calvary. In some unfathomable way, God placed the world’s sins on his Son, thereby freeing all persons who choose to accept his gift. Through faith in Christ and belief in his resurrection, I can be reconciled to God, enjoy an abundant life presently, and look forward to a wonderful eternity. 

I can’t leave the basics out, but once I’ve accepted them I must grow in my understanding of how to apply to life what I’ve received. 

What have you done with the basics? 

Prayer: Merciful God, thank You for the basics that remind us of the great love You’ve shown through Jesus Christ. 
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and puravida.)

______________________________

Help us spread God's encouragement through his love lines. Share this devotion with a friend.