God at a Distance - Martin Wiles

But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8 NLT

Sitting silently, it waited to be picked up to talk to people who were far away. 

Telephones have changed drastically during my lifetime. The first phone I remember was solid black with only a receiver and perched on my grandmother’s buffet in her dining room. To make a call, I picked up the receiver and, if no one was talking, waited for the operator’s assistance. This was called a party line. 

The next phone looked similar but had a dial so I could place my call without the operator’s help. Then the push button phone arrived. The cordless phone followed. Now I wasn’t bound by a cord and could move about while talking. Finally, cellular phones revolutionized communication. I could talk while traveling. Presently, I can carry my phone (computer) with me anywhere I go. Distance is no longer an issue.

While distance was once a problem when placing calls, it never has been for God. This Roman officer knew this long before the idea of communicating by phone ever entered an inventor’s mind. His servant was paralyzed and needed healing. He approached Jesus who offered to come to his house and heal the servant. The officer suggested Jesus do it long distance. Jesus was amazed at his faith.  

Sometimes I forget distance isn’t a problem for God. I imagine when praying that my prayers drift up to heaven and then vie for God’s attention—among the millions of others being offered at the exact moment. Then God has to schedule when he’ll take care of mine. And I wait. 

To begin with, God is Spirit and omnipresent. He’s not bound by time and is everywhere at the same time. He can hear my prayers and millions more at the exact time and in the same moment. He isn’t confined by chronos time but operates in kairos time. While he can answer my prayer from a distance, from God’s perspective distance is never what I perceive it to be. He is as close as the breath I breathe to utter my request. 

God is never too busy or far away to answer your prayers and supplications. Go to him often, believing he will answer any prayer made in faith. 

Prayer: Father, we thank You for being as close as the air we breathe and for Your willingness to answer our prayers.

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I Thought I Knew You - Martin Wiles

He’s just the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us. Mark 6:3 NLT

I’d known him 13 years ago. Then he was a baby; now he was a teenager. 

I had taken a high school teacher’s position at a local private school. As I called the roll in my ninth grade class, I immediately recognized the name of one of my students as a child I knew a number of years before. His parents were members of a small country church my father pastored. Since he was a baby when I last saw him, I could only judge his character by his parents. They were hard working, honest people who had been good friends to me and my family. They were dedicated to the church and faithfully supported it. 

Surely, this young man would mimic his parents. In this case, he did, but he could have misrepresented his family entirely. I judged him by what I knew about his parents and expected just as much from him. 

Jesus’ hometown was Nazareth. He had grown up as a carpenter, the son of Mary and Joseph. Years later—when he returned claiming to be God’s Son, the people scoffed. They knew him as the carpenter’s son and nothing more. Their preconceived ideas kept them from believing the truth about him. They missed the Savior. Prejudice blinded them to the truth. 

There have been a number of occasions when I’ve been disappointed by those I thought I knew. They’ve let me down, gossiped about me, and betrayed me when I needed them the most. I knew the parents of some and expected better, but was disillusioned. Stereotyping has also kept me from seeing the person behind the facade. 

God creates everyone in his image. Prejudice, stereotyping, and erroneous first time impressions can keep me from seeing their inner potential and helping them realize it. There’s nothing I can’t do or be with God’s assistance, and the same is true of all people. Many whom I think I know often surprise me by being more than I ever imagined. I see a cheater; God sees a business owner. I see a troubled teen; God sees a future preacher or missionary. 

We are all masterpieces in the making. God wants us to see others as he sees them. What blinders do you need to remove so you can know others as God does? 

Prayer: Father, help us see others as You do so we can love them as You do. 

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Conquering Guilt Part II

Series: Conquering The Past

My journey back to God began with a pack of cigarettes and an offer to teach a Sunday School class.

For ten years, I had experimented in forbidden but enticing areas. Forget what God wanted. I wanted what I wanted. And I fervently ran after it. By the time the offer disembarked, I had put aside my questionable activities-except for tobacco use. After all, the Bible didn’t say, “Thou shalt not smoke.” (But it did say my body was a temple of God’s Spirit). Read more...

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Connived by Company - Martin Wiles

They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that. 2 Timothy 3:5 NLT

Both options were available to me; unfortunately, I choose the worst one.

When I was fifteen, Dad moved us to the town where he had grown up. I was tired of moving around, so I hoped he’d stay here long enough for me to graduate from high school. Then they could move as often as they liked. The church had a number of young people my age, but I was pulled to two boys in particularly who had different lifestyles. I chose to be friends with both but decided to follow the mannerisms of the one whose actions appeared more enticing. 

Perhaps bad behavior could demonstrate how I felt about being a preacher’s kid. Before I knew it, I was smoking, drinking, cursing, and skipping school. Though I went willingly, I was connived by the company I kept. Not until I chose godly friends did my behavior change.

Conniving company will increase in the last days, so I need to be ready. Some scholars believe the last days are just prior to Jesus’ return while others interpret them as the entire period between his ascension and return. Either way, I think I’m living in them.

The list of things that will entice me is frightening: difficult situations, selfishness, pride, ungratefulness, sacrilegiousness, unforgiveness, lack of self-control, betrayal, and recklessness. Additionally, to love money, scoff at God, be disobedient to authority, hate what’s good, and to love pleasure more than God. Quite a list, and I think I’ve been connived by each one.

I cannot escape the conniving pull of society. Shutting myself up in a monastery or refusing to go outside won’t help. Satan still has access to my mind. Solitude doesn’t drive him away. I must dress in the spiritual armor God gives so the connivances will melt away from me like water running off a duck’s back (Ephesians 6:10-18). Commitment to my Savior is more important than the apparent comfort these types of behavior purport to bring.

God can give you the strength to overcome the connivances of company, but you must avoid company who would try to connive you.

Prayer: Father, we depend on You to steer us away from company who would attempt to connive us away from Your plan for our lives.

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A God My Size - Martin Wiles

Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1 NLT

She was never a hoarder—and isn’t now, but sometimes I wish she had been.

My mom was known for throwing things away. As I visit antique stores and auctions and see what things I once had are worth, I think, “Why didn’t Mom keep this?” She only kept two of my baby items: my baby blanket and my baby book. Looking at the blanket reminds me it was just my size. Had it been full, queen, or even king size, it would have swallowed me. But since it was just my size, it covered me exactly and allowed my body heat to keep me nice and warm. 

According to the psalmist, those who say there’s no God—atheists, are fools. They have made God their size. In fact, they have reduced him to nothing but a mere concoction by the minds of weak and superstitious people who can’t handle life. Since they feel they can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps—without help from a higher power, they disregard him altogether. 

Some people worship a small God. One who can handle the small details of their lives, but not the major items. One who might intervene if it’s convenient or if he has the desire. One who is harsh and unfeeling. One who is just waiting for them to make a mistake so he can relish in punishing them. 

I have chosen a larger size for my God. And not because I’m weak and afraid to face life but because God presents himself as a big God. He can tame the tornado and hush the hurricane. He can install leaders and bring them down. He can govern the world and nurture creation. 

My God, however, is re-sizable. When I need him to be, he can be small. He can comfort me when I don’t get the promotion, drive away the fear of peer pressure, and help me decide my life course. He can give me wisdom to rear my children, love my wife, and care for aging parents. He can tell me which college to attend and where not to go on vacation. He can—and wants to, govern every detail of my life. 

Are you allowing God to be the size you need for your life’s decisions?

Prayer: Father, we thank You that You are always just the size we need.

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Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Conquering Guilt

Series: Conquering the Past

I was a young adult feeling God’s call into ministry who was also feeling guilty.

God’s call came on top of ten years of running and accumulated guilt-over ignoring the original call, bad decisions, bad relationships and bad habits. While all repented of, their memories tormented me. And Satan stoked the fire: “How could you claim to be a Christian and…?”  Guilt can be genuine or false. Real guilt arises when God convicts us of sin with the intent we change courses. False guilt channels through the same path, but the author is Satan and his goal is destruction. Read more...

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Holier Than the Rest - Martin Wiles

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Deuteronomy 5:12 NLT

While growing up, Sunday was a tense day because of do’s and don’t’s. 

As a child, the list of things I couldn’t do on Sunday outpaced the list of things I could do. For Dad, all the rules of the Old Testament Sabbath (Saturday) had been transferred to Sunday. 

Thankfully, Mom could cook and clean up the kitchen. But no cleaning the house, washing clothes, working in the yard, going to the movies, or going to stores. This wasn’t a problem since the only stores open were the drug stores and a few gas stations. I grew up believing this day was holier than all the others because of all the things I couldn’t do. 

Observing the Sabbath was one of the Ten Commandments. Over time, religious authorities added their interpretations about how a person did this. By the time Jesus arrived, hundreds of “don’t rules” applied. Jesus had to remind people they weren’t created for the Sabbath. Rather, the Sabbath was created for their benefit.  

Early Christians celebrated the first day of the week instead of the Sabbath because it was the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Their observances focused on celebration rather than what they couldn’t do. They fellowshipped, ate, observed the Lord’s Supper, and tended to each other’s needs. It was a day of do’s. 

Perhaps the original command—and the later celebration of the first day of the week, has less to do with worship than we might imagine. After all, I should worship and reverence God every day. This one day, however, is for my benefit. God commanded rest. No work. Not even for animals. Observing one day each week reminds me my body isn’t a machine.

Hallowing one day also reminds me I need other people. In the dark days of the early church, believers needed each other as do present day believers. I can watch preaching and singing on television or the internet. But there’s something special about worshiping God with other believers who I can share and empathize with. 

God established one day as holier than all the rest. Whether it’s Saturday or Sunday is immaterial. What we do with and on that day isn’t. 

Make your one day about the do’s rather than the don’t’s. 

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving us one day when we can worship You collectively and share with each other bountifully. 

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The Secret Place - Martin Wiles

As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Exodus 33:22 NLT

He was a master at making and discovering secret places. 

My maternal grandparents lived in an old farmhouse. My first cousin and his family lived a stone’s throw away. When I spent time visiting my cousin, we normally spent most of our time at our grandparent’s house. During one of my visits, he showed me his most recent discovery. Just above the small closet door in the kitchen was a hidden door. 

What greeted us when we opened it was a spiral staircase. Naturally, we wanted to explore. Up we went into a dusty cavern. My hopes for discovering hidden treasure were dashed. Rolls and rolls of player piano music was all we mined. No doubt once used on my grandmother’s old player piano that had been converted to a playable piano. 

I wonder now what this secret room was used for. A storage room. The room an unruly child was confined to. An extra bedroom. Maybe even a secret place to hide runaway slaves. Though we didn’t know the purpose, we had uncovered yet another secret place.

Moses was sometimes overwhelmed by his God-given task of leading millions of people across a wilderness to their Promised Land. He wanted assurance of God’s guidance. On this occasion, he asked to see God’s presence as proof. Though God didn’t allow him to see his face, he did place Moses in a secret place—the cleft of a rock, as he passed by.  

Every believer needs their secret place. I have mine, and it’s not always the same place. It’s the place I go where God and I can be alone. A quiet place where I can hear God speak to me by his Spirit. A recliner in the early morning hours, a bench in a park, the bank of a pond, the top of a mountain peak, or a chair in the backyard. 

The spot I choose isn’t as important as my frame of mind when I go there and my purpose for being there. Secret places are for seeking God’s face and his plan and for renewing my resolve to serve him and others faithfully. Secret places are essential for good spiritual health and should be visited often. 

Find your secret place, and go there regularly.

Prayer: Father, show us Your presence in a fresh way when we meet with You in our secret places.

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Living For The Future

I muttered it under my breath hundreds of times and occasionally even aloud: “I can’t wait until I’m eighteen so I can do what I want.”

My parents and I didn’t have the healthiest relationship during my teen years. I was to blame. Rebellious, obstinate, sarcastic, overly independent. Traits they tried to tame-or at least temporarily control, while at the same time encouraging me to channel their positive aspects in beneficial directions. But I wasn’t cooperative. I was living for the future and freedom. Read more...

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Jeremiah Wasn’t a Bullfrog - Martin Wiles

I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. Romans 12:1 NLT

I tried to tell him Jeremiah the prophet wasn't being referred to as a bullfrog, but he wouldn’t listen. 

One of Three Dog Night’s more famous songs—that wasn’t supposed to be, was “Joy to the World.” What made it famous was the opening line: “Jeremiah was a bullfrog.” Being a child of the 60’s and 70’s, I quite naturally loved the song. My dad, on the other hand—a fundamentalist preacher, hated it as much as I esteemed it. In his mind, the song made fun of the biblical prophet Jeremiah. 

According to one band member, the original line to what was supposed to be a silly kid’s song was, “Jeremiah was a prophet.” Perhaps Dad was right. The writer of the song, however, said, "Jeremiah was an expedient of the time. I had the chorus for three months. I took a drink of wine, leaned on the speaker, and said 'Jeremiah was a bullfrog.'"

Whether the song was written to make fun of the prophet or not seems uncertain. What is certain is that my dad was doing his dead level best to obey what Paul wrote. He wanted his body…including his mind, to be pure and holy before God. Listening to things that were sacrilegious wasn’t permissible for him, and he didn’t want me to either. That might also explain why he never went to the movies and never watched anything but the old flicks on television—the ones produced before cursing and overt sexual content were allowed.  

Even at a young age, I thought Dad might have gone a little overboard, but I admire anyone who stands firmly for what they believe. And he did. Convictions are essential to life. Without them, I’m blown about like a tumbleweed. While I didn’t always share my father’s convictions, I admired the fact he had them and watched his example to manufacture my own. 

I doubt the song was making fun of the biblical prophet, but the controversy taught me there are things and people who will attempt to lead me away from God’s standards. Only by establishing convictions built on God’s Word can I remain on the straight and narrow path God wants me to walk.

How are your convictions impacting your life? 

Prayer: Father, grant us the courage to establish convictions based on the teachings of Your Word. 

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Direction Changed, Mind Not - Martin Wiles

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. Jonah 4:1 NLT

“A person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still.” 

And Ron was. He was a charter church member and had seen many preachers come and go. This new one had come in like a whirlwind and began changing everything. He was making the church do things they’d never done before and in unfamiliar ways. Quite a few members had left. No new preacher was going to run him off though. He reluctantly went along with most of the changes even though his heart wasn’t in it, taking every opportunity to create discord along the way. 

Jonah wasn’t much different than Ron. God told him to go in a direction he had no interest in. Nineveh was full of wickedness and enemies. Why should he want them to be pardoned by God. Unlike Ron, he didn’t hang around but took a boat going in the opposite direction. God showed up in the form of a big fish and swallowed Jonah whole. 

Among the seaweed and undigested marine life, Jonah decided to change directions. Shriveled and smelly, he strolled into the city and yelled, “Repent.” They did, but Jonah rewarded God’s grace with anger. He changed directions, but his heart didn’t. 

Peer pressure, guilt, regret, and ulterior motives can all convince me to change directions. If everyone else is doing it, maybe I should as well. If I’ve wronged you in the past, maybe I should help you before it’s too late. And maybe the change is worth it if I can see my name in lights. Ron and Jonah were convinced to go in the right direction but for the wrong reason. 

I’ve gone in the right direction for the wrong reason myself. When I do, there’s always a battle inside my heart along with dissatisfaction. The only cure is to go in the right direction for the right reason. And the only way I can do this is through repentance and heart-felt sorrow for my actions or attitude. Then I can accept what God sends my way or calls me to do with the right spirit. God’s way is always best; I simply have to believe it. Hopefully, it won’t require a stint in a whale’s belly. 

Is your heart in sync with the direction you’re traveling?

Prayer: Father, as we travel the way You’re leading us, help us to go with a willing heart and for the right reasons. 

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Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Honoring God with Finances

Her text simply said, “Call me.” What she said added more grief to my already hectic day.

Our adult daughter has shared our cellular phone plan for a number of years on the condition she pays her portion. Having been unemployed for a few months, her bank account was busted. She couldn’t pay, and neither could we. We had no choice but to suspend her line.

Stuck with her portion of the bill-and a depleted bank account, I cringed when my wife blurted, “If we don’t pay by midnight, they’ll disconnect our service.” I fretted and prayed. Read more...

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