Throwback Tuesday - Never Beyond Failure . . . Never Beyond Use - Martin Wiles

Never Beyond Failure…Never Beyond Use

“I’ll never deny you.” He was sure of himself when he uttered those fateful words, but now all he could hear was that cursed rooster. 

“Hey, you’re one of his followers,” a young girl shouted as Peter mulled around in the courtyard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied. Then she began telling others, and he denied it again. “I don’t want to be identified with him and arrested too,” he muttered to himself. Then bystanders noted he was from Galilee and accused him of being Jesus’ follower. Now he added a curse to his denial. This was also the occasion when the rooster crowed and Jesus stared at him. Jesus’ prophecy came true after all. He was a failure. When Jesus needed him the most, he let him down. Read more...

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The Hiding Place - Martin Wiles

For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Psalm 32:7 NLT

One sheet and four kitchen chairs made a perfect hiding place.

Lovey was my maternal grandmother’s half-sister. My memories of her are fading, but I do recall she played with me and my cousin. One of our favorite things was to make a tent. This we did by taking a sheet and spreading it over four kitchen chairs. Seems like an easy enough exercise, but if the chairs weren’t positioned correctly, the entire thing would collapse.

After our tent was constructed, my cousin and I entered and sat. Being young boys, we probably giggled and talked. We were in our hiding place…safe from the world. Though anyone could have easily discovered us by looking beneath the cover, we didn’t see ourselves as exposed.

God was the psalmist’s hiding place. Someone he could run to for protection when his enemies were fast upon his heels. Someone who comfort him when it appeared others had turned against him.

I’ve experienced other than honorable conditions in which I tried to hide from God. Mainly when I intentionally sinned or involved myself in other shameful behaviors. Rather than confess, I tried to hide like Adam and Eve. Hiding didn’t work for them, and it didn’t for me either. God’s convicting Spirit worried me until I made things right with God.

God would rather me hide in Him for more honorable reasons. I can hide in Him for comfort. When life—or others—have frustrated, disappointed, betrayed, or angered me, I can hide in Him for comfort.

I can hide in God’s love. It’s unconditional. Nothing I do or say can make Him love me more or less. He loves me consistently—although this doesn’t relieve me of living according to His standards.

I can hide in God’s power. Nothing life throws at me is more powerful than He is. Lion, bears, nor an angry king were more powerful than the psalmist’s God, and life’s present enemies aren’t more powerful than God’s power to deliver me.

I can also hide in God’s salvation—not from life’s trials and tribulations, but from sin’s power. Through the forgiveness offered by Christ, I can enjoy the assurance of being forgiven and accepted by God. No more do I dwell under condemnation.

Let God teach you to hide in Him—not from Him or in anything else.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the comfort of hiding in You for salvation and from life’s trials. 

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The Best Exercise - Martin Wiles

Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 NLT

If having one would help me keep track of my health, then why not buy it?

What initially attracted me wasn’t its sleek style or the many things it could do. It combined as a watch with an alarm, and I’ve been a sucker for a watch since I was nine years old. But since my wife and I have been on a health kick, I was also attracted by its benefits.

Fitbit is an American company known for making products which are wireless and track such things as steps, heart rate, rigorous activity, sleep quality, calories, and other personal metrics. An added feature is that it syncs with my iPhone and alerts me when I have a text message, calendar notification, and incoming call.

Until I was 40 years of age, I could eat anything I wanted without consequence. Not so now. And as I get older, I realize I must take care of myself (and my wife) if I want to increase my chances of staying here a little longer. Because my wife has more health concerns than I do, I had no problem justifying spending the money for a Fitbit if it would help us.

Paul commends physical exercise and good health. After all, God made our bodies and expects us to treat them with care. For believers, our bodies house His Spirit and are a temple. They are also living sacrifices.

As good as physical exercise and proper eating are, there is a better exercise: spiritual. Physical exercise is good for this life only; spiritual exercise is good for both this life and the next. In fact, without proper spiritual exercise, we won't enjoy what the life to come offers.

Spiritual exercise helps me enjoy the abundant life Jesus says I can have now. A life lived daily with confidence and assurance. Confidence that God loves me and has accepted me into His family. Assurance that nothing or no one can take me from His hand. A life lived without condemnation because Jesus has taken my sin.

Spiritual exercise isn’t easy, but it’s always beneficial. I’ll never lose when I devour God’s Word, bathe in prayer, commune with other believers, love everyone unconditionally, serve others with kindness, forgive my enemies (and friends), and care for God’s world.

Exercise physically, but don’t miss the benefits of spiritual exercise.

Prayer: Father, give us the stamina to exercise spiritually every day. 

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Flashback Friday - Distracted by Distractions - Martin Wiles

Distracted by Distractions

“Curiosity killed the cat.” It hasn’t ours . . . at least not yet, but only because we try to control her distractions.

Emma is a rescue kitty we adopted from the local humane society. Since she still has a great deal of kitten in her, she’s easily distracted by things we don’t want her to be distracted by. A small piece of litter from her box. A tassel dangling from an expensive curtain. A costly piece of glass nestled on a table. Cords on our plantation blinds. The blinds. Cables connected to our electronic devices. When we leave her alone for a few hours, we never know what devilment we’ll come home to. Controlling her distractions is a full-time job. Read more...

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Engraved - Martin Wiles

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:16 NIV

The pages revealed whose it was and under what circumstances.

Mom received a call from her niece. They had cleaned out my aunt’s house and discovered some things that might be of interest to Mom. Though never a lover of old or sentimental things, Mom took them.

The items included four funeral home books for deceased relatives, newspaper clippings, family pictures, and two Bibles—both of which had my aunt’s name handwritten inside, along with who gave it to her and when. One of the two had her name engraved on the outside. 

After looking to see who gave her the Bible, I wasn’t surprised by the engraving on the outside. When I was eight years old, Mom and Dad—and I—had given my aunt the Bible for her birthday. Dad followed this pattern of engraving a name on the outside of a Bible his entire lifetime. Every Bible he ever owned—and that was a multitude, he had his name engraved on the outside of. The inside page with the handwritten name might be lost, scratched out beyond recognition, or torn out, but the name on the outside would remain. It was his Bible.

The nation of Israel needed reassurance. They had a habit of disobeying God, and God had a habit of punishing them. But better days were ahead because they repented. They would once again return to their homeland.

Life is tough and filled with bitter disappointments. To me—just as He said to Israel, God says I’m engraved on His hand. No one can steal me from His grip or scratch out the fact that I belong to Him. Unwise decisions and sinful actions will bring His discipline, but the engraving stands. Willful, occasional sin may slightly obscure my name, but I’m still God’s child, and confession will once again bring out the brilliance of the engraving.

And when it appears God has forsaken me, God has His ways of showing me the engraving and reminding me I still belong to Him. My name’s engraved on His hand. And so is yours if you’ve invited Jesus into your life.

Don’t fear life or the things it brings. Your name is engraved on the Father’s hand. He is loving, kind, gentle, and more powerful than anything the world can throw your way.

Prayer: Father, show us the engraving often so we’ll never forget Whom we belong to. 

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Share the Load - Martin Wiles

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 NIV

With more than 2,000 miles to walk, he chose carefully what to put in his backpack.

World War II was over, and Earl Shaffer needed to walk it out of his system. He chose the Appalachian (or Government) Trail to do so. At the time, the trail began at Oglethorpe, Georgia, and extended to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Since most the men had been away fighting in the war, the trail had fallen into disrepair, making the journey more challenging.

Earl’s motto was “Carry as little as possible but choose that little with care.” And he did. He carried a survival tent, poncho, rain hat, knife, ax, sewing kit, snake-bite kit, cook kit, clothing, and a week’s worth of food. Even though he chose the bare minimum to put in his pack, he still felt loaded down.

Because of Earl’s training and determination—and because he chose with care what he carried, he became the first person to thru hike the Appalachian Trail.

I’ve done a little backpacking myself and know how important it is to choose my load with care. My first extended backpacking trip with my daughter revealed I hadn’t learned Earl’s wisdom. My pack weighed in at 50 pounds and my daughter’s at 35. Though we had fun, we also experienced misery because of unnecessary weight. Our loads slowed us down and gave us a backache.

What Paul states in this verse makes common sense. Any burden shared is lighter. Jesus said the load of obeying Him was easy, so if following Him is causing me misery I must be doing something wrong.

Burdens are cumbersome when I carry the wrong things in my life’s pack. They might include bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, immorality, depression, frustration, hurt, or lies. When I carry unhealthy emotions, actions, or relationships, my soul aches. Nor does anyone want to help me bear them.

My helping others and their helping me also makes the load lighter. Many people helped Earl along the way, making his journey more bearable. People who took him to get food and supplies. People who gave him a place to stay out of the inclement mountain weather. Giving others permission to hold me accountable, helping others bear their life loads, and depending on God for strength are all vital.

Don’t try to do life alone. Share the load.

Prayer: Father, motivate us to carry each other’s loads and, most of all, to depend on You for strength to do so. 

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Throwback Tuesday - Loving, Not Enabling - Martin Wiles

Loving, Not Enabling

I knew her when I was younger. A sweet woman who struggled with rebellious children. Instead of letting them experience the consequences of their poor choices, she repeatedly handed them money to pay for their mistakes and paid their bail when their sins led to jail stints. She called it unconditional love; I called it enabling. Read more...

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