Power under Control - Martin Wiles

But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psalm 37:11 NKJV

Plowing with a mule requires a great deal of meekness.

At twelve years of age, my grandfather was left to run the family farm and tend to his mother, sisters, and brother. A task he might not have been able to handle had it not been for an uncle who helped him.

Mules were used for plowing fields, but mules could also be stubborn. And so could Uncle Ransom. He had a habit of fussing the mule out, which resulted in its stubborn refusal to move or either a crooked row. My grandfather would intervene, talking gently to the mule. The mule would cooperate and plow a straight row.

Eventually, my grandfather left the farm and began selling ice, then milk, and finally ice cream. Many a customer was gruff with him or with other delivery companies. But my grandfather’s meekness had a way of winning over those stubborn customers.

According to the psalmist, the meek will be rewarded with the earth and with peace. Jesus says a similar thing thousands of years later in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:5).

Some associate meekness with weakness and avoid it like a plague. But the two are not the same. Meekness is power under control, just as the mule controlled his temper and his ability to harm the person wanting him to work and rather worked for the person giving the orders.

David demonstrated meekness when King Saul attempted to kill him and when he fought the giant Goliath. Jesus demonstrated meekness when He refused to retaliate against those who abused Him and tried to take His life.

I demonstrate meekness when I follow their examples. I may have rights and power, but I voluntarily give them up when I have the chance to retaliate, to become angry, to plan revenge, or to undermine those who harm me. Meekness is acting as Jesus did. It’s a willingness to take the lowest place, letting Christ elevate me instead of me attempting to do it myself. It is understanding that greatness in God’s sight is not how many people serve me but how many people I serve.

The inheritance and peace that come from being meek come from knowing I’m living as Christ wants me to live. And in eternity, I’ll be rewarded.

Be meek, not weak, and look for the rewards God will give you now and later.

Tweetable: Have you learned to be meek? 

Prayer: Father, give us an attitude of meekness, and teach us to respond in all situations as Christ would.

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Throwback Tuesday - Don't Drive When I Am - Martin Wiles

Don’t Drive When I Am

With a smirky smile and a cutting glance, she said, “RUTD” (an invented acronym meaning Resist the Urge to Drive).

My wife and I were on a one-day excursion to the mountains. She was driving, and the acronym was to remind me I wasn’t. By her own admission, she has a heavy foot; I was simply trying to keep her from getting a speeding ticket we didn’t have funds to fund. She didn’t see it that way. I was attempting to usurp her authority behind the wheel. Read more...

Tweetable: Are you trying to drive for God? 

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Learning to Trust - Martin Wiles

Those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.  Psalm 37:9 NLT

Not having the trust of others is a discomforting state to live in.

Some years ago—because of an unforeseen financial crunch and bad decisions of another that affected me—my credit rating plummeted to all-time lows. It had always been spotless, but now it was spotted. Years of financial struggle followed the initial blow, which meant more things went unpaid and the numbers continued sinking.

Borrowing for big-ticket items was out of the question unless I wanted to visit a firm that inflicted outrageous interest rates. The only other option was having someone co-sign for me. Thank goodness for a mother who understood and was willing to put her good-credit name on a document for me.

I knew I was trustworthy, but my explaining why my credit score was so low made no difference to the lending agency. They were looking at numbers—not my word.

Trust is a delicate item. It takes years to build, and it can be destroyed with one wrong decision—by me or someone else. Once destroyed, it requires years to re-establish—if it ever returns.

In spite of my foibles in life, God trusts me. I’m His creation—His masterpiece in the making. An object of His unconditional love. His desire is that I trust Him in return. Enough to turn control of my life over to Him so He can conform me to the likeness of Jesus and work out His plan in my life.

Trusting God means turning everything in my life over to Him. My relationships, finances, children, grandchildren, possessions, employment, and daily decisions. Doing so can be a scary adventure. I feel more comfortable when I’m in control—just as the lending agencies feel better if they control whether or not they give me money.

But letting go is the only way I can “possess the land.” Possessing the land symbolizes peace. When enemies were displaced, peace resulted. A peaceful existence is only possible when I let God control and when I truly believe He is in control. Then I don’t have to worry or be anxious. He is capable of handling any and everything that comes my way.

Trust God in every circumstance of your life. You’ll learn to live with a peace such as you’ve never experienced before.

Tweetable: Trust God in every circumstance. 

Prayer: Father, we give You the control You desire, believing You’ll always do what’s in our best interest.

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Living with Anger - Martin Wiles

Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Psalm 37:8 NLT

His answer to the ills of his life was to stick out his bottom false teeth.

Ronnie was twice my age, but we soon became fast friends. His life had been a series of downturns. Most recently, back surgery. I was hired to make up for the work he couldn’t do because of his back limitations. He was on desk duty, so I became the gopher who did the heavy lifting in the warehouse.

I felt sorry for Ronnie. To be sure, he had made some bad financial decisions, but his surgery had set him back. Family members were almost non-existent—and so were friends. He borrowed from his workmates—a practice which put him further behind.

The thing that stood out the most about Ronnie was his angry attitude. I could understand his frustrations. His life had been and was tough. But to stay angry all the time? His anger wasn’t an episode; it was a state of being.

I was eventually laid off and moved away, and I lost track of Ronnie. Through a mutual friend, I found out he had contracted a disease and died. I asked my friend if he had changed, and he said, “He was the same ole Ronnie.” Sad.

The psalmist gives good advice when he says to stop being angry. While it’s possible to be angry and not sin, it is difficult. Most of our anger erupts in sinful attitudes, words, and actions. Being angry over sinful situations is permissible—and I should be as a Christian, but acting in sinful ways to remedy them isn’t.

Anger is often a result of my unwillingness to forgive those who harm me—or even to forgive God for the things I perceive Him as allowing or bringing into my life when He has the ability to prevent them. I think deep inside Ronnie was angry at God for his miserable life. Unforgiveness destines me to live in a perpetual state of anger. Forgiveness releases me from it.

Good anger will motivate me to use the adrenaline produced to act in beneficial ways. If I’m upset by abortion laws, I don’t shoot abortion doctors—but I can use my rights as a citizen to try to get them changed.

Don’t live in a state of bad anger. Rather, turn your anger into good actions that benefit God’s Kingdom.

Tweetable: Is anger destroying you? 

Prayer: Father, take away our negative anger and replace it with actions that benefit others. 

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Flashback Friday - Success Ensured - Martin Wiles

Success Ensured

My two brothers and I grew up in a normal home (if there is such a thing). I suppose we also had normal expectations, but things didn’t materialize as we anticipated.

Our parents tended to our every need. Dad was a pastor, so he also cared for an extended family. We watched him and mom stick together through thick and thin. I suppose when we were young we imagined we’d have a storybook marriage like our parents with healthy kids and overall good health ourselves.

But life threw us curves our parents never experienced. Read more...

Tweetable: How do you measure success?  

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The Best Rest - Martin Wiles

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7 NKJV

A good night’s rest is vital for good health, but what if it won’t come?

For sixteen years, I’ve had an erratic sleep pattern. Though I’ve never had a sleep study performed, I attribute it to age and a spastic mind. Lying awake for an hour before going back to sleep is normal. And of course, when I wake up, I must make a trip to the bathroom.

When the alarm sounds, I normally feel as if I haven’t been to bed. Some days, I supplement my restless night with a short lunchtime nap. I suppose the doctor would prescribe medication to help me sleep, but I hesitate to add another medicine to my ever-growing list. I long for the days when I slept an entire night and for the energy I had when I awoke.

Thankfully, there’s an alternate rest that has nothing to do with closing my eyes or entering into a different state of mind. The psalmist classifies it as resting in the Lord and couples it with waiting patiently on Him. This type of rest I can master.

I often associate resting and waiting with inactivity. I rest in my recliner; I wait in the doctor’s waiting room. But I’m normally not inactive while doing either. I read a book, watch television, or look at my iPhone. Resting in the Lord is similar. I rest by not being anxious. I believe He is in control, has a plan for my life, and is actively working to accomplish that plan. My part is to keep doing the last thing He told me until I receive further instructions.

David, the psalmist, was familiar with this type of resting and waiting. God had sent the prophet Samuel to anoint him as the next king of Israel, but it was a number of years before he actually assumed the throne. In the meantime, he kept doing what he had been doing: minding the sheep.

Resting in the Lord and waiting patiently on Him also means realizing God’s timetable is often different than mine. What seems like an eternity to me may only be seconds in God’s mind. His timing involves my readiness, and sometimes it takes long periods of time for me to prepare for what He has in store.

Let God teach you how to enjoy the best rest—whether you sleep well at night or not.

Tweetable: Are you getting enough rest? 

Prayer: Father, teach us to rest in You as we wait patiently for You to accomplish Your best in our lives. 

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Giving Control - Martin Wiles

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:5 NLT

I wanted it as a teenager, but circumstances were against me.

I was raised in a culture of strict rules and regulations. As a part of the Baby Boomer generation, I fought for control of a society I pictured as oppressive and unfair. My parents were raised in homes where conformity was expected, and they brought their strict rules into their parenting culture. Eighteen was the magic number I longed for. When I reached it, I moved out immediately and took control of my life.

Many years later, I look back on my upbringing and appreciate the boundaries my parents inflicted. In fact, I made similar ones for my children and grandchildren.

Wanting control of our lives and situations is parcel to human nature. Giving control to others goes against the grain. The psalmist challenges the norm and instructs me to commit everything to the Lord. To give Him control. When I do, He will help me.

I’ve learned the truth of the imperative. When I attempt to control things without God’s guidance or input, I mess them up every time. Things may seem to go well initially, but trouble is on the horizon. God created us with the hope that we’d let Him control our lives, but from the very beginning we attempted to snatch control away from Him.

Giving God control of my life and circumstances is a choice. He will not force Himself upon me, and He will let me experience the consequences of my poor choices.

Giving God control takes a large leap of faith. Faith that He exists, that He wants to be involved in my life’s affairs, that He actually has the ability to control them in a way that’s best for me, and that He knows what’s best better than I do.

Allowing God to have control also takes prayer. Prayer is needed before I make a decision, while I’m making the decision, and after I make the decision.

God wants to be in the driver’s seat, but He won’t assume the position unless I willingly give it to Him. He created humans with free will—which gives me the ability to control things myself if I so desire. But I’ll only know true success when I commit everything to Him by saying, “God, take control.”

Give God the control He wants and deserves.

Tweetable: Who's controlling your life?

Prayer: Father, we commit everything we do and say to You, believing we will receive Your blessings in return. 

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