Things Change - Martin Wiles

“Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. Matthew 4:19-20 NLT

The day was normal, until . . .

“I think I have a kidney stone,” my wife said.

She really didn’t have to think. She’s a returning customer and recognized the pain. By the time I got home from work, she was crying.

“I can’t go visiting with you,” she mumbled.

We had planned to visit a gentleman in the church who neared the end of life. I went alone, praying for him and silently praying I wouldn’t have to take my wife to the emergency room. Since she already wears a pain patch for arthritis, she couldn’t take anything else.

I knew things would change . . . eventually. The stone would either quit moving, pass, or require surgery. All three had happened before. Whichever happened, things would get better.

Life was about to change for the first disciples too. As Jesus meandered along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he witnessed Peter and Andrew performing their normal routine: fishing. No doubt, an uncertain occupation. A lot of casting nets, but sometimes not much in them when they drew them in. Jesus tells them to leave that life and follow Him.

An element of uncertainty always accompanies change. These two disciples had certainly heard of Jesus, but to leave their livelihood to follow someone they only knew by name surely brought uneasiness. My wife experienced the same. Uncertainty over what would happen to the stone.

For change to go well, faith must supplement it. How would they eat? Where would they stay? How would people react to them? What exactly would Jesus ask them to do? All questions that no doubt circulated through Peter and Andrew’s minds. Yet, they took a step of faith and followed. For my wife? She has faith God will take care of the stone—one way or another.

Change is unsettling, but less so when I believe a better future lies ahead. It did for the disciples. Tough days lay ahead, but they would be a part of a movement that would change the world. God always has a better future ahead when He asks us to change directions. For my wife, something would happen to the stone, and whatever happened her pain would get better.

Don’t fear change. When God initiates it in your life, He has better things in store.

Tweetable: How do you respond to change?

Prayer: Father, give us the faith to trust You when You take us through periods of change. 

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Straining to the End - Martin Wiles

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:14 NLT

Every step brought pain, but she stepped anyway.

Flat Laurel Creek Trail, near the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, is appropriately named. Trails over 5,000 feet aren’t usually flat, especially in the mountains. This one meanders above 5200 feet in elevation and maintains an almost level path. And my brother, his girlfriend, my wife, and I planned to hike it.

Although the calendar said November, the weather was mild. We donned our packs, hiking sticks, and shoes and headed out. Recent rains had swollen the main creek, along with its tributaries. The hike started badly for my wife when she missed a rock crossing Bubbles Creek and landed with both feet in the water. Rocks and mud littered the trail, making walking difficult.

As we inched along, I observed my wife’s face. Pain etched its mark with every step she took. Tears fell, sweat flowed, and feet stumbled, but she kept going. While an easy hike for three of us, it wasn’t for her. Degenerative arthritis makes her walking painful—and even more so when the steps are uneven because of rocky terrain.

Due to my wife’s tenacity, we made it to the end—just as Paul intended to do. Since God had called and commissioned him on the road to Damascus, he had pressed on with fervor. His goal? Making sure everyone he encountered heard about the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said His yoke and burden were easy to carry (Matthew 11:30), but it doesn’t always seem that way. The call to serve often involves walking over rocky and uncertain surfaces. What makes the burden of doing so easy—and what gives me the ability to keep pressing on—is the power of God’s Spirit in me.

Nor is living the holy lifestyle God commands always convenient. Temptations abound. Ones that would draw me into choices and lifestyles better left alone. Only by God’s power can I press on without giving in.

God empowers me to reach the end, and to do so without injury or depletion of energy. My willpower plus His Spirit ensures my pressing on will be rewarded. With prayer, guidance from His Word, accountability partners, wise choices, and encouragement from others, God’s children can press on to the end successfully.

Don’t let anything or anyone hold you back from straining to your appointed end.

Tweetable: Where are your efforts taking you?

Prayer: Father, we desire to make it to the end and hear You say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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Throwback Tuesday - Maintaining Margin - Martin Wiles

Maintaining Margin

When I was sophomore in high school, margin was important—at least in one class.

I learned to type on a Royal® manual typewriter. One important lesson was learning to listen for the bell that signaled it was time to use the return lever and start another line. When the bell dinged, I only had a few spaces I could type before I’d be outside the margin and soon typing on the paper roll instead of the paper. My second year of typing, I graduated to an electric typewriter but still had to listen for the ding so I could press the return key to advance to the next line. The bells kept me from typing in the margin. Read more...

Tweetable: How do you maintain margin?

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Did I Forget Something? - Martin Wiles

Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Psalm 92:14 NLT

“I brought my glasses just in case. I once would not have done that,” my wife remarked.

As we drove out of our driveway on our way for a day on the Great Smokey Mountain Railway, my wife told me about bringing along her glasses. Most of the time she wears contacts. This time, she decided to bring both.

“You’re getting old,” I said jokingly.

I knew because I do similar things. When I was younger, I never thought about what I might need, just what I would need. As I’ve gotten older, I find myself fearing I won’t have something. Instead of a small toiletry bag, I now carry an old Samsonite case that allows me to take everything I might need—which is three times as much as what I once carried. I don’t want to make a trip to Walmart and buy what I already have at home, so I carry almost everything with me.

“Everything but the kitchen sink” has taken on new meaning. But now I have company. My wife feels my pain and experiences similar aging pains.

In speaking of the aged, the psalmist said they would still produce fruit in old age. Good to know, but I might carry a suitcase with me while I do. A suitcase filled with pain medicine, in case I have a headache; antibiotic cream, in case I cut myself; Benadryl, in case I have an itch; and extra toilet paper, in case the hotel’s is rough and scratchy.

Of all the things I don’t want to forget, salvation is one. Without it, I won’t make the final leg of the trip—the one leading to heaven. So I have to take along repentance and confession of my sins, as badly as I may hate to admit them.

I also don’t want to forget trust or faith. God says I must walk by it. I can’t experience Him with my senses, so faith has to suffice. If I forget it, I leave God behind. Seeing isn’t believing when it comes to a relationship with Him.

And it always helps when I don’t leave kindness behind. The world needs more love. It always has, and it always will. People respond better when I give it—and I’m happier too.

Don’t let your age cause you to forget the important things in life.

Tweetable: Is age creeping up on you?

Prayer: Father, hold us closely as we age so we don’t forget to make You and others a daily part of our lives. 

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