Use or Lose - Martin Wiles

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10 NLT

He only had little, but he used it well.

By today’s standards, my grandfather would have been classified a small farmer. He only owned one hundred acres of land, some of which woods covered. Nor did he possess many of the things most farmers consider necessities.

Initially, he and my grandmother rented half of a house. The owners lived in the other half and used the home as a vacation getaway. When his finances permitted, my grandfather bought the house and land.

Only two barns decorated the property: one for storing crops until taken to market and the other for farm implements. My grandfather used one compartment for his tools, one for his small red tractor, and the other for occasionally parking the car under.

We never knew until after my grandfather’s death how much he had accumulated in cash. He could have easily bought more farm equipment that would have made his and others’ lives easier. But he chose to hire field hands to harvest some crops, and he enlisted the help of a wealthy neighbor who had fancier implements to harvest those crops that couldn’t be brought in by hand.

By choice, my grandparents lived a frugal lifestyle, but they used well what they had and made a good living. Both had the talent to farm and put it to good use. While not a spiritual gift, farming was my grandfather’s natural talent.

Peter says God gives at least one spiritual gift to each believer—and often more than one. In various places, the Bible lists the gifts. Although believers differ on whether or not those listed are an entire list—and whether or not some are still active—the gifts are present in believers’ lives, nevertheless.

Our job is to discover them—whether through experience or by spiritual gift inventories—and then use them well to serve God and others. Had my grandfather not honed his talent, he would have lost money on the farm, and perhaps the farm itself. He anticipated more, as we should. When we use well what God gives, He often gives more.

Although the farm benefited my grandparents mainly, it also benefited those whom my grandfather hired to work it. Our gifts should do the same. Jesus says we serve Him by serving others, and He gives us our gifts to do just that.

Discover your gifts and use them well.

Prayer: Father, help us use well the gifts You have given us.

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Recovering from Religion - Martin Wiles

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. Matthew 11:28 MSG

Religion had frightened me. I needed a break.

Church life is all I’ve ever known. I went before Mom ever birthed me. As a small child, I had my favorite nursery teachers, and my grandmother fed me Hershey Kisses to keep me quiet when I graduated to “big church.”

Then Dad became a pastor … and eventually I became one. I saw the pretty and the ugly side of church. As a young person, I looked at church as more ugly than pretty. I heard about the unkind things various people had said about my dad—and I witnessed numerous ugly episodes as I pastored churches. Hurtful comments—said to my face and behind my back. Devastating actions that undermined my leadership.

Finally, burnout came … or lingered around the corner if I didn’t do something. My wife felt the same. She, too, had been hurt numerous times. We decided to take a break. Not from Jesus, but from religion.

Jesus often needed a break. He went off alone to pray … to consult His Father … to rejuvenate. And He wanted little to do with the religious legalists who burdened others down with impossible and distorted rules and who tried to trap Him and destroy His ministry. Jesus taught the people more about a relationship than He did about rules.

Surveys show the number of “nones,” (those who claim no religious affiliation) are steadily increasing. Among the reasons they give for not attending church: unanswered questions about religion, social and political issues in churches, unbelief in God, dislike of religious organizations, dislike of religious leaders, and religious irrelevancy (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/08/why-americas-nones-dont-identify-with-a-religion).

Burning out on religion is possible—and probably happens more than we know. Perhaps we need to change churches—or even take a temporary break from all physical churches. More than likely, though, we need a reorientation of our mindset, along with a resetting of our priorities.

Jesus never intended for “religion” to take the place of our relationship with Him. Religion is about rules, practices, liturgies, and tertiary discussions. Religion is the fluff that can clutter our lives and hide what Christ wants us to enjoy: the relationship with Him. We can burn out on religion, but we’ll never burn out on the relationship.

Don’t let religion—and the negative things often associated with it—steal your love for Christ or your desire to obey and serve Him.

Prayer: Father, remind us that a relationship with You is what Your Son died to give us.

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Flashback Friday - Freedom Before God - Martin Wiles

The fate of her people depended on her decision. What would she do?

She was living in a foreign place, and now the news had spread that the king had deposed the queen. Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, was a high ranking official and privy to the palace scuttlebutt. After the king gave orders to find a new queen, she had been rounded up and taken to the king’s harem. When the day arrived for the king to choose a new queen, she was selected. Now a dastardly no good—who hated her people, had convinced the king to issue a decree allowing her people to be annihilated. Mordecai told her she was her nation’s only hope. 

As queen, Esther had the privilege of approaching the king—but not unless summoned by him. With prayer as her shield, she appeared before the king, was welcomed with his golden scepter, and delivered her people from certain death. "Though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die" (Esther 4:16 NLT).

As God’s child—who has experienced the fullness and completeness of his forgiveness, I have the right of coming boldly before him. Esther cowered because she knew her life was at risk; I come without fear realizing I’m no longer under condemnation for my sins. Christ has taken their punishment and thereby freed me.

Unlike the king with his subjects, God gives me a continual invitation to approach him. He’s never too busy, and my situations are never too trivial. He’s concerned with all the details of my life’s journey. After all, he is the one sending me on this trek. Since I’m human and subject to failure, I need his continual guidance. 

John Kennedy, Jr.’s favorite place to hide—while his dad, John F. Kennedy, was president of the United States—was under his dad’s desk. As the PS (President’s son), he enjoyed the privilege of boldly entering the office of the most important person in the country. 

Sin, past failures, and busyness can keep me away from God, but he’d rather I enjoy the freedom of basking in his presence. 

Prayer: Merciful God, thank You for our freedom to enjoy Your presence. Encourage us to come boldly and often before Your throne of grace. 

Tweetable: Are you enjoying freedom before God? 

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Filling the Holes - Martin Wiles

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” John 4:10 NLT

I filled the hole, but it continued to sink.

At the corner of the lot my family and I lived on, a rotten oak tree swayed in the breeze. Each small gust of wind brought limbs to the ground. We feared one day the entire tree would crash and perhaps hit our house. We called a tree-cutting company who cut the tree. Then we called a stump removal service and had them grind the stump.

The spot where the tree had grown was now piled high with wood chips, but soon the ground leveled … even sunk. As the underground roots deteriorated, the chips and dirt sunk. I piled more on top. Eventually, they sunk. I continued piling on chips and dirt until the deterioration process had completed. Finally, we had level ground and no hole to fill.

The woman Jesus met at the well had a hole to fill also, but not one that involved a rotten tree. She had a relationship hole—actually, a God hole. She came for literal water; Jesus offered her living water. When He told her to call her husband, she said she had none. She had had five, and now she lived with a man. She tried to fill her God hole with shallow relationships.

Every person has a God hole. Trouble is, we don’t always recognize it—or we refuse to acknowledge it. As God prompts us to fill it with Him, we either obey or try something else. Even if we fill it with His presence, we can still attempt to add other things for further satisfaction. Things such as unhealthy relationships, play toys, investments, possessions, or addictive substances. Anything to help us experience the joy we feel we’re missing.

The woman had to keep returning to the well because she consumed the literal water and used it to cook. Jesus’ water—a relationship with Him—would satisfy her perpetually.

Jesus offers that same water to everyone. The gift of Himself to quench our thirst. The gift of relationship. Knowing that He forever abides in us through His Spirit and will guide us along life’s path, providing all we need along the way.

By following God’s plan for our lives, our thirst is quenched—the hole is filled. Total obedience ushers in satisfaction.

Fill your life hole through a loving relationship with Christ.

Prayer: Father, we thank You that we don’t have to go through life trying to fill a void only You can fill.

The Challenge of Change - Martin Wiles

Then the Lord said to Moses, “The time has come for you to die. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tabernacle,^[a] so that I may commission him there.” Deuteronomy 31:14 NLT

She was my immediate supervisor; then, suddenly, I was hers.

I worked at a county courthouse for an unpredictable boss. One day, she called me into her office and told me to shut the door. Various thoughts ran through my mind. What had I done to make her mad? Was she about to fire me?

None of my fear materialized. “I’m going to promote you to supervisor,” she said.

“But what about _______?” I asked.

“I’ll straighten it out with her,” she said.

And she did, but not really. The woman who had once supervised me didn’t take the news so well. But because of her mild-mannered nature, she did better than most would have. Others may have walked out and quit—or treated me harshly. She didn’t. But my promotion strained our relationship.

One day, when she couldn’t take it any longer, she asked, “Did you ask for that promotion?” I assured her I hadn’t. I had been as surprised as she. After my assurance, our relationship returned to normal, and we remain friends until this day.

Change is rarely easy, convenient, or comfortable. I’m sure it wasn’t for God’s Old Testament people. Moses had led them for forty years. They were accustomed to his ways of doing things … his reactions … his mannerisms. But the time for him to die had arrived, and God appointed Joshua as the new leader. Although he had worked with Moses, he wasn’t Moses. Things would differ—at least in some respects.

If change occurs at our place of employment, and we suddenly find ourselves responsible to a new person who does things differently, our job is to be the best employee we can and to adapt with kindness and obedience. If we can’t, we should look for somewhere else to work rather than disrupt the harmony in the workplace. Our testimony for Christ is at stake.

Whether we like our new leader or not isn’t the issue. As a believer, we should treat them with kindness and love. Christ wants this from us.

And when other unwanted changes occur, we must accept them as God’s will. He controls all, and for some reason, He has brought—or at least allowed—the changes. With His guidance and strength, we can persevere through the change.

Don’t let change rattle you. Whatever the circumstances, God can help you through.

Prayer: Father, we trust You to carry us through life’s changes and to help us have the right attitude as we face them.

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Throwback Tuesday - Pick Your Battles - Martin Wiles

Pick Your Battles

God told Jehoshaphat; But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD's victory.  II Chronicles 20:17 NLT

A preacher’s son and an earring. I wondered how they’d mesh. 

“Dad, can I get my ear pierced?” My son was small when the request came. Earrings for men and boys were stylish. I had no particular convictions about him having one other than the fact I wondered how my church members would respond. I decided to avoid the battle with my son and chance one with others who might disagree with my decision. I carted him off to the local mall, found an ear-piercing pagoda, and let them poke a hole in his ear. No one made a big deal about it—other than my parents, and life was good. Read more...

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The Faith Scale - Martin Wiles

Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions. Deuteronomy 32:46 NLT

What I had now wouldn’t do me any good.

I come from a rich genealogical faith heritage. I can’t remember an ancestor who didn’t express some level of faith: my two great-grandmothers who lived until I reached seventeen, my grandparents—most of whom lived until I was a young adult, and my parents. Though I don’t recall it, I’m sure they read Bible stories to me when I was a young lad.

When I was five or six years old, Dad gathered me and Mom to read the Bible, not a Bible story. He skipped nothing. Including the genealogical lineages. From an early age, I learned the Bible stories that Sunday school teachers would reinforce on Sunday mornings.

But until I was nine, I had borrowed my faith from parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. At that time, I decided to ask Jesus to forgive my sins and accept me as His child. He did, but my faith remained borrowed to a great degree. I believed about the Bible—and other things—only what my father and mother believed.

Not until I went to college did I own my faith. Here I discovered that not all Christians believed the same things my father did about matters the Bible isn’t clear on. I made my own studies and came to my own conclusions, rather than adopting my professors’. 

This is what Moses challenged the new generation of Israelites to do. He would soon die because of his disobedience to God while in the wilderness. As a part of his last words to them, Moses told them to pass along God’s Word to their children. Yet, the children would have to make it their own.

At the end of time, I can’t stand before God and tell Him what wonderful parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents I had. It won’t matter—and He already knows. He won’t let me into heaven because of my family’s faith heritage. I only get in because of my faith, not on the coattails of someone else.

Faith must be adopted individually, as I did at nine years of age. No one can make the decision for us. Neither do good works enter the picture. We are responsible for passing the faith heritage down through our family lines, but each one much choose for themselves whether they’ll believe. We must own it ourselves.

Is your faith yours, or does it belong to someone else?

Prayer: Father, remind us that our faith must be individually expressed in Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Tweetable: Where are you on the faith scale? 

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Chaos on the Field - Martin Wiles

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NLT

Only one word could describe what I witnessed. Well … perhaps two or three.

My daughter’s three-year-old decided he wanted to play T-ball. I knew the game since my son had played at this age. 

My wife and I headed out one Saturday morning for our grandson’s first scrimmage. His older brother played on a nearby playground, having had no interest in playing T-ball or watching his brother. Both teams gathered at a far corner of the field for team pictures. Then, the coaches herded them across the field and to their respective dugouts. Of course, most of the boys had no idea what a dugout was, so the coach had to point the way.

Once both teams had gathered up, our grandson’s coaches brought the team onto the field and lined them up across the infield. The other team batted first. That’s when the one word came to mind: chaos. When the batter hit the ball, only two little boys—my grandson not one of them—went after it, picked it up, and tried to outrun the batter to first base. Our grandson looked on and smiled at those who did what they were supposed to do. He had a good time standing there with glove on hand. One other little tike played in the red clay.

When my grandson’s team batted, things changed little. Our grandson hit the ball, but the coach had to tell him to run to first base—and later, second, third, and home. He liked looking back at the coach instead of in the direction he was running. Some headed for third base after hitting the ball, and others ran home after tagging second base. But chaos on the field brought a good laugh from everyone in the stands.

Sometimes, when I look at world events, the world doesn’t appear much different than my grandson’s T-ball game: chaotic. Evil abounds. People ignore orders. Many don’t seem to know … or care where they are headed. Some take shortcuts. Others do their own thing.

My faith helps me remember that appearances are sometimes deceptive. God is a God of order and peace, and behind the scenes of the apparent chaos He is working to carry out His plan. Troubles happen—in the world and in our lives—but God works them all out for our good and His glory. Order does exist among the apparent disorder.

When things seem out of control—taking your peace in the process—trust the One who orders it all and who can give you peace.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for the peace You give in the midst of life’s turmoil. 

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Flashback Friday - What Speech Says - Martin Wiles

What Speech Says

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29 NLT

The tongue has no eraser, and mine just wrote a gang of words I wished I could expunge. 

I was new to the local town, having temporarily moved back in with my parents while I searched for employment. One of the area’s popular attractions on Saturday morning was the local flea market. Folks would gather to shop and commune with friends. On this particular Saturday, Mom had rented a booth to dispose of some odds and ends. Since Dad wasn’t the flea market variety, she chose me as her assistant. As we pulled up to our assigned booth and began unloading our wares, I noticed the neighboring seller unloading some of his treasures on one of our tables. When I confronted him, he mouthed something about that being his table. I jawed some unmentionables right back at him, informing him the table was ours. Mom was upset and embarrassed—not because of his using one of our tables but because he was a church member that I’d just cursed out. When she informed me, I looked for the eraser. Read more...

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What’s That Smell? - Martin Wiles

Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:15 NLT

I felt the need to explain the smell to his teacher.

My daughter believes in essential oils. She burns them in her house, sprays them on herself and her two boys during mosquito season, and rubs them on all three of them when they come down with a sickness.

Spring had sprung, and so had the pollen count. As I opened my daughter’s car door to get her youngest child (He attends the school where I teach.), a pungent smell hit me.

“What in the world is that smell?” I asked. “It smells like insecticide.”

“Essential oils,” she answered.

“Did you spray him with it?”

“Yes, for his stuffy nose,” she said.

I halfway held my breath as I walked him to my class. What would I tell his teacher? I had to say something. She’d think he hadn’t had a bath in a while—or had been playing in something he shouldn’t have. When I explained his smell, she laughed. Obviously, my grandson wasn’t the only one who’d been doused with smelly things.

Paul mentioned another type of smell—the one Christ-believers have, or at least should have. A fragrance that has two effects on people. Those who believe with us enjoy the fragrance, but those who refuse to believe can’t stand it. They may even persecute us because we smell as we do.

The fragrance has nothing to do with an actual smell, but concerns what people see in us. A smell they detect with their eyes. As they watch our actions, they pick up our odor. The odor of forgiveness. We don’t hold grudges or seek revenge when wronged. The smell of kindness. We go out of our way to help someone else, even when it means inconveniencing ourselves. We exhibit the smell of a giving nature. We open our hands when it would be easier to keep them tightly squeezed shut. We smell good to them by smelling the opposite of what they are accustomed to.

The world can be a terrible place. By exhibiting godly traits which are the opposite of the norm, we place a pleasant smell in the air that God will use to draw others to Himself.

What kind of smell are you putting off for those around you?

Prayer: Father, help us smell good to others. May they see You through our actions and attitudes.

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Life Is like a Pack of Pansies - Martin Wiles

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. Philippians 4:12 NLT

Forest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” For us, life was like a pack of pansies.

Each year, after the hot temperatures of summer had passed, my wife and I would visit a local retailer to buy pansies. And each year we would watch as the pansies looked the same in the spring as they had when we planted them in the fall.

One year, we decided to visit a local greenhouse that had a reputation for healthier plants. We bought a flat, planted them in pots, and watched them blossom and grow during the winter. When spring arrived, our pots overflowed with beautiful pansies.

Since the pansies had done so well, we decided to buy them from the same greenhouse the next year. But that year, we were disappointed. Throughout the fall and winter months, they just sat in the pots, looking the same as they did when we first planted them. When spring arrived, they were smaller than when we had planted them and were even decorated with some dead leaves.

Forest didn’t know what kind of chocolates he would get in life; we never know what kind of pansies we’re going to get either.

Paul’s life mimicked chocolates and pansies. He never knew what was coming as he marched across his world, spreading the love of Jesus Christ. Some accepted, grew spiritually, and continued spreading the good news. Others rejected his message, and still others attempted to kill him.

One thing Paul never did was question God’s goodness. Neither should we when the unproductive or difficult times come. God remains good all the time, whether or not the events of our life seem good. He works behind the scenes in ways we can’t observe, and He always does so with love, His glory, and our best in mind.

Often, the periods when it seems nothing is happening in our lives—or when it appears that everything is going wrong—are the times when God is preparing us for a new mission, which may require more spiritual fortitude on our part.

In the good and in the not-so-good times—when the pansies don’t grow and the piece of chocolate is nasty—lean on God and let Him complete His work in your life.

Prayer: Father, we trust You to guide us through each circumstance of life.

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Throwback Tuesday - Waiting Wisely - Martin Wiles

Waiting Wisely

When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:3 NLT

For a young middle schooler, the expectancy was almost unbearable. 

In 1970, my father accepted the responsibilities of pastoring a church in Jackson, Tennessee. We packed and headed 14 hours away from the only state I’d ever lived in. Leaving grandparents and great grandparents—as well as cousins, aunts, and uncles, wasn’t easy for a young boy. But summer finally arrived, and with it the appearance of my paternal grandmother. After a short visit, I’d leave with her to spend an entire summer being spoiled by my favorite grandparents and also earn money helping my grandfather on the ice cream truck. The thought of her impending arrival and my imminent departure stirred excitement in this pre-teen’s otherwise boring life. Read more...

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Mentored - Martin Wiles

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 2 Timothy 1:5 NLT

Each one poured something different into my life.

My first cousin mentored me. He and his family lived beside my grandparents, who were farmers. My cousin knew all about farm life, which included hunting. He hunted squirrel, deer, quail, dove, and rabbit. He taught me the difference between a doe’s track and a buck’s. He showed me how to lead a dove when I shot at it.

Ken also poured into me. He was a high-school buddy who knew a good bit about the mechanics of vehicles because his father had mentored him. He taught me how an engine functions and about the different parts of a car. While what he taught me doesn’t do much for me now—due to advancements in computer technology—the knowledge served me well then, and saved me money.

And then Mike came along. I worked with him after I graduated from high school. His dad farmed, and Mike had taken up the occupation on the side. Some Saturdays I’d ride to his house and help him “farm.” I loved farm life. Perhaps because both of my grandfathers had been farmers. Mike taught me how to drive a tractor, along with many other practical things. It seemed he knew how to do everything. A regular jack of all trades.

But as important as these three mentors were in my early life, none of what they taught me compared to the spiritual mentoring I received from teachers, parents, and grandparents. They told me life-changing … eternity-changing … information. That if I believed in Jesus Christ and asked Him to forgive my sins I could go to heaven when I died.

Lois and Eunice had done this type of mentoring for young Timothy. When Paul came along, he continued the process. Timothy became his son in the faith.

God wants us to do a little mentoring. It’s one of the main reasons He puts us here—for relationships. He wants us to pour the story of His love into others, but we don’t have to stop there. We can show them how to live obediently, how to trust in the hard times, how to grow spiritually, and how to do practical “unspiritual” things that will make their lives easier.

Ask God to send people to you whom you can pour His love and your experiences into.

Prayer: Father, send us those people You want us to mentor.

Tweetable: Who are you mentoring? 

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Starting and Stopping - Martin Wiles

So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. Numbers 22:21 NLT

One planned to start; the other intended to stop.

As we went around the Sunday school room taking prayer requests, one gentleman told of a health condition that would require him to see a new doctor, whom he named. Another gentleman piped up and said he was going to turn that same doctor loose.

“He told me to stop smoking and cursing and to give up my liquor.”

Another said, “He might as well have told you to find a wife.”

The class erupted in laughter. We knew both were kidding, but the conversation was humorous just the same—especially in a Sunday school class filled with senior adults.

Starts and stops fill our lives. They did Balaam’s. He was a false prophet hired by the king of Moab to curse the Israelites whom he had witnessed defeat his neighbors. He feared he and his people were next on the list. Initially, Balaam refused the king of Moab’s request, but later God told him to go. The problem wasn’t with the starting, but with the mindset he started with.

An angel from the Lord blocked his way. Balaam’s donkey stopped. Balaam beat the donkey. As he approached a narrow place, the angel appeared again and the donkey stopped. Balaam beat the donkey again. At a third place, the angel appeared at a narrower place. This time, the donkey lay down. Balaam beat it again. This time God allowed the donkey to speak to Balaam. When God opened Balaam’s eyes, he saw the angel and realized the danger the donkey had kept him from.

What Balaam needed was to stop disobeying and start obeying. God allowed him to go, but he wanted him to go with God’s message, not the one the king of Moab wanted him to deliver. God never indulges our disobedience, and it always brings His discipline. Like a good parent, God disciplines because He loves us and wants us to get back on track.

Balaam also needed to listen to God’s plan, not the king of Moab’s. The king wanted Balaam to curse Israel, thinking this would help him defeat them in battle. God wanted Balaam to bless Israel—because God had plans to bring them into the Promised Land.

God’s plan is always best, and the only way we can enjoy life to the fullest is to love God and obey His plan for our life. Starting with anything less will eventually stop us in our tracks.

Start with obedience, and you will stop with God’s blessings.

Prayer: Father, we humbly ask You to stop us when we are going in the wrong direction.

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