What Keeps You Up? - Diana Francis

Love Lines welcomes guest writer, Diana Francis. 

I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.  Psalm 3:5–6 NIV

Sometimes, we spend sleepless nights because a problem consumes our thoughts.

Insomnia can arise from worry over finances or problems at work. Personal health concerns or concerns for a family member keep us awake at night and paralyze us with fear. And how many of us have not spent countless nights tossing and turning in anguish over our children? 

Now imagine David, the writer of this verse. His son Absalom had amassed an army of men to hunt down and kill David for the throne. Yet, David slept soundly and arose refreshed. How? Because he knew the Lord was in control and that He would deliver him from adversity. God would spare David’s life, or He would take him home. Either way, David won.

David trusted God would do the right thing. Sounds easy in theory, but in practice it’s difficult.

We waste time and energy on the misguided notion that we can or should handle situations ourselves before involving God. Worse yet, we might even blame God for our problems and turn away from Him.

God assures us if we will pray and truly seek Him, we will find Him and that He will listen to us. I don’t suggest we sit on our hands and expect God to make our troubles vanish. He expects us to act in a responsible and godly manner and to obey His Word. If we will humble ourselves and put our full trust in the Lord, then we can lie down without fear in our beds and hopefully sleep soundly.

Ask God to help you worry less about trying to have great faith in God and focus rather on having faith in a great God.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the rest found in knowing I can trust You to vanquish anything that might seek to steal my peace. Amen. 

Tweetable: Are things that shouldn't keeping you up? 

Diana Francis currently attends Dallas Theological Seminary where she will soon complete a Masters in Theology and a Masters in Christian Leadership.  She lives in Corona, California, where she serves as a lay-leader at her church. Diana enjoys Red Sox baseball, being the commissioner of her fantasy football league, and spending time with her two sons and her grandson. Her husband Rick has gone to be with the Lord.

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Pound Cake

We believe Good food and God's Word go well together. After you've enjoyed this dessert--or even as you enjoy it--why not hop over to our main page and enjoy one of our encouraging devotions.  

POUND CAKE

Ingredients

3 CUPS PLAIN FLOUR

3 CUPS SUGAR

2 STICKS MARGARINE

½ CUP CRISCO

1 CUP MILK

6 EGGS

1 TEASPOON VANILLA

1 TEASPOON LEMON FLAVORING

Directions

CREAM BUTTER AND CRISCO. 

BEAT UNTIL CREAMY AND ADD SUGAR. BEAT WELL.

ADD EGGS 1 AT A TIME. BEAT WELL. 

MIX FLAVORING WITH MILK.

ADD FLOUR AND MILK TO BATTER. 

START WITH FLOUR THEN ADD MILK. ADD A LITTLE AT A TIME STARTING AND ENDING WITH FLOUR.

POUR INTO A GREASED TUBE PAN.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 1 HOUR.

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No Credit - Martin Wiles

Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31 NLT

I don’t remember why she needed it, but I do remember what the company told her: “No.”

My uncle had passed away. My aunt, now in her senior adult years, decided to apply for a credit card. When the company denied her, she became furious. Their reason? She had no credit record. The reason? She and my uncle had certainly purchased things on time during their many years of marriage, but they had always paid with cash. To companies issuing credit cards or granting loans, it appeared as if she had never bought anything. She was a good risk, but they didn’t think so because they had no record to check.

I, on the other hand, got my first credit card as soon as I was old enough to apply. At eighteen, offers for credit cards abounded. I chose a couple of fuel company cards along with one I could use anywhere I shopped. Between those and a car loan, I had a spotless credit record in no time. Something my aunt never obtained. Buying a car wasn’t a problem. The lending agency always approved me—and at a good interest rate.

Then some untenable life circumstances ruined my good credit record. Later in life, I had to depend on someone else’s credit record if I needed to borrow money.

But when it comes to salvation, I have no credit. Paul reminded those who were tempted to boast about their salvation that God was the source of their forgiveness, not them.

Where our relationship with God is concerned, we are either in Christ or we’re not. Jesus said we couldn’t serve Him and money (or anything else). He gives us no fence to sit on. We either believe, are forgiven, and restored to a right relationship with Him, or we go our own way. This is one time I can’t have my cake and eat it, too.

Nor do I have a credit record built up where I can say to God, “You owe me. Save me.” I may have a spotless credit record when it comes to purchasing items, but I have nothing to offer God that places Him under obligation to me. Only because of His grace and mercy did He send Jesus to die for our sins. Paul had a lot of “religious” credits, but none that would make things right between him and God. All he could do—all any of us can do—was cry out for help.

Since we have no credit that leads to salvation, our forgiveness and restoration should create in us a humble spirit. God blesses us when we do, but He detests pride. Without Christ, we are nothing, but in Christ, we can do all things.

Have you recognized you have no credit in God’s eyes? If so, turn to Him. He’ll accept you based on Christ’s credit.

Prayer: Father, thank You for providing all the credit we need for our salvation.

Tweetable: How's your credit record? 

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Be Happy with the Happy - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday where we meander back in time to a previously published devotion. 

Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 NLT

Other’s happiness can be the occasion in which selfishness grows.

I read the text: “I just won an iPad.”

My wife was attending a continuing education conference. Several drawings for giveaways peppered the schedule—one of which was for an iPad. And not a cheap one.

When the announcer called the winning ticket, my wife barely looked—having never won anything. That’s when her neighbor said, “They are calling your number.” She had won the iPad.

Loving technology better than she, I hoped her next text would read, “I’ll give it to you. I know how much you’ve wanted one.” But it didn’t. She kept the iPad for herself…and later the grandkids. Instead of rejoicing over her win, I nestled envy in my heart. She had what I wanted.

My selfishness countered my wife’s excitement over her new toy. Why hadn’t this happened to me? I used a computer and other tech tools twice as much as she did. I couldn’t rejoice because the green-eyed monster of envy ate at my heart. She had what I wanted. And although she let me use her toy, it wasn’t mine.

If I’m to rejoice with others who rejoice, I must learn to be happy and content with what God gives me, as well as when He gives it. He knows what I can handle before pride and selfishness creep in. Someone will always have more than I do, but if I have what God desires me to have, that’s all I need.

Rather than envying what others have—whether possessions or opportunities—we need to rejoice over what God is doing in other’s lives. He gives what aligns with His plans for their life, and He does the same for us.

A part of interacting with others also includes weeping when they weep. Entering their circumstances. Attempting to feel what they’re feeling. Letting their hurts become mine. When I do this, I am loving my neighbor as I do myself.

What attitude do you need to change so you can rejoice with those who rejoice?

Prayer: God of love and light, teach us to rejoice with others and to be content with what You entrust to us.

Tweetable: What keeps you from rejoicing with others? 

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Strawberry Layer Cake - Martin Wiles

We believe Good Food and God's Word go well together. After you've enjoyed this dessert--or even as you enjoy it--why not hop over to our main page and enjoy one of our encouraging devotions.  

STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE

Ingredients

1 BOX WHITE CAKE MIX

1 (3 OZ.) BOX STRAWBERRY JELLO

4 LARGE EGGS

½ CUP SUGAR

¼ CUP ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

½ CUP FRESH STRAWBERRIES FINELY CHOPPED

1 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

½ CUP MILK

 

STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 CUP SOFTENED BUTTER

2 (16 OZ.) POWDERED SUGAR

1 CUP FRESH STRAWBERRIES FINELY CHOPPED

4 TABLESPOONS HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM

 

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. GREASE 3 (9 INCH) ROUND PANS.

IN A LARGE BOW, MIX ALL CAKE INGREDIENTS LISTED ABOVE WITH AN ELECTRIC MIXER.

POUR CAKE BATTER INTO CAKE PANS AND BAKE FOR 20 TO 25 MINUTES.

COOL LAYERS.

FROSTING: IN A LARGE BOWL, BEAT THE BUTTER UNTIL FLUFFY. ADD POWDERED SUGAR, HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM, AND STRAWBERRIES. BEAT ON LOW UNTIL CREAMY.

ONCE YOU HAVE FROSTED THE LAYERS, STORE CAKE IN THE REFRIGERATOR.

Tweetable: Enjoy this Strawberry Layer Cake. 

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Tempted to Touch - Martin Wiles

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. Psalm 1:1 NLT

As I entered the general merchandise section of the retail store, I found a strange thing: produce.

Finding bananas as soon as I entered the general section of the giant retail store seemed strange at first, until I realized that those who manage this and other stores study people and how to sell to them. What better way to sell produce than to stick the kind many people buy—bananas—almost in front of my face. I could not enter this side of the store without passing them.

Even in a grocery store, managers learn the tricks of selling certain things. Items on sale are placed where I almost run over them when I enter the store. In addition to there and in the center of aisles, sellers also place them on endcaps where they almost jump out at me as I shop.

The techniques work. My wife is an undecided shopper. As we browse through stores, she picks up things that catch her eye and places them in her buggy. As we continue shopping, she might see something else she would rather have, so she puts the original item back. Or, she might decide we don’t have the money to buy what she picked up, so she returns it to the shelf.

The temptation to touch, and to do more than touch, looms large in us humans. The psalmist knew that. That’s why he could talk about the joy that comes when we don’t give in.

Everything God originally created He considered good. Most things that become sin for us are neutral—neither good nor bad. God has no problem with me eating veggies, meat, and probably a little junk food in the mix. Food keeps me alive, but too much of it can harm me and leads to gluttony, which is a sin since my body is a temple of God’s Spirit.

Satan tempted Jesus to turn rocks into bread after He had fasted for forty days in the wilderness. Eating bread would not have been a sin for Jesus. Getting it the way Satan proffered rather than trusting His heavenly Father to provide it would have been the sin.

Most things in moderation is a good rule to live by. The “thing” isn’t normally sinful; it’s what we do with it or whom we do it with. But some things—and people—we should just leave alone. We all know our weak points … and Satan does, too. God gives us the strength not to touch those things. He allows no temptation into our lives that we can’t overcome with His power.

Let God teach you which things you should not touch.

Prayer: Father, teach us what it’s okay to touch and what we need to leave alone.

Tweetable: What things are you tempted to touch? 

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Praising in Pain - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday where we meander back in time to a previously published devotion. 

But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land? Psalm 137:4 NLT

Pain and praise don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

The moment I chomped down on the delicious bite of food, I knew I was in trouble. A sharp pain seized my jaw on the opposite side of which I chewed. Bouts with TMJ (Temporomandibular joint) aren’t fun, and I didn’t have time for it now. Eating became painful rather than pleasurable. When I had endured all I could stand, I called a local chiropractor in hopes of receiving relief. After two treatments, I enjoyed my meals again.

The psalmist—along with thousands of other exiles—languished in captivity in a foreign land, far away from God’s temple in Jerusalem. Serving foreign rulers proved painful. How could he and the other exiles possibly praise God in such unpleasant circumstances?

Despite its unpleasantness, pain teaches valuable lessons in patience and dependence. Praising in the pain reminds us Christ is our Great Physician. We depend on Him for healing, regardless of whether we visit a physician or not. Ultimately, he is our healer and the One who gives us the strength to endure pain when it is short and long-lived.

Praising in the pain forces us to look to the future. For believers, a bright eternity is promised—one where the pain is absent. The culprit of bodies afflicted by sin is pain, but in heaven bodies free of sin will be souls free of pain.

Praising when in pain maintains a good perspective. God never promised a pain-free life. When we praise despite the pain, we’re reminded He’s in control of the intensity and duration of our misery. Responding to our aches in a godly manner allows us to use our experiences to help others. Our response to pain shows others how God gives us the strength to face, endure, and overcome unpleasant situations in life without adopting bitterness toward God.

Are you praising in your pain?

Prayer: Eternal God, remind us that You are the master of our bodies and will give us the power to praise You even in our pain.

Tweetable: Have you learned to praise in the pain? 

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Skillet Apple Pie

We believe Good Food and God's Word go well together. After you've enjoyed this dessert--or even as you enjoy it--why not hop over to our main page and enjoy one of our encouraging devotions.  

Skillet Apple Pie

Ingredients

1 can apple pie filling

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can 8 homestyle biscuits

1 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons cream or milk

Directions

Pour apple pie filling onto a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Mix in vanilla and stir until mixed.

In a bowl, mix melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until smooth.

Cut canned biscuits into bite-sized pieces and add to bowl.

Add in apple pie mixture and stir.

Pour into skillet.

Cook at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

While cooking, make the glaze. 

Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of cream or milk.

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When Famine Strikes - Martin Wiles

At last the seven years of bumper crops throughout the land of Egypt came to an end. Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. Genesis 41:53-54 NLT

His famine entailed languishing in a WWII concentration camp.

Someone discovered the poem the Jewish prisoner wrote on the wall of a cellar in the Cologne concentration camp. It began as follows:

“I believe in the sun

even when it is not shining

And I believe in love,

even when there’s no one there.

And I believe in God,

even when he is silent.”

Famines are caused by several things other than a simple shortage of food: war, inflation, crop failure, government policies, and population imbalance. Famines also lead to a few complications: malnutrition, starvation, epidemics, population displacement, water shortage, and, of course, death.

Joseph knew about a famine because God told him it was becoming. As second in command in Egypt, he prepared the country for its coming by storing crops during the seven years of plenty that preceded the seven years of famine.

But another type of famine exists that has nothing to do with food shortage. As the Jewish prisoner experienced, it’s the famine of God’s hiddenness, silence, and seemingly unfairness. If we’re honest with ourselves, all of us have experienced times when God didn’t appear to care—and didn’t even seem to be around. Our prayers seemed stagnant. His Word lost its appeal. Our world crumbled, and God didn’t intervene—or so we thought.

As God provided for the people of Egypt because of Joseph’s preparation, so He provides for us in our times of famine. He hasn’t left us, although we may feel He has. Feelings are just that—feelings. They don’t mimic reality. Jesus said He would never leave or forsake His children, and He doesn’t.

During famines, our duty is to trust God. When we don’t know the next step to take, we keep going in the same direction with the faith that the last step He directed us to take was the correct one.

Satan wants to use the famine to drive us away from God. God desires to use it to draw us closer to Him, to mature our faith, and to prepare us for other opportunities ahead.

Don’t waste your famines. God has better things ahead.

Tell us about one of your famines. 

Prayer: Father, we trust You to care for us and to direct us through our periods of famine.

Tweetable: Is God taking you through a famine? 

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Meandering Monday - Too Busy - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday. 

But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. Luke 5:16

Even when performing admirable actions, busyness can take us away from God.

I counted my jobs once. Five. One full-time and the others part-time. My total doesn’t represent workaholism—although I do struggle with scheduling down time. Because my full-time job doesn’t pay enough to cover our bills, I must add a few part-time endeavors to get us over the hump. Thankfully, God has opened several doors—some of which I’ve had to close. I can only do so much in twenty-four hours, and I can only endure so much physically and emotionally.

Crowds pandered after Jesus. Occasions for Him to do good abounded. People needed healing, dead needed raising, sinners needed befriending, hungry needed feeding, and religious leaders needed correcting. But occasionally, He needed to get away to a solitary place so He could hear His Father. 

Worthwhile prospects surround me daily, but I’ve discovered I can perform good works and still miss God’s will. Just because honorable opportunities abound doesn’t mean God expects me to put my hands into each one. Pursuing a good agenda doesn’t necessarily mean I’m satisfying God’s agenda.

Finding out which opportunity God wants me to tackle is the key. Through intense prayer, I discover the avenues He wants me to pursue. Then, rather than blindly and busily trying to do everything, I can focus my energy on the right thing. I can’t wrestle every good thing accessible, but I can seize those that fulfill God’s vision for me and the world.

Going full speed in all directions leads to frustration, bad attitudes, burn out, and failure at what I want so desperately to succeed at. Being open to change and sensitive to God’s guidance sets my course in the direction he desires.

Don’t get so busy doing good that you can’t hear God’s instructions? Follow Jesus’ example. Get away with the Father.

Prayer: Dear Father, amidst the many opportunities to do good, give us clear insight into which ones are Your will for our lives.

Tell us how you changed your busy life. 

Tweetable: Are you too busy? 

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Little Is Much - Martin Wiles

For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” 1 Kings 17:14 NLT

All I could hear was breaking glass.

Earlier that evening, I cowered in the living room of my small mobile home, wondering whether to go to bed. Winter temps had settled in, along with sleet and strong winds. My little shelter nestled in the middle of large oaks and pines. All I could think about was one of them crashing across my home and crushing me in the process.

Dismissing my fears, I went to bed, but soon enough my fears came to fruition—at least a part of them. A large pine, which stood fifty feet away, crashed through my bedroom window and finally rested one inch above my head.

Thankful to be alive, I quickly called the man in our church who had let me use his land to park my mobile home. Without hesitation, he told me to pack my duds and come stay with him and his family until the insurance company finished the repairs. For a month, I experienced my friend’s little—little that was much to me.

The prophet Elijah encountered a widow in Zarephath who was down to a handful of flour and a little cooking oil. When Elijah asked her for a bite of bread, she told him her story. She was about to prepare a final meal for her and her son. Elijah told her not to worry. If she brought him the bread, God would see that her bread and oil didn’t run out until the famine ended. Her little became much in God’s hands.

Our assets may appear small—and may be—but in God’s hands, they become much. God owns limitless resources and can take our little and multiply it exponentially. We may require a lot to do what needs doing, but God doesn’t, just as Jesus proved when He fed more than 5,000 with a boy’s five loaves of bread and two small fish.

When God requires us to exist on our little—trusting Him in the process—our faith grows and matures. We learn the practice of walking by faith, not sight. When the much results from our little, God receives the glory, which is what should happen all the time.

God can also take our little and give us opportunities to make it much in someone else’s life. Lack of faith makes us want to cling to the little we have … to not share … as the widow wanted to do. God calls us to act in faith with our little by intervening in the lives of others. He will make it go further for others than we ever imagined. 

Trust God with your little and watch Him make much of it.

Prayer: Father, we ask You to take our little and make much of it.

Tell us how God made much of little in your life. 

Tweetable: Have you discovered that God can make much of little? 

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Flashback Friday - Perspective from the Mountain - Martin Wiles

Perspective from the Mountain

Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. Exodus 17:12 NLT

Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Height also has the potential to change perspective.

I sat on the jagged summit of Tray Mountain in northern Georgia, United States. Three hundred sixty-degree views are normally enjoyed from this peak…but weren’t on this day. Cool winds of winter had settled in along with clouds from a stubborn cold front. What should have afforded me panoramic views beyond description now only delivered clouds, wind, and a brief view of what might have been. Read more...

Tweetable: What is your life perspective? 

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