Walk-On Wednesday - What Are You Leaning On? - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. II Kings 18:21 NLT

Not all sources of support are reliable.

He was in a pickle. After fourteen years of being the boss, someone else vied for his job. Why this fly in the ointment? Profit was good, but now this Johnny come lately wanted to take what he had worked so diligently to build. He even tried to buy the guy off. Even offered him a promotion. He wasn’t interested. He tried to maintain his sense of confidence and control, but he could feel his enemy nipping at his heels. An enemy who continually bombarded him with reminders that his downfall was imminent.

Sounds like a modern-day dilemma, but it is an ancient story of the conflict between King Hezekiah of Judah and the Assyrian king who wanted his land. The story does, however, provide a current warning to consider carefully what we lean on.

Any thing or person I lean on is capable of disappointing me. I can choose addictions or emotional states such as anger in an attempt to get by or get over. The addiction’s relief is only temporary, and unhealthy emotional states will destroy me emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Yet there are some things and people that can be trustworthy. Christian friends are essential. They see things from a spiritual perspective and can give wise advice. When facing challenging decisions, our families can be a source of guidance. They have our best interests at heart. Teens and young adults can and should approach their parents with concerns. Spiritual leaders and counselors also offer a good avenue of advice.

Above all else, however, we must lean on God. Through his Word and prayer, he will direct us to the right choices and will give us peace even in tumultuous situations. He will never steer us wrong, and he is the only one who will never disappoint us.

Who or what are you leaning on for strength and guidance?

Prayer: Eternal God, we come to You for guidance where difficult decisions are concerned and for strength when life’s roads are rough.

Tweetable: Who or what are you leaning on? 

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Meandering Monday - Sorrow’s Benefits - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again. 

Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. Ecclesiastes 7:3 NLT

Guilt had consumed her. Reluctantly, she confessed her unfaithfulness to her husband. He, in turn, had to deal with sorrow and the accompanying anger.

A parent lay dying on the hospital table. The doctors had done all they could. The family decided to remove life support, but knowing their loved one had slipped into a better eternity didn’t completely wipe away their present grief.

The trooper stood at the door and said, “I’m sorry to inform you that your daughter was killed…”

An employer was forced to do what he dearly despised—make cutbacks. Unfortunately, your position was eliminated.

The wisest man who ever lived said sorrow is better than laughter because it refines. Funny, I’ve never thought about it in that light. For me, it’s something to avoid. I’d rather smile than frown, laugh than cry, and praise than complain. Refine? How’s that possible?

Sorrow can be a master teacher. Times of sorrow keep things in perspective. Tragedies, sicknesses, and disappointments remind us of what’s most important. Along with sorrow, usually comes grief. Accompanying grief are tears. While not enjoyable, grieving brings with it a cleansing process. When dealt with properly and promptly, our souls are cleansed and strengthened.

Life is a mixture of sorrow and happiness. Sin is the culprit behind sorrowful experiences, but in heaven, things and people who cause grief won’t be present. Now, however, we must deal with sorrow.

Experiencing times of sorrow keeps us dependent on God to guide us through these aching times. Situations that bring sadness also remind us we’re not invincible. We can learn from the painful experiences and use the lessons in the future to serve others in God’s name. Most likely, we’ll encounter someone who is experiencing something similar to what we have.

Are you using what you learn from sorrowful experiences to help others?

Prayer: God of love and power, help us not to waste our sorrowful experiences. Rather, show us how to use them to serve others.

Tweetable: Are you sharing with others what you learned from sorrow?

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The Talking Conscience - Martin Wiles

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. Romans 7:15 NLT

“D…. it.”

Had I really heard my four-year-old grandson say what I thought I had heard him say? I was busy, Meme was gone, and he was playing. I must have misunderstood him. After all, he’s a fast talker, and I often don’t understand him. I dismissed what I thought I had heard.

Later that day, I thought I heard him say it again. But this time, I was sure. And if I had doubts, his six-year-old brother dismissed them.

“He said D… it,” the older brother piped.

Meme quickly chimed in, “Where did you hear that word?”

The older brother knew we forbade the word. A couple of years prior, he had picked up a few choice words. I had talked with him and told him which ones were “bad” words. Now he served as the bad-word Nazi for his younger brother.

Our younger grandson’s eyes widened when Meme and I questioned him. As far as he knew, he had just added a word to his vocabulary. He had no idea the word was a curse word.

“Where did you hear it?” I asked again when he didn’t answer his Meme.

“On a movie,” he finally answered, not seeming to know where he had actually heard it.

No doubt, he had heard it on a movie or a television show or from an adult who carelessly spoke it in his presence. We didn’t fuss at him. He didn’t know any better. We simply explained it was a word God didn’t want us to say.

From now on, if he says the word, he will hear voices…or a Voice. I’ve also heard voices since I was about his age. I still hear them. I wasn’t crazy when I was young, and I’m not now. Nor have I ever visited a psychiatrist to determine why I hear voices. I know why.

My voices are a part of the same issue Paul dealt with. He heard voices, too. One bad and one good. One from God and one from his enemy, Satan. And Paul did battle, often losing in the process by listening to the wrong voice. I’ve often lost the same battle.

We come into this world with a bent toward badness. God also creates in us a thing called the conscience. It’s the part of us that He—but also Satan—speaks to us through. When I do or say something errant, God tells me I shouldn’t have and that I need to confess my sin to Him. Satan, on the other hand, tells me not to worry about what God says.

Like my grandson, I don’t automatically know what’s right and wrong. Someone has to teach me, as my wife and I and our daughter have taught our grandson—as have his teachers at church and at school. When I program my conscience with God’s requirements, then I can trust the voice in my head when it warns me not to say or do what I’m thinking about saying or doing.

Although our grandson didn’t hear the voice when he first uttered the “bad” word, he will from now on. Someone told him not to say it, and God will use that teaching and speak to him through his conscience.

God uses our consciences for good purposes and uses us to help program others’ consciences. When we listen, our lives are better and so is the world.

Let your conscience be your guide.

Prayer: Father, thank You for speaking through our consciences to keep us on the proper life track.

Tweetable: Can your conscience be your guide? 

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Country Baked Beans

  

Ingredients

4 16 ounce cans of baked beans (drained)        

1 onion (chopped)

2 cups brown sugar

1 bottle chili sauce    

1 pound thick bacon (cooked and crumbled)

Directions

Combine all ingredients.

Stir until blended.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.

Tweetable: Why not try this favorite treat with your grilled meal? 

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.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Walk-on Wednesday - Obeying God’s Schedule - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” Matthew 9:22 NLT

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test, I’m a judger.

I like structure and organization. While I can be spontaneous on occasion, it’s not my preferred way of life. I’m also time conscious. I’ve been wearing a watch since I was in first grade. Schedules are important, and I like to be ahead of time for whatever the agenda holds. Keeping and checking off a list gives me an adrenaline rush. In college, I completed all my projects ahead of time. Some of these traits were inborn, but being the firstborn child and living with parents who had similar traits made it certain I’d be a judger.

John’s gospel, especially, makes it evident that Jesus journeyed on a divine schedule. Many were told not to tell that he had healed them or cast out their demons simply because Jesus didn’t want his ministry to end prematurely. While the woman touching him may appear as an interruption from a human point of view, from God’s it wasn’t. Jesus was open to God’s interruptions.

Some say schedules are made to be broken, but God’s schedule is more important than any schedule I can build on my day planner, computer calendar, or iPhone calendar. Rigidity will cause me to miss opportunities God puts in my path.

As with Jesus, change must be my friend—whether it makes me comfortable or not. Some of life’s greatest opportunities arise during change and uncomfortableness. What may appear as interruptions can be God-ordained appointments. Only as we avail ourselves of these—and with an attitude of love and acceptance—can we live life to the fullest.

Jesus took many opportunities to get away for private time with his Father. Prayer was the lifeblood of his ministry and also the key to following his father’s divine timetable. By following his pattern, we, too, can achieve the same success.

Be open to God’s schedule—even when it conflicts with yours.

Prayer: Father in heaven, give us eyes to see Your schedule and the faith to obey it.

Tweetable: Are you following God's schedule? 

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Meandering Monday - Smiling the Blues Away - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again. 

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. Proverbs 17:22 NLT

My mother is an expert at getting freebies.

 

When she heard about a local promoter giving away free tickets for a comedy show to pastors and their wives, she made the contact. Even though my father has been dead for a number of years—and my mom has since remarried—she still considers herself a pastor’s wife.

 

Sure enough, the promoter granted her and my wife and me tickets, and we struck out for a night of laughs from three Christian personalities. We needed the laughs. All of us had endured a stressful three weeks. A night away seemed to be the perfect ticket.

 

Laughter is good for the soul. The old cliché that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile has been around in one form or another for many years. Variables involved in actually proving the truth of how many muscles it requires to do each are also numerous. But the conclusion remains steadfast: smiling is better for our health than frowning.

 

People respond to facial expressions—especially a smile. The expression, “Give a smile to get a smile,” is accurate most of the time. Frowning at someone who is smiling at me is extremely difficult, and if I’m smiling others will normally reciprocate.

 

On bad days, I can smile myself into a better mood. If I choose to smile, my attitude will usually follow. While times exist when I need to frown—such as in times of grief—smiling helps me reinterpret my circumstances and drive away the everyday woolies. After all, a broken spirit dries the bones.

 

More energy is expended by frowning and adopting a negative attitude than it is by smiling and cuddling a positive frame of mind. Smiles relieve stress. When stress is diminished, the immune system is boosted, blood pressure is lowered, and we stay positive.

 

Whom can you share a smile with today?

 

Prayer: Eternal Lord and Savior, when the world around us needs a smile, enable us to give them one.

Tweetable: Whom can you share a smile with? 

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Great Northern Beans and Smoked Sausage

 

Ingredients

1 pound dried Great Northern beans

1 pack of Hillshire (or brand of your choice) skinless smoked sausage

1 large Vidalia onion

salt and pepper

Directions

Separate out any broken beans.

Soak in cold water overnight (optional).

Slice smoked sausage.

Cut onion in half.

Place all ingredients in crockpot, and fill half full with water. 

Cook on high for 2 hours and then on low for 2 hours or until beans are soft. 

Serve and enjoy. 

Tweetable: Why not try this tantalizing crockpot recipe? 

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

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Sanded - Martin Wiles

So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:4 NLT

On nothing he ever made did I find a rough spot.

Dad was a perfectionist. When he found himself pastoring a small country church, leaving him little to do during the week except prepare his sermons and make a few visits, he decided to take up a new hobby: woodworking. He began with small things, like small picture frames on which he glued pictures he had cut from calendars or other places.

When Dad transitioned to a larger church, which took more of his time, he kept the hobby. He put all the tools and tables he had purchased and made under the carport, making it impossible for Mom to park her car there. By this time, he had graduated from smaller to larger projects. He even made Mom an entire bedroom suite.

Eventually, all of his family members had something Dad had made. But one thing no one would find on anything he made was a rough spot. He sanded, then ran his hand across the wood. If he found a coarse area, he sanded again. He repeated the process until the wood was as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

I’m sure Dad had a reason for sanding until the wood’s surface was smooth. Doing so made the varnish easier to apply, and it sure made the furniture easier to dust. I’m sure if the wood could speak, it would have told how much the sanding hurt.

James talks about a type of sanding God does—or, at least, allows. God calls His sanding trials, and they come to everyone. Enduring them produces perseverance, which in turn makes us perfect and complete.

I was born with sharp corners and rough edges. The Bible calls them sin. I arrived in the world with a sinful nature. My environment and circumstances further developed it, but I didn’t appear with a clean slate, making it possible for me not to need God’s help.

God performs His first sanding when I ask Him to forgive these sins and give me a new nature that wants to love and serve Him. But I need more sanding than just that first experience. I need a few trials … a few troubles … along life’s way. Maybe even a number of them.

Through the trials, God sands some more. And, like Dad, He runs His hand over my life to see if any rough spots still exist. Priorities. Unhealthy relationships. Are other things stealing my focus? Am I only squeezing a little time in for Him? Have I missed the boat financially? If so, He’ll sand a little more. And He’ll keep sanding until all the rough spots are smooth—a process that takes a lifetime and one that’s not always enjoyable, but needed.

God sands because He loves us. He wants us to mature into more than we presently are. He desires spiritual growth that will form us more into the likeness of His Son, which is His ultimate purpose and plan for us. Through God’s sanding, we learn to depend on Him, rather than ourselves.

Don’t resist God’s sanding. He has good purposes for it, and it will work for your good.

Prayer: Father, help us to respond appropriately when You sand us.

Tweetable: How do you respond to God's sanding? 

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Meandering Monday - Living on God’s Side - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again. 

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, he stopped. Mark 10:48-49 NLT

We were out for an afternoon of shopping with my in-laws.

Our city is average size but has never housed many homeless individuals. Since Wal-Mart is our busiest retail store, it only makes sense for some of the homeless to stand in its parking lot. And a man and his two daughters were.

When leaving the parking lot, my father-in-law turned in the opposite direction of our home. After questioning him, we discovered he was circling the block so he could help this homeless family. He eased to where they stood, rolled down the window, and handed them a disguised amount of money. My wife and I remarked that we had seen them there before. He simply replied, “When God tells me to do something, I do it.” Good advice.

Living on God’s side requires listening to the prompting of God’s Spirit. Jesus did when he encountered Bartimaeus—a blind man no one else had time for. As a believer, I have the privilege of carrying God with me every day. He works through my conscience and a still small voice, stimulating me to follow his direction. When I slow down long enough to listen—and when I’m spiritually tuned in—I’ll see those endeavors he wants me to pursue.

Sometimes living on God’s side means doing something that seems illogical or even wasteful. This is only because I don’t know the full story. I must trust God enough to listen and obey even when logic says to do the opposite.

When I live on God’s side, my heart will motivate me to show compassion to others as Jesus did—regardless of whether they’re in the tight spot because of their own bad decisions or not. Accomplishing this means prioritizing. Overloading my schedule with selfish endeavors or even good pursuits diminishes my time to listen to God’s Spirit and do what he’s nudging me to do.

What can you change to put yourself on God’s side?

Prayer: Merciful Lord, instill compassion in our hearts so that we might live on Your side.

Tweetable: Are you living on God's side? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Green Bean Bundles

  

 

Ingredients

3 cans French Style Green Beans (drained)

1 pound bacon (cut pieces in half)

1 stick of butter (melted)

1 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

 

Wrap 7 Green Beans with a half piece of bacon and place in

 

a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Repeat until all green beans are wrapped.

Combine butter with brown sugar and pour over the Green

 

Bean Bundles.

Sprinkle garlic salt over bundles.

Cover pan with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Tweetable: There's no better way to enjoy green beans. 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Things Change - Martin Wiles

Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt. Exodus 3:10 NLT

Within ten minutes, our world changed.

My daughter and I had set out for an overnight backpacking trip—something we had not done together in nineteen years. The weather forecast predicted an 80% chance of thunderstorms. Having done a lot of hiking in the mountains before, we figured it would be 100%.

Our destination was Sam’s Knob, a rocky bald that boasted 360-degree views. We hoped to arrive before the storms did. At over 6,000 feet, we felt sure one or more of the thunderstorms would cross the summit, and we didn’t want to be exposed when they did.

Thunder rolled across neighboring peaks as we labored toward the top. We wearily gazed at angry clouds that stalked and passed over the tops of neighboring mountains. But the storms spared us. After a steep and rocky climb to the top, we welcomed our reward: several rocky places where we stood and gazed upon beauty we hadn’t witnessed in quite some time.

We stood and marveled and took pictures. We could see mountains far into the distance beyond the ones that immediately surrounded us. But what we also saw was numerous storm clouds.

Ten minutes after summitting, raindrops began to fall. Wisps of white clouds slithered through the valleys around us like snakes searching for a home. Soon, the clouds gobbled up the neighboring summits and swallowed the valleys. What appeared so clear and beautiful ten minutes earlier now disappeared.

Moses experienced a sudden change also. For forty years, he had lived on the backside of the desert tending sheep. Running from an angry Pharaoh put him there. Moses had killed one of Pharaoh’s citizens. One day, an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses and told him to lead the Israelites out of the slavery they had endured for 400 years.

Change is inevitable. We may not enjoy it, but we cannot live without experiencing it. Expecting it makes it easier to accept when it comes.

But some things never change. Among them, God. God told Malachi, “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed” (3:6). God will always love us and forgive us when we ask. Our confessions repeatedly reach His ears. God never turns away anyone who wants to enter His family, nor does He ever leave us when our circumstances turn ugly. And He is with us during times of change.

Unwelcome change may make us feel as if God has abandoned us, but He hasn’t. He controls the circumstances, and in His timing, He will change them. God knows what He has ahead for us, but sometimes it takes time for Him to prepare us for what’s ahead.

Our job is to be patient, trust God, keep doing the last thing He told us until we get further instruction, and not give up hope. With a sovereign God, things can change in a moment, as our mountain view did.

Don’t give up on God when unwelcome change occurs. He can change things again.

Prayer: Father, when unwelcome change approaches, help us trust You until the welcome change arrives.

Tweetable: How do you react when things change? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

Meandering Monday - Making the Negative Positive - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again. 

Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. Exodus 15:24 NLT

I remember little about math beyond the basics, along with a small amount of algebra.

I was once asked to teach a sixth-grade math class. While I knew the material, I was uncomfortable being the instructor. When we arrived at positives and negatives, the kids became confused. Especially when I taught them that two negatives create a positive. Generating a positive from a negative is possible after all.

Moses had quite a few negatives in the bunch he led out of Egypt. When six million people start complaining, one has a problem. We don’t have any water. We don’t have any meat. We’re tired of this manna. Things were better back in Egypt. Who made you the boss? Just a few of the statements Moses dealt with. Moses wasn’t successful in turning all these negatives into a positive, but he made a valiant attempt with God's assistance.

Positives can be formed from negatives. Murmuring occurs when my perception is flawed. I’m not viewing the situation as God does or wants me to. Because of this, a negative spirit takes over, and I complain about my circumstances or a particular person. The Israelites didn’t see what God was doing.

Understanding people and circumstances can cut down on my negativism. Moses knew the people he led were a stubborn lot. I—like everyone else—am a product of my childhood experiences. If I grew up around murmuring, I’m likely to follow suit.

Being around others who have a complaining spirit is contagious. Multiplying two negatives makes a positive—so does multiplying two positives. When I love and encourage those who are negative, the chances of them altering their attitudes increases. Dealing with negative people requires God’s wisdom. Only he can change their heart, but my positivism will go a long way in influencing them toward the same end.

Are you allowing someone else’s negative spirit to affect your positive outlook on life?

Prayer: Father, make us the bright light of encouragement to those who suffer from a negative attitude.

Tweetable: How can you turn negatives into positives? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.