Meandering Monday - Peace in Turmoil - Martin Wiles

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

“It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” Judges 6:23 NLT

Elsie and Connie grew up in a home with little peace.

Their father was a stern man who desperately tried to eke out a living on a small farm with less than one hundred acres of open farmland. With only one small tractor, he struggled to tend his crops through their various stages of growth. Finding money to hire workers challenged him even more. If this wasn’t enough, he had to hire wealthier farmers with larger equipment when the time came to harvest his crops.

Unfortunately, his manner of dealing with his lot was unsettling. Through late nights of whiskey drinking, he attempted to forget his difficult situation. With gambling, he hoped to win the money necessary to transform his circumstances.

Elsie, Connie, and their mother would run and hide when they saw his truck pulling into the driveway. They knew he was drunk—and perhaps mad if he had lost at cards—but couldn’t ever determine what his reaction might be when he entered the door. Peace in his presence was rare for the small country family.

Gideon wasn’t feeling much tranquility either. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, telling him God was going to use him to defeat a formidable enemy of his people: the Midianites. After offering a sacrifice and watching the angel evaporate into the flames, Gideon realized he had been in God’s presence. Fear inflamed him, but God assured him he wouldn’t die. He managed to unearth peace in God’s presence.

Finding peace in God’s presence is simple when we understand forgiveness, acknowledge his power, and accept his love. Forgiveness removes the fear of condemnation, giving us freedom to serve him. Our past is immaterial; the future is bright. Realizing we serve in his power removes all fear of failure. We can do all things through the indwelling power of his Spirit. And accepting his love gives peace regardless of life’s situations.

Nothing can ever separate you from the love of Christ. Let God’s presence bring you peace.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the peace we can find in Your presence.

Tweetable: Have you discovered peace in your turmoil? 

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Fighting the Good Fight - Martin Wiles

Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 NLT

Growing up, I avoided them at all costs.

Many of my male friends loved to tussle and fight. Even if they were the best of friends, they might scrap. Not me. Since I was skinny and had no muscular build—and a mild nature—fighting wasn’t on my to-do list. I didn’t care for a bloody nose, busted lip, or missing tooth. Nor did I want a pair of broken glasses. I couldn’t see without them, Mom and Dad had instructed me to care for them, and I didn’t want to walk around half-blind as I had before I got them.

I can only remember two times when I almost got into a fight. One was with my best friend. He pushed. I pushed back. He pushed back harder. I walked away. The other was when a high school peer accused me of doing something to his car I hadn’t done. Luckily, a friend intervened.

Not getting into physical fights took effort. Bullies abounded. Guys who walked around looking for a fight. Boys who if you looked at them wrong wanted to punch you.

Paul talks about another kind of fight, but one that’s just as challenging: the fight of faith.

The reason Paul had to fight the fight of faith was that many folks didn’t buy into what he preached: that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world and that they needed to put their trust in Him. He thought the fight was worth fighting. And he did. Through shipwrecks, snake bites, misunderstandings, persecutions, lashings, and prison stays.

Not all believed in Paul’s day, and their descendants have come down to our time. Some believe. Many still don’t. And some of those who don’t want to fight those of us who do. They attempt to squash our rights to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. They want to take away our freedom of speech (about religion). They want to remove all trimmings of religion from society. They want to jail us . . . to kill us.

Our fight is between good and evil . . . God and Satan. And the struggle takes a lifetime. Good will win out in the end, but the very end. Not necessarily before our life ends.

The good news is that we’re not alone. Others fight with us. More importantly, God fights with us through the power of His Spirit. Some will die in the fight. Some will avoid the fight. Some will walk around injured from the fight. But fight we must. The cause is worth it. People need to know God loves them and wants to forgive their sins so they can live in heaven with Him in the future and enjoy the life He plans for them in the present.

Don’t give up in the fight for the faith.

Prayer: Father, give us the strength to fight the fight of faith.

Tweetable: Are you fighting the good faith? 

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Broccoli and Potato Soup

 

Ingredients

4 RED POTATOES (CUT INTO LONG STRIPS)     

2 CUPS CHOPPED BROCCOLI

1 ONION (DICED)

1 CAN EVAPORATED MILK

½ TEASPOON SALT

¼ TEASPOON PEPPER

½ CUP VELVEETA CHEESE

1 TABLESPOON CORNSTARCH

Directions

COOK POTATOES, BROCCOLI, AND ONION IN A QUART OF WATER UNTIL TENDER.

ADD SALT, PEPPER, MILK, AND CHEESE.

DISSOLVE CORNSTARCH IN COLD WATER TO THICKEN SOUP.

Tweetable: Makes for a warm stomach on a chilly winter night. 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Clean Outside and In - 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. 

The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger. Job 17:9 NLT

As a young boy, I wanted clean hands.

This trait was passed down to at least one of my grandsons. When he first attempted to eat with a fork and spoon, his awkwardness often took over, and he resorted to using his hands to retrieve what he couldn’t stab or scoop. Inevitably, this led to dirty hands. When he noticed the food clinging to his small fingers, a frown crept across his face, followed by an extended hand and a cry for help. Either my wife or I quickly came to the rescue. He wanted clean hands.

Job knew a great deal about clean hands, but his fair-weather friends didn’t. Job was the unfortunate recipient of Satan’s assaults with God’s permission. Instead of consoling him, his friends bombarded him with accusations. Evidently, he had sinned. His wife tired of the entire situation and encouraged him to curse God, die, and get it over with. Job, however, maintained that he had a clean spiritual heart and hands. He was not concealing sin or ignoring God.

Thoughts produce feelings, which in turn carry the power to evoke actions. Allowing God to control our hearts (thoughts and feelings) is the only way to assure our actions reflect association with him. Simply cleaning up the outside won’t change the inside.

Jesus repeatedly warned the religious leaders about only looking good on the outside. A whitewashed tomb still contains deteriorated bones. If we only clean up the outside—turn over a new leaf, without letting God transform our insides—our hands will continue to get dirty again. Much better is letting God renovate the inside first. Then the outside will remain clean because the inside is.

What on your inside needs washing?

Father, help our clean hands reflect our clean hearts.

Tweetable: Are you clean inside and out? 

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Meandering Monday - Eternal Health Care - Martin Wiles

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

This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. Titus 1:2 NLT

We needed it, but couldn’t get it.

My wife and I were among the thousands who had no health insurance. After five years of working at a place that offered it, I had left for a position that didn’t offer it. Due to health concerns, my wife had also resigned her position where she had also had health insurance.

Finding a physician who would see uninsured patients and affording him or her if we could find them—as well as the medicine we needed—challenged us. We postponed needed surgeries and other preventative procedures and welcomed generic medication. After a long four years and new government regulations, we finally received long-term health care at a reasonable cost. Not having to worry about paying full price for surgeries, doctor visits, and medicine refreshed us.

Paul also speaks about a health care plan—one that’s free, doesn’t terminate with a change of jobs, doesn’t have a co-pay, and doesn’t disqualify based on pre-existing conditions. The name of the plan is Eternal Life, and it’s free to all who sign up.

God doesn’t lie about his plan or place disqualifying clauses in small print at the bottom of pages no one reads. He is open and upfront. The cost of the plan has already been paid by God himself. The only requirement is that we sign on through faith, obedience, and a promise to love him with all our hearts, souls, and minds. When we build our lives on faith in Jesus Christ, eternal life is ours for the asking. We can trust the premium’s promise because it’s underwritten by a God who doesn’t lie.

What long-term health care plan have you signed up for?

Prayer: Father, we thank You for the assurance of eternal life with You.

Tweetable: Do you have eternal health care? 

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God of Surprise - Martin Wiles

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. Isaiah 53:5 NLT

The news floored us—but it also pleased us.

My wife loves to “set up” couples—especially when they eventually date and even marry. And she had tried to do this with a young man we have known for several years. Each time, he declined her offer, telling her he wasn’t interested in finding anyone at the moment.

Occasionally, he came over to eat supper with us. He loved my wife’s cooking, even if it was nothing but hot dogs. As we sat to eat, my wife asked the normal question: “So, have you found anyone yet?” We both expected his normal answer: “No, and I’m not looking.”

But we didn’t get the traditional answer. “Well, kinda, sorta.”

My wife’s antennas went up, and the questions began. “Tell us about her. What’s her name?”

“I wish you wouldn’t have started with that question,” he said, and then began his story. His description of her interested us: pretty, churchgoer, smart, good job, single mom.

When he got to the single mom part, my wife and I got a puzzled look on my face. I doubted he could be talking about our daughter since my wife had tried to set them up quite a few times to no avail. My wife had to ask, “You’re not talking about . . .?”

He was. As our young friend burst out with laughter—and our daughter sat at the other end of the table with a sly grin on her face—my wife burst into tears, and I sat in shock. A pleasing shock. But then, our daughter is always full of surprises.

God surprised His first-century people as our daughter and friend shocked us. They looked for a warrior Messiah who would ride in on a white horse and deliver them from their Roman oppressors. They didn’t expect Messiah to ride a donkey and allow Himself to be abused, ridiculed, and crucified.

Then again, God is in the surprise business. Just when we think we have Him figured out, He’ll act in a way we don’t expect. He never acts contrary to His holy nature, but there are many surprising ways He can maneuver within the confines of that nature. We think we have life figured out, and He changes something. We imagine we know His plan, and He changes it.

Being a God of surprises challenges our faith and causes it to grow. His ways are higher than ours, so we’ll never figure Him out completely. But we can enough to know what He wants of us and where He wants to take us. That allows for obedience—among the surprises—and that’s what He desires.

Don’t let God’s surprises cause you to doubt His love for you or His guidance in your life.

Prayer: Father, when You surprise us, give us the courage to keep trusting and moving forward in obedience.

Tweetable: What are some ways God has surprised you? 

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Cheesy Chicken Noodle Soup

 

Ingredients

4 BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST

     

1 CAN CREAM  OF CELERY

1 SMALL BLOCK VELVEETA

  

2 CANS CHICKEN BROTH

1 BAG EGG NOODLES

1 CAN CREAM OF CHICKEN

1 CAN MILK

1 STICK BUTTER

SALT/PEPPER

1 CAN ROTEL

Directions

COOK CHICKEN BREASTS IN BROTH AND BUTTER

SALT AND PEPPER.

ONCE COOKED, REMOVE FROM BROTH.

ADD NOODLES TO BROTH AND LET COOK.

SHRED CHICKEN, THEN ADD BACK TO NOODLES AND BROTH.

ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND LET COOK FOR 30 TO 40 MINUTES ON LOW.

Tweetable: Why not try this warm soup on a frigid weekend? 

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A Sacrifice of Praise - Emily Marszalek

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15 NIV

When I arrive home from work, my dog Charlie always greets me with a full-body wag and a stuffed animal portrayed proudly in her mouth.

Whether her stuffed pig, blue dinosaur, or frayed flamingo, Charlie always presents a gracious offering to me—her way of expressing her love and joy in our reunion. She does it not because she expects to receive something in return, but out of unconditional love for her master.

Witnessing Charlie’s elation in presenting me with a stuffed animal sacrifice, I’ve often reflected on what I offer God each day. Often, my prayer time is spent focused solely on me and my needs and desires. While God invites us to present our needs—and while He delights in providing those needs—we must not forget to offer Him a gracious offering in return.

The writer of Hebrews instructs us to continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God. In Philippians, Paul advises us to not be anxious about anything but to present our requests to God with thanksgiving. In 1 Thessalonians, he tells us to rejoice always.

We can praise God for all He has already provided. We can thank Him for who He is. We can rejoice before Him, knowing that we have the privilege of serving the Almighty Creator of the heavens and the earth.

We serve an amazing God. As we present our requests, anxieties, stresses, needs, and fears to Him, let’s not forget to also offer Him a sacrifice of praise, gratitude, and joy. As we maintain a heart of gratitude toward God and a sacrifice of praise on our lips, we honor our Master.

What are you offering to God today? 

Tweetable: What types of sacrifices are you making for God? 

Emily Marszalek enjoys the simple pleasures in life with her two Goldendoodles—Charlie and Lucy—and her fiancé Nick in the Pacific Northwest. Her writing has appeared in publications including Angels on Earth, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Listen to your Dreams, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Blessings of Christmas, The Lutheran Digest, Refresh Bible Study Magazine, Christian Broadcasting Network, and Daily Inspired Life.

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 - Giving with Joy - Martin Wiles

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

I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. Psalm 116:19 NLT

As the offering plate passed, Nancy tossed in her envelope—but not willingly.

What she had once easily and joyfully given now stung when it left her hand. Life had taken a sour turn and snatched her happiness with it. Two kids and a full-time job consumed her time. The husband who once loved her decided he wanted a younger version and no responsibilities to match. As she placed her money in the plate, all she could think of was how she needed it to clothe and feed her children and put gas in her car. She hated to admit it, but she often thought about grabbing it back—or not even giving it in the first place.

The psalm’s author is anonymous, but if it happened to be David, he was no stranger to sacrifice and heartache. His military faithfulness was rewarded with jealousy from an emotionally disturbed king who hunted him down as he would have a criminal. Incest infected David’s family. He was even betrayed by his own son who ran him out of town and stole his mistresses to boot. In spite of his troubles—some self-inflicted and some not—David was able to offer a joyful sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.

Thanksgiving may be a sacrifice I can offer, but no one ever said sacrificing would be inherently easy or joyful. Only as I understand that God is in control of my life’s situations and is working them for my benefit can I offer him joyful sacrifices. When I question his motives or his power to turn around my circumstances, my sacrifice will be more difficult to make—if I make it at all. Even if I do, my motives will probably be questionable at best.

Giving with joy is easy when we remember God’s unconditional love and that he always has our best interests at heart. Harming us is never on his mind.

Are you giving God your sacrifices with a joyful spirit?

Father, we offer You the sacrifice of praise with a joyful heart.

Tweetable: Are you giving with joy? 

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The Challenges of Aging - Martin Wiles

Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 NLT

“I guess I’m just dying.”

For five years, we had attempted to get a doctor to test Mom for dementia. We saw the signs—not many, but they were coming with more regularity. Since her mom had contracted dementia and then Alzheimer’s, we were concerned. Each doctor swept our concerns under the rug. They asked her a few questions, and then told her she was okay. They only saw the snapshot; we saw the full picture.

Then one day, Mom fell at a local department store and hit the back of her head. We sent her to the emergency room where they did a CT. The scan showed white-matter brain disease, which a number of things can cause. When her family physician reviewed the results, he agreed to refer her to a neurologist.

The neurologist asked Mom several normal questions. She answered them all correctly. No signs of confusion. Then he drew an analog clock face and told her to fill it in and to show the time as 10:30. Confusion reared its ugly head. Mom drew the clock and numbers backward, as well as the time.

Mom’s rendition of the clock led the doctor to put her on medicine. He also scheduled an MRI to look further at her brain.

What we’ll have to undergo with Mom before she dies, we don’t know. One thing we do know: aging brings challenges. My wife and I are already facing them, and we’re not as old as Mom.

Mom’s words when she and my wife left the doctor’s office rang truer than she knew. In fact, we are all dying from the moment we take our first breath. Even though God used Paul to spread the gospel to the Gentile world, Paul knew his body was giving out. Thankfully, his spirit wasn’t.

None of us can stop the aging process. It affects some more than others, but we all face some aspects of living in bodies that break down as they grow older. We can eat right and exercise our bodies and minds, but we’ll still age. The culprit is sin, which made its entrance into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve long years ago.

What we can do is keep going—at least in some way. Physical disabilities confine some, but even under confinement we can pray, send cards, email, make calls, and text. God doesn’t want us to retire from his work.

Preparing for death is important also. Mom has written her obituary and made all the arrangements, but her greatest preparation came when she trusted Christ as her Savior. That’s true for anyone.

Don’t fear the challenges of aging. God’s grace will see you through each one.

Prayer: Father, give us grace and strength to face the aging process with faith in You. 

Tweetable: How are you facing the challenges of aging? 

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Beef and Chicken Stew

 

Ingredients

1 ½ POUNDS BEEF STEW MEAT

3 CHICKEN BREASTS

1 CUP CELERY (CHOPPED)

2 ONIONS (QUARTERED)

2 CUPS CARROTS (CHOPPED)

     

6 POTATOES (QUARTERED)

1 CAN ROTEL

5 GARLIC CLOVES (CRUSHED)

SALT/PEPPER

Directions

COOK MEAT UNTIL TENDER.

ADD VEGETABLES AND COOK UNTIL TENDER.

ADD A CAN OF BEEF BROTH IF NEEDED.

STEW CAN BE THICKENED WITH 1 ½ TABLESPOONS OF CORNSTARCH AND WATER. 

Tweetable: Why not try this comfort soup on a cold winter's night? 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Blessed by Being Blessed Out - 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. 

What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. Luke 6:22 NLT

As the pastor, Jack had no input in the decision other than to give his consent to what the church leaders felt was a good decision.

Don, on the other hand, didn’t see it that way. He had taken a new position in the church, but now he felt his honor was being attacked by the church leaders’ decision. Even though it just made good business sense to do what the leaders initiated, he received it as an affront to his credibility.

Since the leaders who made the decision were longtime friends, the pastor became the object of his anger. Don thought he should have stopped the decision. After all, he was the pastor. But he hadn’t. From that moment on, he lashed out at his leader in public and private. He didn’t hold back in letting him know how he felt about the decision and what he felt about him as a leader.

This verse falls in the middle of others referred to as the Beatitudes—Latin for “blessing.” What Jesus proposes, however, appears illogical. When others hate me, I should be happy? When I’m left out, I should be glad? And when others curse me, I should throw a party? Countercultural actions for sure. Actions that would definitely make others sit up and notice. How in the world could I receive a blessing from being blessed out?

Only with a proper view of circumstances can a blessing out by others give birth to a blessing. The offended church member wasn't really mad at the pastor. His self-image was at stake, so he used what psychologists call displacement—directing anger at a neutral subject or item.

When we identify with Christ, opposition will arise from various and sometimes surprising sources. Joy is possible, however. While there is no merit in suffering for doing something wrong, there is comfort when we suffer for a good cause: the name of Christ.

Learn to count it a joy when others revile you because you stand for Christ.

Prayer: Father, for the joy of suffering for your Kingdom, we thank You.

Tweetable: How do you handle the blessing outs? 

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 - When God Writes - Martin Wiles

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

I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. Hebrews 8:10 NLT

Having something written on paper is one thing; having it written on my heart is quite another.

My father was a writer, but to my knowledge, he never had anything published. He wrote, nonetheless. For almost fifty years, he preached. Three times each week, he delivered sermons to his congregations, and three times every week he took pen and paper and wrote the words he planned to say.

His spiral-bound books of sermons—along with the many loose-leaf ones he composed—are now snuggly tucked away in my possession. As time progresses, the pages will yellow, and the ink will fade. Eventually, the words may become illegible, but his words will remain as long as I do. For most of those fifty years, I listened to his sermons. His words are written in my heart.

God gave his original words to his people on stone tablets. His commands were clearly visible for them to view. Having them written on stone, however, carried no weight in matters of obedience just as my father’s sermons couldn’t force anyone to obey his pleadings. A greater force was needed. Under the New Covenant Jesus established, words are no longer written on paper but on the heart.

God has placed his laws in my mind and written them on my heart. No one has to tell me what they are; my conscience clues me in. Now that I have them on my heart, they aren’t cumbersome to obey. Rather, I willingly and enjoyably obey his demands and plans for my life.

If every Bible and religious book in the world were destroyed, God’s word would remain in the hearts of his people. He has engraved it there. Enemies nor time nor torrential elements can remove it from where it’s embedded. What was once a set of external rules is now internal—a set of commands the Holy Spirit continually reminds us of and encourages us to obey.

How are you reacting to the laws God has written on your heart?

Prayer: Father, we thank You for placing Your word in our hearts where it is always safe and available. 

Twitter: What has God written to you? 

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.