Walk-on Wednesday - Entertaining Angels - 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. 

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:2 NLT

The promise was an old one.

He’d prayed that his wife would be able to conceive and give him a child—hopefully, a male child. In his spirit, he thought he had heard God tell him it would happen in time. Years went by. Nothing. Now he and his wife were long past the age of having and rearing children.

Then one day unexpectedly—as he lounged in his tent under a cool shade tree, three men appeared. He hadn’t had company to entertain in quite some time, so he welcomed them and instructed his servants to prepare some food.

One of the strangers asked where his wife was. She was resting in the tent. Then came the startling announcement: “About this time next year, I will return, and your wife will have a son.” His wife heard the announcement and laughed silently—or so she thought. The stranger heard her and cautioned her not to doubt God. The following year, she and her husband held a son.

Abraham and Sarah weren’t the only ones in history to entertain angels and not know it. Old Testament Gideon and Manoah did as well. Not until the angel left did they understand what had happened. Angels often show up as strangers.

Except for the first three months of my existence, I’ve lived in the South my entire life. One characteristic of the South that so many appreciate is our friendliness. Being spoken to, waved at, or smiled at by strangers is typical. Strangers aren’t afraid to make eye contact with other strangers. In fact, if you walk around without doing those things, you’ll be considered the odd one out.

I admit my hesitancy to help strangers. Our world is dangerous—and many people are untrustworthy, but it doesn’t unwind my responsibility to help those God places in my path. If he puts them there, I must trust him to protect me as I serve them. Are you open to entertaining strangers . . . or angels?

Prayer: Father, open our eyes to helping those You place in our paths. 

Tweetable: Are you entertaining angels and don't know it? 

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Unexpected Presence - Anne Adams

Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree . . . [while] Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6:11–12 NKJV

“Did you beep me?”

I heard the question on the front desk phone at the big church where I once worked. I quickly did a mental inventory of the ministers I knew had beepers. It wasn’t any of them, so I blurted, “Who are you?”

The person answered my blunt question, “Walter.” The senior minister. Oops!

After I dove for the switch to connect him to his secretary, I realized what had happened. Usually, when she beeped him, she’d alert me, but this time she hadn’t. Thus the unexpected presence.

Gideon had a similar experience when a divine visitor appeared as he threshed wheat in a hole. The unexpected divine presence brought instructions for God's new job for Gideon.

I’ve never had a visit like Gideon, but I’ve occasionally felt the same sense of a divine presence. It can take various forms–perhaps a sudden urge to say or do something that encourages someone or maybe a new idea I can implement in my writing ministry. Sometimes, God’s unexpected presence approaches me with a new task, as He did with Gideon.

When God shows up unexpectedly or in an unusual way, remember the Lord behind the visit is prepared to provide what you need to follow His divine orders. 

How do you respond when God shows up with a new task for you? 

Tweetable: How do you respond to God's unexpected presence? 

Anne Adams is a retired church staffer living in Athens, Texas, where she writes a historical column for the local newspaper. Her book Brittany, Child of Joy, tells about her mentally disabled daughter and was published in 1986 by Broadman. She has taught junior college history and has published in Christian and secular publications for forty years. 

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Peach Pie

 

 

Ingredients
6 peaches peeled and chopped

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring

One half stick of butter

Two deep dish frozen pie shells

Corn Starch

 

Directions
In a saucepan, mix peaches, sugar, vanilla flavoring, and one-fourth cup of water.

Add one fourth of the stick of butter.

Bring mixture to boil, reduce to medium heat, and then let cook until peaches are tender.

Thicken with corn starch.

Pour into pie shell.

Place second pie shell on top upside down.

Spread remaining butter over crust.

Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Tweetable: Why not use your fresh peaches in this sumptuous pie? 

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Time for Change - Martin Wiles

Then in the twelfth year he (Josiah) began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images. 2 Chronicles 34:3 NLT

“We need to change the . . .”

I had heard the words before—and would hear them again. At present, I had just been called as pastor of a small church whose previous pastor had been there quite some time. During his stay, not much had changed. After his resignation, the deacons passed out survey forms, asking the church members what changes they would like. Sure enough, the lists were long. Since my wife and I had previously been members of the church, I had my own list. Interestingly, mine matched those of the church members.

One change related to music. For years, choir members had sung the same songs, and the congregation rotated through the same hymns and praise songs. A few weeks after I began my duties, the music minister resigned. I asked a younger lady to lead the music, thinking she’d be able to help the church make a smooth transition to some new songs and styles of songs. Wrong.

In no time at all, complaints arose. And from some of the same people who said they wanted a change. I discovered they only thought they wanted to change. When they saw how it would look, they weren’t ready. Learning new songs took work, practice, and mistakes.

Several years later, just before my resignation, the church decided to return to the old songs. The church needed change—but doing so was too difficult. Staying the same was easier.

Eight-year-old King Josiah faced a nation that needed to change also. God’s people had fallen into worshipping false gods, and their representations were everywhere. God instructed Josiah to tear down the false idols and cleanse the land of idol worship. A great revival took place because he wanted to change—and so did the people.

Changes fill our lives. We can attempt to live change-free, but we’ll never master it. Even if we don’t personally change on purpose, circumstances will force us. Sometimes, spiritual change is even more difficult. God convinced Josiah of the need to change, and He does the same for us—in whatever area the change needs to happen. Maybe with our habits or friends.

God didn’t force Josiah or the people to change, and He won’t force us either, but He has a way of making us uncomfortable if we don’t. Especially if our failure to change keeps us in sinful habits or prevents us from fulfilling His plan. He gives us the freedom to balk and refuse, but He also has the power to discipline and make our lives miserable.

When God prompts us to change, He has a good reason. Viewing change as an exciting new adventure into His best makes those transitions easier.

If God leads you to change, trust Him to guide you through it.

Prayer: Father, give us the courage to step into Your desired changes. 

Tweetable: Is it time for you to do some changing?

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Walk-on Wednesday - Living with a Thankful Spirit - 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. 

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. Hebrews 12:28 NLT

I received his message as I sat down at my computer to write.

The message read simply, “I’ve been enjoying your Love Lines. Can you send me your number?” Ironically, I had just thought about my friend a week ago. Almost eight years had passed since we’d sat down and reminisced. He and I had been work associates right after graduating from high school—over three decades before—but our lives had taken us in different directions. Periodically, we’d spend some time catching up.

Excitedly, I sent him my number. Within five minutes, my phone rang. His voice sounded the same—his spirit just as chipper as I remember it always had been. For the next thirty minutes, we caught up on the last eight years. I was thankful I had a good friend. Although the miles separated us, I knew I could depend on him if I truly needed him.

First-century inhabitants also had reason to be thankful if they listened to and accepted the message of the early apostles. Their contemporaries may have killed Jesus and placed his body in a cold tomb, but God had raised him up and validated salvation for anyone who chose to believe. An eternal kingdom awaited them.

I’m not always as thankful as I should be. Sometimes it takes a call from an old acquaintance to remind me what I’ve had and still have. Among the many things I don’t have on earth that I might enjoy having, the eternal things ahead outweigh them all and should prompt me to give thanks in the present. I have a promise from an eternal God that he knows and will supply my needs and a further promise that he has an eternal home prepared for me to enjoy. By worshipping him in truth and spirit, I show my thankfulness for these two promises and many more he gives.

Are you demonstrating a thankful spirit?

Prayer: Father, we thank You for all that’s good and for Your love for us. 

Tweetable: Are you living with a thankful spirit? 

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Meandering Monday - At the End of the Journey - Martin Wiles

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

No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. Hebrews 12:22 NLT

She lay in a hospital bed in a local nursing home, waiting to end her journey.

What kept her hanging on, I didn’t understand. She had gone there after leaving another nursing home—the one she and my grandfather were in together . . . the one from which he had made his final journey. Now it was her time, but it was as if she didn’t want her journey to end.

My aunt called, “You need to come to see her. She’s waiting to see you before she goes.”

I had just started a new job and was afraid to ask for time off.

“Well, can you just talk to her if I call you?” my aunt asked.

I could, and I did. I told her it was okay to go home. And she did. 

Mount Zion was literal and figurative. Literally, it was the place where Solomon had built the Jerusalem temple. The figurative meaning holds more importance, however. It represents heaven, the end of the journey for all who chose to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

I’ve heard it said, “I have more miles behind me than I do before me.” I always classified the speakers as old. As I calculate their age, however, I realize they were about my age now. Suddenly, I’m the one with more miles behind than in front of me. On some days, knowing that comforts me; on others, it causes a wave of fear to wash over me. Not fear of missing heaven but of journeying where I’ve never been before: death and heaven.

My confidence for the final journey is built on a decision I made when I was nine: the decision to follow Christ. The same decision my grandmother had made. Forgiveness of my sins gives me the fortitude to close my eyes in death and know I’ll immediately open them in heaven.

Is heaven waiting at the end of your journey?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the assurance of an eternal home with You. 

Tweetable: Are you prepared for the end of your journey? 

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.

Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip

 

Ingredients

8 OUNCES OF CREAM CHEESE

½ CUP RANCH SALAD DRESSING

½ CUP RED HOT BUFFALO WING SAUCE

½ CUP SHREDDED MOZZARELLA CHEESE

2 CUPS SHREDDED COOKED CHICKEN

Directions
PLACE CREAM CHEESE IN A SMALL ROUND DISH.

MICROWAVE FOR 1 MINUTE TO SOFTEN.

MIX SALAD DRESSING, WING SAUCE, CREAM CHEESE, AND MOZZARELLA CHEESE UNTIL SMOOTH.

ADD CHICKEN AND MIX WELL.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 20 MINUTES.

Tweetable: Why not heat up your summer with this spicy dip? 

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Love Does Mercy - Martin Wiles

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. Galatians 6:10 NLT

The time for the annual adventure had arrived—and I dreaded it.

In my younger years, Dad’s present of choice for my mom on Christmas and her birthday was a dress. What made him think I’d like to accompany him on these excursions, I’m not quite sure. But when I reached my middle school years, he invited me along—well, not really invited. He told me I was going. I don’t remember whether I fussed or balked, but it would have done no good.

Of all the days for Dad to search for Mom’s dress, he chose Saturday. The only day I had to do nothing—since he preached and going to church filled our Sundays. Dad was also a perfectionist, like Mom. Not any dress would do. It had to be the perfect one—and we never found it at the first store we visited.

I'm not sure whether Dad’s persnicketiness caused him to take half a day to pick out a dress or whether he knew how particular Mom was. All I know is that this middle school boy spent half a day twice each year helping his dad pick out a dress for his mom. A dress she may not have liked—and one she just might have taken back, hurting Dad’s feelings in the process.

But good ole Dad knew on what side his bread was buttered. Mom had spoiled him from the beginning . . . and he loved it and wanted it to continue. So, he shopped, and so did I.

Dad did good all his life for my mom, up until the day he died in an Atlanta, Georgia, hospital. Paul told the early believers to do the same thing. And the command continues to the present.

When we love, we can’t help but do good—to show mercy. Often, those we show mercy to face dire straits. We understand we could be in a similar position. We long to show mercy. Love propels us to act in the best interest of others.

True love monitors its motives. Dad had no ulterior reasons. He loved Mom from the moment he saw her and wanted to spend his life with her. Sure, she pampered him, but that wasn’t why he performed his acts of love. Loving with the wrong motives always leads to disaster.

Love also expects nothing in return. Mom and Dad bought each other special day presents because they loved each other, but neither expected anything in return. God loves us, regardless of how we respond to Him, and He wants us to do the same for others—even our enemies.

Let your love for others lead you to merciful acts.

Prayer: Father, guide us to the acts of love You would have us to do. 

Tweetable: Are you showing mercy? 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Removing the Bitter Roots - 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. 

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you. Hebrews 12:15 NLT

I pegged her as a troublemaker from the moment I met her.

My pastor had identified her as the same long before I came to the church. Every Sunday, she sat on the back pew with folded arms and a sly smirk. No song or message seemed to penetrate her tough façade. She was a long-time member that members had passively permitted to run the church. Previous pastors had allowed it, but her current pastor wasn’t granting her the same privileges. Though the new pastor had stripped her authority, she remained at the church until she died, spreading her root of bitterness to all who interacted with her.

The writer cautioned first-century churches against such roots of bitterness. They might show up in the form of legalists, false teachers, or persecutors. Some were enamored with “do and don’t” lists, while others didn’t believe in Jesus as the sole means of salvation. The church had the responsibility of rooting out these bitter roots.

I’ve been associated with many churches because of my upbringing and profession. I’ve never found a perfect one, nor do I expect to. Every church I’ve belonged to had a group or a person who thought it was their God-given right to run the church. None did with sincerity, and ulterior motives were always present.

While I shouldn’t expect perfect churches and can’t control the actions of others, it’s my responsibility to help lovingly root out anything that causes discord, disunity, and false teachings. How to do it productively and wisely hinges on God’s wisdom which he is anxious to give. Others may misunderstand us when we act, but God wants right and peace to prevail in his churches. As a member, it’s our task to see that they reign.

Are you a peacemaker or a peace taker in your church?

Prayer: Father, prompt us to work for peaceful relationships in our churches. 

Tweetable: Do you have bitter roots that need uprooting?

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All There Monday - Cathy Joy Hill

Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 NLT

Sometimes, we invite folks into our lives and really can’t remember how they got there.

I saw her headed to the bathroom and thought she didn’t look well. By the time she reappeared, everyone who wasn’t going on to Chicago had deplaned.

Inadvertently I had blocked the aisle as I stood and stretched. It had been a long day, and I faced another three hours on the plane.

“Are you waiting for the bathroom?” she spoke-shouted.

“No, just stretching. How are you?”

“Absolutely terrible.”

Because we were close together, I felt I couldn’t let her pass without at least a question, a word, or a hug. Something.

“What can I do for you?” I asked.

She told me she was air sick. I moved to a safer distance. Then she explained she was traveling to a funeral. She didn’t want to be on three flights to get there, but she was doing it for her friend.

This woman whom I had momentarily cast as loud and perhaps nauseous was a brave and compassionate soul. I applauded her.

Jim Elliot said, “Wherever you are, be all there.”

I was not excited about chatting with my elderly friend for the entire plane trip. But missing her story would have been a mistake. She encouraged me in ways she never knew.

I was tired, but my destination was home, family, love, and rest. Her destination was beside a friend and a casket.

Life is a bottle to pour out. We always have the choice to taste sweet in the bitter . . . to find joy amid the pain if we choose to see, hear, and be present.

I told my new friend to be brave. I told her how much I admired her and offered her my peppermint stick to soothe her motion sickness.

All there is the act of being aware of God—being brave in the face of whatever we face. It is knowing the joy, the true heaven-sent joy, of realizing He is there, even if we don’t want to be.

Tweetable: In what ways are you being all there? 

Cathy is a writer, teacher, and entrepreneur. She met her husband Brian while studying in Paris, France. They make their home in Geneva, IL, with their four children and their daughter-in-love. She loves writing about the wonder and whimsy of life and her love for Jesus. Her first book is Destination: Fierce, Moving from Fear to Fierce. Learn more about Cathy at www.cathyjoyhill.com.

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.