Do This in Remembrance - Abigail Skelton

He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 NIV

Growing up, there was an inscription on the communion table at my church: “Do this in remembrance of me.” It felt very solemn, and as a child, I often feared that if I didn't remember Jesus while taking communion, something terrible would happen. Perhaps God would strike me down.

Even though I’m thankful God has yet to strike me down, I do think there is a certain reverence often missing in communion. We get used to going through the motions and forget to remember the life that Jesus lived, to be thankful that he was our sacrifice, to dream of spending eternity with him. We say we want more of Jesus in the songs we sing, but we are often too busy for communing with him throughout the day.

In the Old Testament, sacrifices were extremely messy. The worshiper became vulnerable when bringing their first fruits to the Lord. What if the worshiper couldn’t provide food for their family? And even if they had enough, they probably had some attachment to the animal. To sacrifice the creature that had been living alongside them would hurt.

And yet Jesus turned this painful, messy altar into a table, a place of feasting, where we joyously lay down our sin and cling to the promise of forgiveness. The blood and the body become a symbol not of the horror of the sacrifice but of the hope and redemption that we have in Jesus.

Let’s remember Jesus more in our daily lives, not just during communion. Let’s look forward to when he comes again, waiting with the same fervency as we wait for the weekend, a vacation, or the return of a loved one. 

Jesus is the one who is worthy of all our time and reverence—now and into eternity.

Abigail Skelton is from beautiful Southern Oregon, where she grew up with an avid love for Jesus, chocolate, and writing. She has lived in three countries while involved in missionary work and frequently travels and studies foreign languages. You can connect with Abigail on her website: https://abigailskelton.com.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Finish Well - Martin Wiles

He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. John 13:1 NLT

I knew I was leaving, but I had a job to do. 

Working in a textile mill wasn’t on my list of places to work when I moved to Greenwood, South Carolina. Greenwood was a textile city with mills scattered all over the town and in surrounding towns. But I ended up where I didn’t want to work and, for the next three years, endured the noise and dust of the weave room. 

Then a layoff and call-back placed me in another department. Within a few months, I was promoted to third shift overseer. I was also hearing God’s call into full-time ministry, which meant leaving for college. I was excited about the venture ahead—and about leaving the job I disliked. But my parents had instilled in me a strict work ethic, so I finished well by doing my best until the last minute I was on the clock. 

Jesus did too. The Father gave him a job: coming to a sin-cursed world, demonstrating how God wanted people to live, inviting people to trust him as Savior and receive his forgiveness, and finally dying on a cross for the world’s sins. 

Although he felt fear and anxiety over how his life would end—even asking the Father if they could do it some other way—he finished well by obeying the Father’s plan. As his followers, Jesus also wants us to finish his work well—loving, sharing, and serving others in his name until the end of our lives or until he returns. 

Finishing well involves doing the right thing. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it’s the definition of integrity and manifests itself in a person of character. We can finish our task well when others are looking or if it’s a part of our job description, but integrity means finishing well when no one is looking. Just because it’s the right thing to do. 

Finishing well also entails perseverance. Persevering is sometimes complicated. It takes energy we don’t seem to have, wisdom we don’t appear to possess, courage we can’t seem to muster, and obedience we sometimes don’t want to give. God, however, can provide all of this and more so we can move ahead to the finish line. 

Don’t stop short of doing your best for God. Trust him to help you finish well.

Father, give me the grace, courage, faith, and stamina to finish well for you. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Sausage and Cheese Rolls

Ingredients

1 POUND HOT SAUSAGE

1 LARGE BLOCK VELVETTA CHEESE

2 PACKS OF DINNER ROLLS (YOUR CHOICE)

Directions

COOK AND DRAIN SAUSAGE.

MIX CHEESE UNTIL MELTED.

PLACE IN ROLLS AND SERVE.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Before and After the Vote - Martin Wiles

Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:2 NLT

The 2016 presidential election year in America was hotly contested. Most Americans were not satisfied with the two primary candidates. Some didn’t vote because they didn’t like the proposals of either candidate. Others chose the lesser of what they considered two evils. In the end, the candidate many thought would never win the White House did. 

Voting is a wonderful privilege. Some live in countries where they don’t enjoy the privilege. Even in America, the right to vote for women and other minority groups was hard-won through demonstrations, fights, misunderstandings, anger, and finally laws. 

While there is no Bible verse telling us to get out and vote—Christians in the first century were under Roman rule and weren’t given the opportunity to vote—God does give us principles that govern our relationship with the governing authorities. 

We should vote our conscience—if and only when it has been programmed by the principles of God’s Word. While God’s Word doesn’t tell us to vote or what political party to align with, it does give us God’s moral standards. When possible, we should choose candidates who follow God’s principles. Unless the candidate is a Christian—which is often not the case—no candidate will do this completely to our satisfaction. But we can choose the one who comes the closest. 

We should make an informed vote. Not liking either candidate, not knowing where they stand on the issues, or not having time aren’t valid excuses. We make time for anything that’s important, and voting, when we have the privilege, should be one of them. 

We should also pray before and after the election. When we pray, God will guide us to make the appropriate selection. If our candidate of choice doesn’t win, we’re still responsible for praying for them. Early Christians were given this mandate while having no voice in who ruled over them. Whether we have a choice or not, we’re still accountable for praying for the governing authorities which God has established for a particular time and moment. 

Voting is a privilege. If you have it, don’t shun it. And after you’ve done it, pray for those who are elected. 

Father, I thank you for giving me the privilege of choosing those who will rule over me. But if I can’t decide, guide me to pray for those who are elected. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Lessons from a Waiting Room - Martin Wiles

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalm 27:14 NLT

My wife and I were once frequent flyers at the local emergency room. On one occasion, my wife had unexpected fluid gain and abdominal pain. Her last visit led to a brief stay in the hospital. My visit involved a minor bleeding issue. 

Although we learned some lessons from waiting in the emergency room, both of us agreed we were sick of going there. But I don’t have to visit an emergency room or even a doctor’s office to experience the benefits of waiting. Life is filled with waiting rooms of various sorts. It was when the psalmist wrote the above words. 

In life’s waiting rooms, I’ve learned things don’t often happen as quickly as I wish. This predicament develops what the psalmist calls patience—a worthy virtue but not one that’s always enjoyable to develop. A typical emergency room stay in our small town is four hours. As much as one hour in the waiting room itself and then three more waiting on doctors and nurses to do what they are going to do. 

Waiting rooms have also taught me that life is unfair. When I see people who don’t have and can’t afford insurance. When I see people who’ve been abused by others or who’ve had crimes committed against them. And when I see people addicted to drugs who are making a visit to get a pain fix. Or when I see bodies mangled by wrecks. 

But waiting rooms should develop compassion in me. When I see and hear about the various conditions that bring people in for emergency care, my heart reaches out to them. I wish I could intervene. I thank God for his grace that has kept me from being in a similar situation.

Additionally, in the waiting room, I learned that unfortunate situations often get better. Yes, some die in the emergency room, but many more are assisted in a way that eventually leads to their healing. Trials have an end, and God determines it. 

Finally, waiting rooms remind me I affect only a few of my life events. God, however, controls them all, and I must trust him with the trial, the length of the trial, and the outcome. 

When life puts you in the waiting room, take time to learn important life lessons. 

Father, give me the faith to trust you when you allow me to spend time in the waiting room. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Don’t Know, Don’t Understand - Martin Wiles

I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed. Job 23:9 NLT

Complex sentences. Aptly named because one independent clause and at least one dependent clause compose them. Just as I was dependent on my parents until I reached legal status, a dependent clause is dependent on the independent clause. An independent clause has all the elements that allow it to stand alone: subject, verb, and complete thought. Dependent clauses are missing one or more of the necessary elements. 

“When I was a young child” is an example of a dependent clause. The subject and verb are present, but important information is missing. If someone made that statement to me, I would expect more information. What happened when you were a young child? Since I don’t know what happened, the clause is senseless and fails to communicate.

Job lacked information as well. He had faithfully served God but now experienced the loss of practically everything he had—and with no explanation. God seemed far away. Job’s questions received no answers. God gave him a dependent clause only but had not finished the statement. 

Many things in life don’t make sense. A child killed in an accident because a parent was driving drunk. Natural disasters that steal the lives and property of innocent people. People living homeless because no one will offer them a job. Cancer. Other incurable diseases. Family members not caring for their elderly loved ones. Terrorist activity. A spouse lost to depression or Alzheimer’s. 

Sin is the simple answer, but that doesn’t always provide comfort. Knowing sin is behind the cancer that killed their small child doesn’t take away the grief the parents face. Believing God is love and is sovereign is a better path to follow. 

Many things in life are unexplainable. Some take comfort in thinking God will answer all our questions when we get to heaven—but he may not. Peace and abundant living come from accepting that God is in control and knows what he’s doing, that He acts consistently out of love, and that his plan is always best. 

Don’t let the unexplainable things of life throw you for a loop. God has them under his control. He will give you the strength to endure and overcome, even when you don’t understand. 

Father, when life happens in ways I can’t explain or understand, help me to believe that you are in control and that your plan is best. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Spoon Bread

 

Ingredients

1 ¼ OUNCES ACTIVE DRY YEAST 

2 CUPS WARM WATER

 ONE-FOURTH CUP SUGAR

              

SELF-RISING RISING FLOUR

THREE-FOURTHS CUPS BUTTER (MELTED)

1 EGG (SLIGHTLY BEATEN)

Directions

COMBINE YEAST IN WARM WATER. LET STAND FOR 5 MINUTES.

STIR IN REMAINING INGREDIENTS. MIX WELL.

BAKE IN GREASED MUFFIN PANS AT 400 DEGREES FOR 13 MINUTES.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.