What’s Good about Good Friday? - Martin Wiles

At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46 NLT

How could something as terrible as a tragic death have any good associated with it?

They were a young couple involved in a rocky marriage. She had a drinking problem. He came from a different atmosphere. Neither, however, allowed God to have much influence in their lives.

One night, the wife drank a little too much and decided to drive home with their small child. On the way, she ran off the road and crashed. She wasn’t seriously injured, but the child was killed. Shock overcame her, and a short jail stint awaited her after the shock. What happened to her, I’m not sure. But I do not know what happened to the father. He recommitted his life to the Lord and became a strong Christian.

Christians also experience something good that results from something tragic when we celebrate the Friday before Easter Sunday and call it Good Friday. The day Jesus was crucified for claiming to be a rival king. Jealousy was the real reason. Religious leaders who refused to believe he was God’s Messiah—and who were upset that many of their followers were following Jesus instead--trumped up charges against him and forced the Roman governor’s hand. With Rome’s permission, nothing stood in their way of having Jesus crucified and out of their hair once and for all.

A dainty picture of Jesus cleanly hanging on the cross hardly mirrors how he actually looked after the beating, mocking, and crown of thorns he received. Add to this the nails through his hands and feet, the shame of hanging almost naked before passerbys, and the pain of trying to breathe while hanging suspended in mid-air, and we can only imagine the pain he endured.

Just before his death, Jesus asked his heavenly Father why he had forsaken him. No answer. But the entire message of the Bible tells us why. Jesus’ pain was more than from the agony of the crucifixion. His actual pain came because he was paying for humanity’s sins.

God is holy, and when Jesus made the sin payment, the Father had to look away. But God’s turning away from sin made it possible for him to turn toward us. Now he could view us through the perfect sacrifice of his Son.

Jesus’ payment on Calvary on Good Friday makes it possible to change life situations. We come into the world as sinners, but through faith in Christ, we can change positions. Saint is the biblical word. Though we’ll never be perfect this side of heaven, we can live with victory over sin and our arch enemy, who seeks nothing more than to kill, steal, and destroy.

Good Friday is good because forgiveness is always good news. Resurrection Sunday is even better. An empty grave testifies that the Father accepted the Son’s sacrifice.

Make sure Good Friday is good for you.

Father, thank you for taking what was extremely ugly and making it beautiful for me. 

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Hiding God’s Word - Martin Wiles

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 NLT

We couldn’t wait to play hide-n-seek with the eggs. Later, the childhood activity reminded me of hiding God's Word. 

What appeared dead on any given day of the week came alive once a year. The small white country church stood on an isolated road. While the pews had bustled with people years ago, only a few still attended. But on one day of the year, the grounds bustled with activity: the day before Easter.

On that Saturday, parents and grandparents came out in force to hide Easter eggs for children. Since the previous winter’s oak leaves still covered the little church’s yard, adults and older teens had no trouble finding hiding spots. Drop an egg, cover it with leaves, and move on to the next spot.

When the designated person yelled, “Okay, find the eggs,” children spilled from the church and tumbled across the yard. Hiding and finding eggs for Easter egg hunts never seems to get old.

I’ve hidden my share of Easter eggs. I’ve also hidden some other things. Money, candy, my favorite snack cakes, weapons. Or my feelings, anger, fear, and embarrassment. But the most beneficial thing I’ve ever hidden was the same thing the psalmist did: God’s Word.

Hiding God’s Word in our hearts takes effort. We can’t learn or hide it by osmosis. We can’t sleep with a Bible under our pillows at night and expect the instructions to seep into our minds.

Hiding takes initiative, such as reading and meditating on God’s Word daily. Finding particular verses that speak to certain areas of personal concern also embeds it in our hearts. When we obey God’s commands and claim his promises, we hide them where they can never be found and removed by someone else.  

To do any of the above requires love for God’s Word. Only as we see its relevance and believe its truth will we attempt to put it where we can never lose it. When we tuck it into our hearts, it will always be there when we need it.

Take some measured steps to hide God’s Word in your heart.

Prayer: Father, may we always see the urgency of hiding Your Word in our hearts. 

Tweetable: Are you hiding God's Word in your heart? 

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Flashback Friday - Did Jesus Really Rise from the Grave? - Martin Wiles

Did Jesus Really Rise from the Grave?

Series: Hey God…I Have a Question

I’ve walked by the caskets of more dead family members than I care to recall. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and a father. As I strolled by each coffer, I longed for their eyes to open and their voices to speak. In some cases, unfinished business lingered. I needed to speak to them. I longed to hear some of the old stories again. And this time I would pen them down somewhere. No matter how sincere my longing, none revived. Read more...

Tweetable: What do you believe about Jesus' resurrection? 

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The Gathering - Martin Wiles

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

The annual gathering happened two days before Thanksgiving.

Each year, the churches in the small town where I pastored gathered for a community Thanksgiving service. Different churches hosted the event, and pastors rotated preaching. A time of fellowship and food followed. But then we went home, often never to see each other again until we had our annual community Easter celebration.

In spite of the brevity of the event—and the fact that we wouldn’t see one another for months—I eagerly awaited this gathering each year. Thanksgiving tops the list of my favorite holidays, and spending a few moments of it with people from different races, nationalities, and social levels makes it more enjoyable.

I don’t know in what season of the year Paul wrote the above command, but he knew nothing about a Thanksgiving holiday. He didn’t need one. He had learned contentment … thankfulness … in all circumstances. And God’s will is for every believer to realize the same.

When I experience these community events at Thanksgiving and Easter, I imagine they mirror heaven. A place where race, nationality, wealth, mistakes, emotional states, and age will no longer separate God’s people. A day when the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., will finally come true: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

But the gathering is about more than the mixture and the breaking down of barriers. The lives of all gathered are peppered by a myriad of conditions. Regardless, we lift our voices to the God who controls our circumstances and to the One whom we believe involves Himself in all of our situations. Our voices blend as we praise Him through song. They sync as we say, “Amen,” to the truths heard from His Word.

The Thanksgiving season gives us the opportunity to remember God’s plan is always best—regardless of the path we must follow to realize it. God doesn’t expect us to be happy about tragedy and heartache, but we can have contentment in trying situations when we remember He’s in control, has our best interests at heart, and controls the intensity and time of our travels.

Celebrate Thanksgiving by gathering with others and thanking God collectively.

Tweetable: How do you express thanks to God?

Prayer: Father, we say, “Thank You,” for Your many blessings over our lives.

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Looking in the Wrong Place

As the early morning light was chasing away the darkness, they arrived at their destination. But they didn’t find what they pursued. They were in the wrong place.

Women were among Jesus’ staunchest supporters. A group of them had watched as Jesus was taken from the cross and carried to a tomb. When the Sabbath ended, they made their early morning trek to the tomb to properly prepare his body. Read more...

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

God Out of the Ordinary

They normally arrive late afternoon or evening, but this one sauntered through at noon.

My brother, two children, and I were on the Appalachian Trail for an overnight hike. We intended to set up camp around noon and then hike further, but an out-of-the-ordinary mid-day thunderstorm interrupted our agenda. After hurriedly setting up camp, we dashed to a nearby shelter to wait out the storm. For three hours, we watched lightning dance across the sky and listened as thunder bounced between the mountains. It was the first time we’d witnessed a noonday thunderstorm. Read more...

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