A Lifetime God - Martin Wiles

I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. Isaiah 46:4 NLT

For fourteen years, I had driven pre-owned vehicles, but things were finally about to change.

In 2002, I bought a new mini SUV. Shortly after purchasing it, my daughter left for college, and the SUV left with her. Life circumstances changed for me shortly before she left, and I couldn’t afford to purchase another new vehicle. For the next fourteen years, my wife and I drove used vehicles. Fortunately, we had little trouble, but we hungered for a new vehicle that we didn’t have to worry about breaking down.

Then suddenly, God put us in a different situation that would allow us to make a modest purchase. We looked for an economical crossover with a good safety record and a low price tag and found the car my wife had dreamed about. The icing on the cake was the car’s warranty—ten years or 100,000 miles. And several more warranties that covered major parts hidden within that one broad spectrum. It was almost like having a lifetime warranty.

God used Isaiah the prophet to assure the nation of Israel that God would be their God throughout their lifetime, if they so desired. I think they wanted it, although they often didn’t act as if they did.

God has been a lifetime God for me. I attended church before I slurped my first breath of air and have been ever since. Even in my times of sinful rebellion, I still loved and worshiped God. 

As my lifetime-God, he never left me. I walked away from him for several years, but he remained ready to accept me back when I returned. Unconditional love he calls it. 

I discovered there is no force more powerful than God—including Satan. Jesus said no one could snatch us out of the Father's hands. We can choose to walk away, but no force can remove us.

Knowing God wants our company for a lifetime gives a sense of security—one of the basic life needs necessary to live fully and peacefully without emotional upsets. When we have the assurance that God is our lifetime God, we can live with confidence, serve him with confidence, and die with confidence.

With Christ as our Savior, we have a lifetime warranty. He will never abandon us.

Father, thank you for your love that lasts a lifetime and even into eternity.

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God’s Stretch - Martin Wiles

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 NLT

Once upon a time, I ran—but soon realized I must stretch before I did.

Walking has always been my favorite exercise. Not too strenuous, and easy on the knees. This prepared me for hiking in the mountains, which various family members and I did for several years. This was a little more strenuous on the knees. 

Then one day, I got the urge to begin running. Since my daughter was a track and cross-country runner, I knew I needed to stretch before I took off down the road. I watched the stretches she did and followed suit. Running exercises more muscles, so the chances of sustaining an injury are greater with running than with walking. Yet, even with the stretches, I continually battled shin splints. I’d buy medical implements designed to help relieve the pain and walk until they healed, but as soon as I started running again, they reappeared. I finally gave up on running and stuck to walking.

Though it seems inconceivable, God stretched, too. I discovered that a bit of stretching wouldn’t do the trick. The chances of injury increased if I slacked off on my stretching time—something I hated to do. (I preferred just taking off without any preparation.)

According to Paul, God’s stretch was lengthy and had far-reaching consequences. He stretched all the way to earth and us. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, God sacrificed an animal and then used the skin to cover their nakedness. But these sacrifices were only temporary and insufficient.

Thousands of years later, God stretched a little further by sending his Son to die a cruel death on a rugged cross. We had failed to stretch to God, so he stretched to us. This stretch encompassed everyone who had ever lived or would ever live. Sin had injured the entire human race.

My stretching was voluntary, and so was God’s. He was under no obligation to treat our injuries. Love, however, demanded he intervene, but we must respond to God’s stretch. As his hand reaches out to us, we must reach out to him in faith and take hold, but not by good works, popularity, or payment. Our grasp must be by faith--plain and simple.

Respond today to God's stretch of faith.

Father, I thank you for stretching down in love, grace, and mercy to care for my sinful needs. 

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The Mind Reader - Martin Wiles

Then Jesus spoke up and answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” Luke 7:40 NLT

“You’re in a ‘spazzy’ mood today. I’m sure you’ll break something.” The mind reader had struck again.

Let me clarify. I’ve never visited a mind reader, but I live with one. My wife and I have an uncanny ability to read each other’s minds, and she was doing it again. She claims it’s because we’re “soul mates.” Maybe she’s right. I suppose it comes from living together, spending quality time with each other, having similar likes and dislikes, and reaching for the same goals. When significant decisions approach, I know her answer, and she knows mine—even though we discuss the matter to make sure. Sometimes, it’s freaky to think someone else knows what I’m thinking.

I suppose Simon the Pharisee felt the same. He had invited Jesus to his religious party. But Simon didn’t invite the sinful woman who showed up, too. Why he didn’t ask her to leave is a mystery.

As Simon watched the woman cry over Jesus’ feet and anoint them with perfume, he concluded this couldn’t be the long-awaited Messiah. He wouldn’t allow a sinful woman like this to touch Him. Simon didn’t know it, but Jesus read his thoughts—and then answered them with a story of two debtors who had their debts forgiven.

Knowing Jesus can read our thoughts is comforting—yet disturbing. Comforting because sometimes our situations are such that we can’t adequately express what we want to say. The grief slices too deeply. The pain is almost unbearable. We can’t put into words what we want to say. God assures us we don’t have to. Paul wrote, “But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26 NLT).

Disturbing because there are those times when I shudder to realize Jesus knows what I’m thinking. Those times when my mind has wandered into areas it has no business traveling. When I’m not thinking about things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8) Jesus can help reorient the direction of our minds as well—onto healthier turf.

Don’t be afraid to let Jesus read your mind. Only good can come from it.

Father, guide me to think about those things that honor Your name and build me up spiritually. 

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Bottled Up - Martin Wiles

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. Psalm 56:8 NLT

They are bottled up on the cabinet, snuggled on the shelf, and frolicking on the floor, but none are doing what they were initially designed to do.

Old bottles are one of my passions. I don’t go out of my way to find or collect them, but when I come across one at a decent price, I snatch it up. Many in my collection were given to me by people who saw no purpose in having them, and others I’ve bought at discount prices from store owners who didn’t know their true worth. They range from soda bottles to medicine bottles to milk bottles and everything in between, but they all have one thing in common: they’re empty.

None of my bottles are filled with their original contents, nor are they presently being used for their initial purpose. The beauty is now in their historical significance and the unique designs and raised markings they display. I could bottle them up with something—water if nothing more—but they still wouldn’t fulfill their earlier purpose. They serve merely as reminders.

The psalmist was discouraged. Enemy troops tracked him, slanderers stalked him, spies spied on him, and his emotions raged. Appealing to God helped calm his nerves. He reminded himself that God took notice of his situation and could bottle up his fears, disappointments, and sorrows.

Whatever was stored initially in my bottles could be uncorked or uncapped and poured down the recipient’s throat. Pleasure or relief from pain resulted. God can take sorrow, discouragement, and disappointment and bottle them up. But He seals them so tightly no one can release them again.

Life can be overwhelming. Sin taints the world so thoroughly that the results are bound to touch our lives repeatedly until we die. A range of emotions result when they do. Feelings that can lead us in unhealthy directions unless we remember God hasn’t abandoned us.

When I feel overcome with peace-destroying emotions and thoughts, I look at my empty bottles and ask God to do what the psalmist did—bottle them up. Seal them tightly. Cork them completely. And then I ask Him to help me to see clearly what I can glean from the confined contents.

What are some things that are overwhelming you? Ask God to bottle up the things that baffle you.

Father, I thank You that I can come to You with my petitions and pains and count on You to bottle them up so I can live with peace and purpose. 

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God and Strays - Martin Wiles

Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. Luke 15:20 NLT

“If you can’t come up with $600, he’s going to jail.”

My typical day at work melted into something not normal when the phone call came. My teenage son had been arrested for public drunkenness. Fortunately, he hadn’t gotten his driver’s license yet, or he might have been arrested for DUI.

I didn’t have $600 and wouldn’t have paid it anyway. Not that I was being hard-hearted, but my son had strayed for the last several years—into bad relationships, unhealthy habits, and other areas that took him far away from God. Perhaps jail would teach him a lesson, I thought.

His jail stint was short-lived. A friend bailed him out. Jail time didn’t bring the wanderer home.

Years later, he’s still a stray—of sorts. He has married, settled down, works hard, and has given us three grandchildren. My hopes were lifted once when he asked, “Dad, do you think that once a person is saved, they are always saved?” Evidently, his straying had him wondering also.

“Yes, son, if they truly meant it when they accepted Christ,” I responded. But my hopes that he’d wander back to God didn’t materialize.

Jesus’ story of the two sons mirrors numerous families. Whether we call them strays, prodigals, wanderers, or black sheep matters not. Either way, they are gone from the faith. But the story also gives hope of their return and assures us God will accept them when they do.

Many find hope in the verse, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). I’m sure my parents did when I was doing my wandering.

No path we wander on is too far for God to welcome us home if we come to our senses and repent. But we must decide to do so, be sincere, turn around, and head in the right direction. Home doesn’t move; we do.

Like the father, God still waits with open arms to welcome my son and any other strays home. If you’ve wandered away, He’s also still waiting for you.  

What keeps you from turning to God?

Father, I thank You that Your arms are always open to those who decide to come home. 

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I Thought I Knew You - Martin Wiles

He’s just the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us. Mark 6:3 NLT

I’d known him thirteen years before. But then he was a baby; now he was a teenager.

I once took a high school teacher’s position at a local private school. As I called the roll in my ninth-grade class, I immediately recognized the name of one of my students. His parents were members of a small country church my father had once pastored.

Since this young man was a baby when I last saw him, I could only judge his character by his parents. They were hard-working, honest people who had been good friends to my family and me. They were dedicated to the church and faithfully supported it. Surely, this young man would mimic his parents. In this case, he did, but he could have misrepresented his family entirely. I judged him by what I knew about his parents and expected as much from him.

Jesus’ hometown was Nazareth. He had grown up as a carpenter, the son of Mary and Joseph. Years later—when he returned claiming to be God’s Son—the people scoffed. They knew him as the carpenter’s son but nothing more. Their preconceived ideas kept them from believing the truth about him. They missed the Savior. Prejudice blinded them to the truth.

There have been a number of occasions when I’ve been disappointed by those I thought I knew. They’ve let me down, gossiped about me, and betrayed me when I needed them the most. I knew the parents of some and expected better but was disillusioned. Stereotyping has also occasionally kept me from seeing the person behind the facade.

God creates everyone in his image. Prejudice, stereotyping, and erroneous first-time impressions can keep us from seeing others’ inner potential and helping them realize it. There’s nothing we can’t do or be with God’s assistance, and the same is true of all people. Many whom we think we know often surprise us by being more than we ever imagined. We see a cheater; God sees a business owner. We see a troubled teen; God sees a future preacher or missionary.

We are all masterpieces in the making. God wants us to see others as he does.

What blinders do you need to remove so you can know others as God does?

Father, help me see others as You do so I can love them as You do. 

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Searching for the Stray - Martin Wiles

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? Matthew 18:12 NLT

Her name was Mou Mou, and she was a stray.

Where she strayed was the crumbling house, nestled next door to the house my wife and I rented. As we sat on our front porch eating lunch, we heard her meowing. I suppose the aroma of the fried chicken attracted her. My wife, a cat lover, threw her a few pieces of chicken. Although this little stray was skittish, a few pieces of chicken soon warmed her up to us.

Before long, she strayed over to our front porch. Since she meowed continuously, her name was easy to come by. Then one morning as I opened the front door, she didn’t greet me as she always had. There were signs of a scuffle. Perhaps a dog. Our little stray was nowhere to be found. We searched but with no luck.

Like the shepherd who leaves the rest of the flock to search for the one stray, God owns the business of searching. While the shepherd, like us, might not always locate the stray, God always finds the person He’s looking for.

I’ve been a stray on quite a few occasions. I was a stray before my father told me how much God loved me and wanted to have a relationship with me. God found me. I became a stray again during my teenage years when I strayed into territories believers shouldn’t tread.

God searched for me by pricking my conscience. He found me when I decided to listen and let Him take me back to the flock. And there have been times when it wasn’t sin that caused me to turn into a stray. Financial meltdowns, broken relationships, gossip, rebellious children, and death accomplished the same. But God was just as faithful to search for me when such times stole my time and focus.

Regardless of why you stray, God is faithful to search for you and bring you back to the safety of the flock.

What are some things that tempt you to stray?

Prayer: Father, thank You for searching for us and returning us to Your loving care when we stray. 

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Extravagant Love - Karen Huffaker

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 TLB

I do love cheesecake.

My favorite flavor is just plain basic cheesecake (the kind with graham cracker crust), yet it’s extravagant. Oh my. There are no surprises when I bite into it—no overpowering or competing flavors. Instead, I can count on every spoonful to be equally delicious and as rich and creamy as the previous one. Its deliciousness fulfills all my expectations. Simply divine.

As much as I may bask in the delights of cheesecake, I am more overwhelmed with God’s extravagant love. He delights in me and showers me with His blessings, goodness, compassion, and grace. His mercies never cease. I bask in His love. I feel like the cherished daughter I am—a child of the King, the most-high God. He grants favor and honor in unexpected ways, and I count it all joy.

We don’t have to settle for less than the greatest love. God’s love is accepting, forgiving, generous, and fulfilling. We don’t have to seek love and acceptance in the wrong places. We only need to receive God’s kind of love.

God paid the highest price imaginable for us when He sacrificed His one and only Son for our sins. He welcomes us into His family. We need only bow before our heavenly Father, who bestows His extravagant love. He wants to shower His extravagant love on us. All we must do is receive it.

How can you delight in God’s extravagant love for you?

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Karen Huffaker is a freelance Christian writer. She has taught children’s Sunday school and single mom’s Bible studies and written poetry. She is from the Deep South and loves reading Christian books, devotionals, genealogy adventures, fishing, and all things family. She is also passionate about her grandchildren’s sporting events. 

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Reckless Love - Martin Wiles

Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17 NLT

He heard the fright in his voice.

My brother once hunted deer avidly. When his oldest son reached a certain age, my brother wanted to pass his love for hunting along to his son, so he took him deer hunting with him. The first year, he sat next to his son as they waited for the deer. But the second year, he sat him in a spot by himself. My brother walked a little distance away—out of sight but not out of hearing.

My brother typically stayed in his spot until darkness enveloped the land behind his house, but knowing he would have to walk to his son, he left a little earlier. As soon as he stood to leave, two does appeared. Not wanting to spook them, he waited until they grazed a little and then moved on.

By this time, pitch-black darkness covered the land. He heard the screech owls yelling and the coyotes yapping. Both eerie sounds, but ones he was accustomed to. He also heard his son cry out, “Dad!” Disregarding his fear that he might run up on coyotes, my brother hurriedly made his way to his son with reckless abandon. Nothing mattered but getting to his frightened son. 

God did the same with the disobedient prophet, Jonah. He had commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the people that judgment was on the way because of their wickedness. But Jonah didn’t care for the Ninevites and chose to go in the opposite direction. God pursued him with reckless abandon, too, but at the moment, God’s chasing included discipline for disobedience—discipline that came in the form of a large fish.

God loves because His nature demands it. He can do no less. If He didn’t, He would cease to be God. If we choose to run from Him in disobedience or disbelief, He will pursue us with reckless abandon, hoping to turn us from our wayward course. This discipline erupts from His love. If He didn’t love, He wouldn’t care what we did.

God loved Jonah, the Ninevites, and the world. So much so that He sent His Son to pay our sin debt, and so much so that once we belong to Him He continues to pursue us with reckless abandon. He wants us to have the best in life, which comes from obeying His plan. Doing our own thing represents our disdain for Him. Calling out to Him, as my nephew did to my brother, demonstrates our willingness to let Him love us to the fullest extent.

In our heartaches and sorrows, God pursues us. When life throws everything it has against us, God chases us. When we don’t know which way to go or what decision to make, God recklessly—but with purpose—pursues us with His love and direction.

When you find yourself running from God, turn around and accept His reckless love.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your love that won’t let You leave us alone. 

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Shunned - Martin Wiles

As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me—even Phygelus and Hermogenes. 2 Timothy 1:15 NLT

I knew I would be shunned before I ever was.

No one enjoys being shunned. I know. I received my share of it growing up. Though a healthy nine pounds plus when I was born, I soon lost my robust physique and traded it for a skinny frame. So thin, in fact, I was shunned because of it, beginning in elementary age and extending through high school. When teams were picked for neighborhood ball games, I was always the last to be selected. The same held true when choosing sides for dodgeball during physical education class at school. I had no perceived athletic abilities the team captain thought would enhance his team.

Paul knew what it was like to be shunned too. He was hounded by those who couldn’t stand that he preached about Jesus Christ being raised from the dead. And he had a thorn in the flesh that led some to look at him with disdain. Perhaps it was his appearance. Phygelus and Hermogenes were only two who shunned him. John Mark did it earlier, and others would later.

Though shunned by others, Paul was convinced of one thing: nothing could separate him from God’s love. Neither people nor unpleasant events could change the fact that God loved him and had forgiven his sins.

I’ve experienced several shunnings since childhood. Sometimes, I’ve been able to fix the rift; at other times, the rift has been unmendable. 

Regardless of others’ opinions or actions, God’s view of me never changes. He loves me with a steadfast love. I can’t make him love me more than he already does. Nothing I do will cause him to shun me, and nothing can ever separate me from his love. The connection with me, which involved the life of his Son, cost him too much to sever for any reason.

When others shun you because of your appearance, opinions, or faith, remember God loves you unconditionally and forever.

Prayer: Father, thank You for never turning Your back on us despite our faults and failures. 

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