From Sane to Senseless - Martin Wiles

When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. Daniel 4:36 NLT 

I did it . . . went from sane to senseless.

 

As a young boy, I never questioned the rules my parents, grandparents, or other authority figures dished out. If they said, “Don’t lie,” I didn’t lie—and never thought about why I shouldn’t. I figured they knew why I shouldn’t and wouldn’t tell me to do anything that wasn’t right. If they said, “Don’t steal,” I didn’t steal—and for the same reason.

 

But when adolescence hit, things changed. For some reason, I began to question things authority figures said. No longer did I accept the dos and don’ts at face value. Instead, I critically evaluated the rules, wondering whether they were right. Something inside me rose up, making me want to disobey many of the rules I had previously obeyed.

 

For eight years, I decided which rules I would and would not obey. No one was going to tell me which ones to live by. And I lived by few—as did most of my friends. My sanity had turned into insanity.

 

Then something strange happened when I was a young adult. My sanity returned. Suddenly, the rules made sense again, and I wanted to obey them . . . at least most of them. Some of my parents’ rules I discarded. They were legalistic and didn’t align with my interpretation of God’s rules. But most, I kept because they did align. I pulled a “Nebbie.”

 

Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of the great kingdom of Babylon, but pride got the best of him. He went from sane to senseless because he imagined he had built his empire. For a period, God let him live like an animal to show him differently. When Nebbie came to his senses, God restored the kingdom to him.

 

I made some of the same mistakes old Nebbie did. When I chose to rebel and go my own way, I did so because I forgot to whom I was responsible. Nebbie thought he was in charge. God showed him otherwise. Even though Nebbie wasn’t a God worshiper, God still controlled his rule over Babylon. After all, God is omnipotent and sovereign—a big word that means He’s in control.

 

Nebbie also forgot his sole purpose in life was to obey what God had planned, not what he wanted to do. I forgot that for eight years, too. When I remembered life entailed obeying God with my entire being, my sanity returned—like ole Nebbie’s.

 

Leaving God out—or relegating Him to a position other than number one—is insanity. Giving Him first place makes sense.

 

Examine your priorities and see if you have gone from sane to senseless.

 

Father, keep me sane so I can enjoy the life You have created for me. 

Don't forget to comment below. 

Tweetable: Have you gone from sane to senseless? 

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.

The Shadow of Shame - Martin Wiles

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalm 34:5 NLT

The shadow of shame followed him like a dog on a leash reluctant to walk.

Vinny grew up in a home where religious rules were forced down his throat like a nasty medicine. For his first fourteen years, he could do nothing about his situation—other than stew on the inside. At fifteen, a driver’s license and a new car gave him the freedom he wanted. Add a few rowdy friends, and his course of rebellion was set.

Vinny’s road of rebellion began with smoking and drinking. School was merely a place to hang out when he’d missed too many days to stay out again. The habits soon led to acts of vandalism. Acts that could have landed him in jail—or at least caused him to do community service and pay a large fine—had he been caught.

By the time Vinny was sixteen, he had more than a few notches of rebellion in his belt. But he wasn’t really proud of them. His parents and others had taught him better. The day came when he confessed all his mess and turned his life around, but the shadow of shame remained.

Vinny wondered whether God could still use him. No one except his friends knew all he had done. On Sundays, he appeared to be a normal teenager. The perfect preacher’s kid. It wasn’t until some years later that he came to understand the full and complete forgiveness of Christ and moved beyond his past.

I can identify with Vinny. I, too, have things in my past I’m not proud of. At one time, they held me back. I wondered if God could use someone with a sordid past. But like the psalmist, I looked to God, and He removed the shadow of shame.

I remembered the verse that said those in Christ were new creatures whose old things had passed away. And the one that reminded me I was no longer under condemnation. And the one that said confession brings forgiveness and a renewed relationship with Christ. I looked at the many seedy characters in the Bible who God chose to use despite their shameful pasts. I began looking to God and stopped listening to Satan who said the shadow of shame made me useless. Shame became just a shadow with no substance.

Don’t let the shadow of shame keep you from serving Christ in the present.

Tweetable: Are you living in the shadow of shame?

Prayer: Father, we thank You for putting our pasts in the past and for using us in the present. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in inspirational books at discount prices? Click here to see selections.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's Word.

A Parent’s Wish - Martin Wiles

Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. Psalm 34:11 NLT

Most of the time I didn’t listen, but it was my parent’s wish for me too.

While some children are more compliant than others, all test the waters. My testing began at age fourteen. Something welled up inside of me. A desire to do my own thing, regardless of what my parents wanted. From then until I graduated high school, I rebelled. Not continuously, but enough, as my mother says, to give her gray hair. My parents wanted obedience; I wanted to do my own thing.

I wanted the same from my children. I got it with the oldest but fought for it with the youngest. My daughter acted as my parents wanted me to. Rarely did she test the waters. My son tested them often—around the same age I began testing them. Perhaps a little earlier. And he tested them with disobedience for as long as I did, and longer.

Even though I had rebelled, by the time I was a parent, I realized the error of my ways. I didn’t want my children following the same path I had taken. The psalmist wanted the same for his children, but he took it a step farther. He wanted obedience, but he also wanted them to fear God. Not to be afraid of God but to reverence Him.

My parent’s demands reflected God’s commands. Disobeying them meant I was also disobeying God. And God wants what my parents wanted from me and what I wanted from my children: obedience. He knows obedience means life while disobedience means death.

Sometimes I’m as a hard-headed when it comes to obeying God as I was when it came to listening to my parents. I knew they had my best interests at heart, just as God does. Yet that knowledge didn’t change my direction. I rebelled anyway. They continued loving me when I did, and so has God. He’s not a grandfatherly type who’ll let me get away with disobedience, but He will still love me.

Through many painful experiences—some of them brought on by my disobedience—I’ve learned obedience is best. Life is better when I stay on track with God’s principles. He has a plan for me, and life is sweeter when I pursue it.

Don’t disappoint Your heavenly Father. He only wants what’s best for you.

Tweetable: Wish the right things for your children.

Prayer: Father, give us the courage and desire to obey Your wish for our obedience so we can enjoy Your best for us. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in inspirational books at discount prices? Click here to see selections.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's Word.