Hemmed In - Martin Wiles

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 NIV

The fence was there for a purpose—not just for looks. 

The first house I lived in was situated on two acres of land just outside of town. Gardening and farming had always been in my blood—I suppose because both of my grandfathers had, so I decided to set up a small farm. I bought twenty chickens, two goats, and two hogs. 

But before buying any of my animals, I erected two fences. A six-foot high fence for the chickens, complete with one-by-fours around the bottom. For the hogs, I put up hog wire and fastened it to the ground with stakes. Although I’d had none of these animals before, I knew their tendency. My maternal grandfather raised hogs, and I watched as they continuously tried to root under the fence. Since goats go over, I topped the fence with barbed wire. I’d watched my maternal grandmother raise chickens, so I knew they loved to fly over a fence and roost up high. 

I didn’t hem my animals in because I wanted to make their lives miserable. Just the opposite. I knew if they got out, they might be killed by other animals, get run over on the highway, or be tempted to go into the neighbor’s yard and root up everything. The fence protected them.

The psalmist also knew God hemmed him in for a reason. He was hemmed in by God’s commands and principles, as well as by his daily interactions. He enjoyed being hemmed in. 

As God’s child, God also hems us in. Instead of looking at his commands and principles as cruel and cumbersome—things given to make our lives miserable—we can see them as being for our good. Like my hogs and goats, we tend to root under God’s commands and jump over his principles. Things on the other side look more appealing. 

But God knows what’s best. That’s why he gave guiding ideologies. And that’s why he gently brings us back into the fence with his discipline when we get out. He loves us and wants us to experience the best in life, which we won’t know if we go over or under what he’s put there to hem us. 

Learn to live within the hemming boundaries of what God has erected. He provides the fences for your good, not your detriment. 

Father, thank you for hemming me in so I won’t wander on paths I’d be better off leaving alone. 

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing 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.

God's Fences - Martin Wiles

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 NIV

My maternal grandfather was a farmer whose land was circled by fences. Since my cousin and I had free reign to go and come as we pleased, we often encountered fences of different varieties. Most were hog wire fences. One step up and over, and we cleared the obstacle. Occasionally, the hog wire was topped by barbed wire. This required a little more ingenuity. We carefully pulled down the strand and held it against the top of the hog wire, allowing us to swing our legs over without getting snagged.

Of course, the most dangerous kind of fencing was electric. What hog and barbed wire couldn’t fetter, electric fencing could—primarily hogs. They inched their snouts near it and squealed as they felt the warmth of the pulsating electricity. My cousin and I proceeded with just as much caution as they did. Touching it would deliver a jolt we didn’t care to feel.

According to the psalmist, God does a bit of fencing himself. But it’s not hog wire, barbed wire, or electric wire. God’s means of fettering are different.

God fetters through the presence of his Spirit, who reinforces the knowledge of God's commands. Some perceive God as an unfriendly type who sits up in heaven, waiting to zap people for disobeying his commands—which they perceive as nothing more than a list of things they can’t do. And to be sure, God does have a host of “Thou shall not’s.”

But God’s commands are not given to cause us misery but to fence us in, making it more difficult for us to travel in fields we’d be better off staying out of. His commands are not designed to make life miserable but to guide us in a more pleasant direction. He has our best interests at heart. Obedience to his commands will ensure we experience the best out of life.

I’ll be the first to admit I’ve questioned some of God’s directions. And some of them I tend not to understand. Of course, I didn’t understand many of my parents’ directives either. I discovered later, however, that my parents were wiser than I was. God is, too. We can jump God’s fences or believe he has erected them for a reason.

Make sure you are responding positively to God’s fences.

Father, thank you for providing fences to keep me on a godly path. 

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.

Respecting the Boundaries - Martin Wiles

He makes peace in your borders, And fills you with the finest wheat. Psalm 147:14 NKJV

 

During the day, they roamed freely, but at night . . .

 

As the early morning light graced the farmland surrounding her house, she inched across the backyard, scattering food for her chickens. As they gathered around her feet, vying for the corn and scratch feed she sprinkled on the ground, she snatched one by the neck—a nice plump hen. Before that chicken knew what was happening, she had wrung its neck, plucked its feathers, removed its innards, dissected its body, and placed the various parts into a cast iron frying pan boiling with hog lard.

 

I never actually saw my grandmother do this—but I did in my mind as my mother told the story. My grandmother loved chickens—or at least what they provided. She even knew how to cut and cook the pulley bone—a piece rarely cut now. When the person eating it finished, they often invited someone else to put their hand under the table and help them pull the bones apart. Whoever got the longest bone would have good luck.

 

But at night, my grandmother confined her chickens in a small coop nestled just behind her house and outside her bedroom, where she could hear if something got in the chicken coop. Nocturnal creatures wouldn’t bother the chickens during the day, but at night they slithered around. Coons, opossums, foxes. Her chickens were too valuable to lose. They provided meat for her family and eggs for baking and cooking.

 

Evidently, the chickens didn’t mind the boundaries. When my grandmother called them at dusk, they willingly walked the small plank into the coop.

 

My grandfather followed suit with his hogs and hunting dogs by placing fences around their areas. Years ago, folks allowed hogs to run free in the woods and only penned them before butchering, but not my grandfather. Had he not fenced them in, they would have wandered into the road or strolled miles away for someone else to catch and kill. The same thing would have happened with his hunting dogs. If the road had not killed them, someone else would have gladly taken them.

 

God, too, placed boundaries around His Old Testament people—limits that are still in place for believers. He calls them His commandments. God promised fruitful harvests and peace within their borders if they obeyed. If they disobeyed, the opposite would happen. Some boundaries we might not understand—and some might appear burdensome—but He places them there with purpose.

 

I’ve not always appreciated the boundaries others placed on me: parents, employers, doctors, government officials. But deep inside, I know they benefit me—especially God’s borders. His guiding commands and moral principles protect us from harmful things, nurture us so we can grow spiritually into the person He wants, and demonstrate His matchless love.

 

How can you learn to live willingly within God’s boundaries? Remember, He puts them there out of love.

 

Father, thank You for the boundaries You have placed around me. 

Tweetable: Are you respecting God's boundaries? 

Don't forget to add your comments. 

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.

Loving the Boundaries - Martin Wiles

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Galatians 6:7 NLT

The letters lay in box—the folds showing evidence of students who had never written letters by hand, never inserted them in envelopes, and never used snail mail.

 

The day was a typical one. During my planning period, I walked to the teacher's workroom to check my mailbox, which is normally empty. This time, ruffled-looking sheets of paper lay in my cubby. I noticed some in other teachers’ cubbies also. I pulled them out and saw my name hand-scribbled on them. When I opened the top one, I saw a handwritten note from a student. I quickly fumbled through the remaining ones and saw they too were from students in the various grades of middle school. Not having time to read them, I refolded them and hurried back to my room.

 

Later in the day when I had free time, I reopened the letters. The elective teacher had asked her students to write letters to teachers, telling them something nice. As I read, some students expressed surprise that I had put up with them for three years, but they appreciated it. One student remarked how awestruck she was that I had taught three generations of her siblings. She showed me her appreciation of English by taking a red pen and marking out a noticeable mistake. Another said he looked forward to my class every day. Still another thanked me for being so laid back and for not giving him lunch detention every time he deserved it. A few said I was their favorite teacher. One commented on how much she had learned and grown in my class.

 

What I hated in school and at home—boundaries—these students seemed to appreciate. I’m sure they appreciate the boundaries their parents place on them as well—although they would never tell them. On most days, I think students hate me for being so hard and for pushing them to the limits, but they are intelligent enough to know I do so for their good.

 

Paul talked about the boundary law when he used the example of agriculture. Whatever a farmer sows, he will harvest. A farmer doesn’t plant corn and harvest soybeans. This is the law of the boundaries.

 

I didn’t always appreciate the boundaries my parents placed on me—most of which represented God’s boundaries found in the Bible. But like my students, I knew they were beneficial. Because of my sinful nature, I would have run wild had boundaries been absent. Even with them, I often tested their confinement.

 

Just as I give much grace to my students when they cross the boundaries, so God does with us. He’s not sitting in heaven waiting for us to mess up so He can crush us. He establishes the boundaries to keep us on paths that are for our good. When we cross them, He gently guides us back inside the lines.

 

Boundaries teach us to trust God, to determine right from wrong, to grow as an individual, to establish our identity, to show love, and to prepare us for the future.

 

Learn to love the boundaries God places around you, for we find true freedom within them.

 

Prayer: Father, thank You for the boundaries You place on our lives. 

Tweetable: Are you kicking against the boundaries? 

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.

Hemmed In - Martin Wiles

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 NIV

The fence was there for a purpose—not just for looks.

The first house I lived in was situated on two acres of land just outside of town. Gardening and farming had always been in my blood—I suppose because both of my grandfathers had, so I decided to set up a small farm. I bought 20 chickens, 2 goats, and 2 hogs.

Before buying any of my animals, I erected two fences. A six-foot high fence for the chickens, complete with one by fours around the bottom. For the hogs, I put up hog wire and fastened it to the ground with stakes. Though I’d had none of these animals before, I knew their tendency. My maternal grandfather raised hogs, and I watched as they continuously tried to root under the fence. Since goats go over, I topped the fence with barbed wire. I’d watched my maternal grandmother raise chickens, so I knew they love to fly over a fence and roost up high.

I didn’t hem my animals in because I wanted to make their lives miserable. Just the opposite. I knew if they got out, they might be killed by other animals, run over in the highway, or tempted to go into the neighbor’s yard and root up everything. The fence protected them.

The psalmist also knew God hemmed him in for a reason. He was hemmed in by God’s commands and principles as well as His daily interaction in his life. He enjoyed being hemmed in.

As His child, God hems me in also. Instead of looking at His commands and principles as cruel and cumbersome—things given to make my life miserable, I see them for my good. Like my hogs and goats, I have a tendency to root under God’s commands and jump over His principles. Things on the other side look more appealing.

But God knows what’s best. That’s why He gave guiding ideologies. And that’s why He gently brings me back into the fence with His discipline when I get out. He loves me and wants me to experience the best in life—which I won’t if I go over or under what He’s put there to hem me in.

Learn to live within the hemming boundaries of what God has erected. He provides the fences for your good, not your detriment.

Prayer: Father, thank You for hemming us in so we won’t wander on paths we’d be better off leaving alone. 

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 encouragement through his love lines.

Fenced in by God - Martin Wiles

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 NIV

What fences can’t fetter, God can.

My maternal grandfather was a farmer whose land was circled by fences. Since my cousin and I had free reign to go and come as we pleased, we often encountered fences of different varieties. Most were hog wire fences. One step up and over, and we had cleared the obstacle. 

Occasionally, the hog wire was topped by barbed wire. This required a little more ingenuity. We carefully pulled down the strand and held it against the top of the hog wire, allowing us to swing our legs over without getting snagged. 

Of course, the most dangerous kind of fencing was electric. What hog wire and barbed wire couldn’t fetter, electric fencing could—primarily hogs. They would inch their snouts near it and squeal as they felt the warmth of the pulsating electricity. My cousin and I proceeded with just as much caution as they did. Touching it would deliver a jolt we didn’t care to feel. 

According to the psalmist, God does a bit of fencing Himself. But it’s not hog wire, barbed wire, or electric wire. God’s means of fettering are different. 

God fetters through the presence of His Spirit who works by reinforcing the knowledge of His commands. Some perceive God as an unfriendly type who sits up in heaven, waiting to zap people for disobeying His commands—which they perceive as nothing more than a list of things they can’t do. And to be sure, there is a host of “Thou shall not’s.”

God’s commands are not given to cause me misery but to fence me in, making it more difficult for me to travel in fields I’d be better off staying out of. His commands are not designed to make life miserable but to guide me in a more pleasant direction. He has my best interests at heart. Obedience to His commands will ensure I experience the best out of life. 

I’ll be the first to admit I’ve questioned some of God’s directions. And some of them I tend not to understand. Of course, I didn’t understand many of my parents’ directives either. I discovered later, however, that my parents were wiser than I was. God is too. I can jump God’s fences or believe He has erected them for a reason. 

How are you responding to God’s fences? 

Prayer: Father, thank You for providing fences that are designed to keep us on a godly path. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in Christian books at discount prices? Use coupon MWiles for 20% off. 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 encouragement through his love lines.

Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Zoned Out for God

Comfort zone. A behavioral state that doesn’t fabricate anxiety because I’m using patterns I’ve learned will deliver my expected level of performance without risk. But at present, I wasn’t in mine.

Having recently graduated from Bible college and been summoned to pastor my first church, my excitement level was intense. But one responsibility the committee failed to share was delivering grief…leading the congregational singing. To say I have a Barney Fife voice is putting it mildly. He couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket; I can’t even carry the tune. And to stand before 50 people and attempt it was nerve shattering. After five years my singing was still deplorable, but my nervousness eventually subsided. Read more...

Looking for a wide selection of genres in Christian books at discount prices? Use coupon MWiles for 20% off. 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 encouragement through his love lines.

Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Putting First Things First

Perhaps she wasn’t my first case of puppy love, but she’s the first I remember fawning over and daydreaming about.

Dad was preaching at a small town church in Low Country South Carolina. I was approaching my teen years…not particularly looking for love but not running from it either. As normal, he stayed just long enough for me to make a few friends...Cathy among them. I didn’t pay her much attention while living there, but once we moved…Ouch…the love bug nibbled. Before long, I was writing her endearing letters and driving twenty-five miles to court her. Our romance didn’t last long, but at the time she had my attention and my heart. Read more...

Looking for a wide selection of genres in Christian books at discount prices? Use coupon MWiles for 20% off. 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 encouragement through his love lines.

Jesus to Me - Martin Wiles

Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Luke 7:38 NLT

“Fear God” was a command I often heard in my dad’s sermons. And I did.

Recently, I uncovered the only recorded sermon I have of my dad’s. I had forgotten what a fireball he was when he preached. Most of my memories are of him as a Southern Methodist preacher. He was strict—almost legalistic. Fearing God—literally, was a part of his theology. 

As a child, I took my father’s advice and feared God. Of course, I probably misunderstood the definition of fear at this young age, but I was scared. Scared of committing the wrong sin and having Him annihilate me. Scared I might not make it to heaven after all. Scared I wouldn’t please Him regardless of what I did. A skewed interpretation, but mine nonetheless. And one that didn’t change for a number of years. 

The sinful woman’s view of God must have been quite different than the pugnacious religious leader’s. She pranced into their legalistic religious gathering and marched right up to Jesus. Actually, she fell before Him, anointed His feet with her tears and then oil, and dried them with her hair. How bold. To think, she would march right up to the Son of God and fall before Him. Perhaps she understood more about Him than her snobbish peers. 

Somewhere along the way, my view of God changed as well. No longer was He a far away deity I couldn’t approach. While I still held a healthy fear of Him—after all, He could snuff out my life by issuing a second long command—I came to understand He wasn’t out to get me. Yes, He had standards, and yes, I was obligated to obey them, but He was after a relationship with me. He wanted me to love Him with all my heart and serve Him consistently. 

Fortunately, I avoided the other extreme view of God: that He is like a grandfather and will let me get away with sin. God is a God of discipline, but He is more interested in teaching me than punishing me.

In the person of the Holy Spirit, God is as near as the breath we breathe. He calls us to a holy fear but more so to a loving relationship. 

How is your picture of God affecting your journey with Him?

Prayer: Father, may our fear of You lead us to love You wholeheartedly and serve You diligently.

Looking for a wide selection of genres in Christian books at discount prices? Use coupon MWiles for 20% off. 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 encouragement through his love lines.