Shunned - Martin Wiles

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Acts 9:26 NLT

Growing up, I was shunned for all the wrong reasons.

Prior to high school, I did my best to live with integrity. I knew God had a plan for me. One would think a good clean-cut kid would have been readily accepted. It didn’t happen. My physique was nothing to brag about. When teams were picked for dodgeball or basketball, the team captains only picked me because they had run out of choices. Neither did my lazy classmates who didn’t like to do their homework or study for their tests enjoy my refusing to let them copy my work. Sometimes I was bullied. At other times, they just shunned me.

Saul planned to destroy this new movement called the Way. After meeting the risen Christ, however, he wanted to share this change with Jesus’ disciples. His anticipation was met with shunning. They didn’t trust him. What if his attempts were merely a ploy to expose believers so he could kill them? 

It is quite common for unbelievers to shun believers. Though Christ mandates us to love unbelievers and offer them an invitation to trust Christ, they often shun us in return—or at least the message we share. Jesus said many would walk the broad road to destruction. He also said believers would be persecuted just as he was.

Shunning can also come from other believers. Perhaps, like these early Christians were with Paul, they’re familiar with our past. They wonder whether we’ve really changed. Can they trust us to teach a class, work with the youth, or date their daughter? Though forgiven by God, our past can hang over our heads like an angry thundercloud.

The good news is that God never shuns those who come to him for forgiveness. When we fail, he continues to give us second chances. Regardless of how others might treat us, we can know we’re always loved and accepted by God.

When others shun you, remember God never will.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for Your forgiveness and for never turning us away when we come to You. 

Tweetable: Have you been shunned? 

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.

Cheating on God - Martin Wiles

You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. James 4:4 MSG

Adultery. Betrayal. 

By one spouse on the other. Perhaps more than once. Perhaps a habit. Maybe not because of love. More than likely because of lust. A fall into temptation. A slip from which there is a return road, but one not often taken. Then death. Death of a relationship. Death of trust. Death of love. “I’m sorry” sometimes doesn’t work. The confession doesn’t restore trust. Confusion reigns. Decisions present themselves. Life forever changes. What has happened can’t be undone.

According to experts at Divorce Magazine, 45-50 percent of married women and 50-60 percent of married men cheat on their spouses. The American Psychological Association says unfaithfulness in the United States accounts for 20-40 percent of divorces. They also report that forty-two percent of divorced individuals confess to more than one affair.

But infidelity doesn’t have to lead to divorce. Experts at Divorce Magazine report that about 70 percent of couples who have experienced infidelity actually stay married after the affair comes out into the open. Still, adultery is the most cited reason for divorce.

In the Old Testament, God compared His relationship with His people as a marriage—and He often accused them of cheating on Him. Which they did by worshipping other gods and by turning their focus to other things rather than Him. Although He didn’t divorce them for their unfaithfulness, the consequences for their unfaithfulness were often severe.

God wants, and deserves, my worship. And not just on Sundays or whatever day I choose to gather with other believers. Worship is an all-day, everyday experience wherein I live with a God-consciousness and try my best to honor Him through my attitudes, actions, and words. I do good to others with the intention that God receives the glory for my good works and that people are pointed to Him when they observe my deeds.

When other things or people steal this worship—or when we give it to something or someone else voluntarily—we cheat on God. And unfaithfulness doesn’t make Him happy. He is jealous for our attention because He knows the awful things that can happen when we make other things or relationships that squeeze Him out a priority.

Take time each day to refocus your worship on God. He deserves your faithfulness. Then, let everything else you enjoy about life come beneath your marriage to Him.

Prayer: Father, may our attention be turned only toward You.

Tweetable: Are you cheating on God? 

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.

What Sin Will Do - Martin Wiles

Series: Famous Quotes

But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23 NLT

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” – Charles Stanley

She thought she had her bases covered.

This ninth-grade student had been absent the day I gave the history test, so now she came into my room while I taught another class to take her test. Her manner of dress made me suspicious. She wore a large football jersey.

As I taught, I noticed her arm lifting from the desk and then returning to a resting position. And not the arm and the hand she wrote with. I continued teaching until I was certain she was cheating. When I saw the small cheat sheet, I knew.

I stopped, walked over to her, lifted her arm, and took the small piece of paper. On it were written the test answers in letters so small I could barely read them. I said, “In the time it took you to make this cheat sheet, you could have studied for the test.” Then I told her she would receive a zero and sent her on her merry way to ponder her actions. Her sin had found her out.

As Moses and the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, three of the tribes decided they wanted to settle east of the Jordan. Initially, Moses viewed this as another act of rebellion against God—until they explained that they would first help the others conquer the land before they returned to this home. Moses granted their request but warned them that if they failed to keep their word, their sin would find them out.

Sin has a way of finding us out. God designed it that way. We may hide it for years, but eventually it—along with its consequences—comes out. Either we tire of God’s conviction and confess or someone exposes us. I’ve been the confessor, the exposer, and the exposed. None are enjoyable.

God knows we will sin. He merely wants us to confess immediately so our relationship with Him isn’t damaged. But when we don’t, sin will take us into areas we never imagined, keep us chained there longer than we ever anticipated, and cost us more than we ever expected to pay. Because while we are enjoying the sin, we rarely think about the consequences.

Don’t let your sin take you where God never intended for you to go. Confess it, and enjoy God’s forgiveness.

Prayer: Father, remind us what sin will do so we’ll be quick to confess when we fail You. 

Tweetable: Have you discovered what sin can do? 

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.

Choosing Right - Martin Wiles

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. Proverbs 14:12 NLT

She took her pencil, scribbled on her desk, and covered it with books.

The class had a test, and cheating was always a possibility—although I assumed their innocence until they proved me otherwise. This time one of them did.

I wanted to look at what she had written, but couldn’t bring myself to. After the late bell rang, I instructed them to clear their desks and to get out a piece of paper to cover their tests. She made sure she put her paper over what she had written on the desk. I knew I had to confront her.

“Macy, can I see you outside.”

She looked startled, as did the other students. No one said a word. She got up and followed me outside the room.

“I’m going to give you one chance to be honest. Did you write answers for the test on your desk?”

Her head dropped. “I did, but I erased them because I knew it was being dishonest.”

I felt sorry for her. She was a smart girl. I wondered why she felt the need to cheat.

“You know that’s cheating,” I reminded her.

She did, and she apologized. I could have given her a zero, but I chose to be gracious—as God is with me.

“I’ll overlook it this time, but if it happens again, you’ll receive a zero,” I sternly reminded her.

For whatever reason, cheating seemed the right way for her. Death for her could have been a zero had I enforced the rules instead of given grace. Wise King Solomon spoke of such a path too. The path varies for everyone—and the path changes during our lifetime—but any path leading us away from God and from the choices He wants us to make means death of some sort.

Choosing wrong is always easier than choosing right. Our fleshly nature makes it so. Peer pressure from various sources makes choosing right even more difficult. God has promised no temptation would be greater than His ability to help us overcome. Making choices based on His principles and commands is the best path. And if I trust Him, He’ll give me the strength to make wise choices that grow me spiritually and provide a good example for others.

Choose to make godly choices—regardless of the circumstances.

Tweetable: What helps you choose the right thing?

Prayer: Father, give us Your Spirit’s power so we can choose the right paths in life. 

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, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's Word.