Christmas Remembrances - Martin Wiles

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

~Isaiah 9:6 NLT

As I age, I yearn for the Christmases of my childhood.

Being the first grandchild in the family for the first four years of my life meant a great deal of spoiling—by parents and grandparents. Although I don’t remember those years, pictures relay the joy and giving that took place. Before my paternal grandmother’s retirement, she bought presents with abandonment and worked to make Christmas a special day for everyone—especially the grandchildren. Waist-high presents lay under and around the tree, waiting for eager little hands to open them.

But Christmases at my maternal grandparents' house was more practical. They were into the fellowship—telling stories, hunting, cooking, and eating—rather than giving presents. One or two gifts were all I could expect.

When my giving grandmother retired and could no longer afford to buy mounds of presents, Mom took over the tradition and continued it until she retired. Now, my wife tries her best to keep the abundant giving alive. But things have changed.

My early Christmases were about togetherness. The togetherness lasted for hours—even days. They weren’t pop-in visits from children and grandchildren. We hung around, talked, laughed, hunted, and watched ball games together. I never heard, “We can be there at ___, but we must leave by _____.”

Amid my childhood Christmases, we always remembered the reason we were celebrating: to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. He overshadowed the presents rather than the other way around.

Parents, grandparents, and children said blessings at my childhood Christmas meals. As at Thanksgiving, we remembered God was responsible for all we had and enjoyed.

My childhood Christmases were also times of joy—and not just over presents. We were glad to see each other, to celebrate Christ’s birth, to eat a meal together, and to open presents. Just to enjoy one another’s company.

Divorces and remarriages have now changed the structure of our immediate and extended family, multiplying in-laws and grandparents and dividing our time into tiny increments that temper the joy of being together. Although some of the things from my early Christmases are missing, I still enjoy the Christmas season.

Don’t let the changing seasons of your life steal the real meaning of Christmas. Remember the birth of the Savior, and celebrate it with family and friends.

Father, I celebrate the birth of your Son—and giving as the real meaning of the Christmas season. 

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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.

Some years after my father’s death, I uncovered the only recorded sermon I have of his. 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, at least as a young preacher.

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 God 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 many 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 up to the Son of God and fall before Him. Perhaps she understood more about Jesus than her snobbish peers.

Somewhere along the way, my view of God changed as well. No longer was He a faraway 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 has 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 the grandfatherly type who will let me get away with sin. God is a God of discipline, but He is more interested in teaching 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 does your picture of God affect your journey with Him?

Father, may my fear of You lead me to love You wholeheartedly and serve You diligently.

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Connected by a String - Martin Wiles

And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. Ephesians 1:13 NLT

No matter where I tossed it, it returned.

In the land before computers, cell phones, and video games—the land I lived in as a child—there were yoyos. I had no income, only the allowance Mom and Dad gave me for doing chores around the house or the money I received from relatives for Christmas or my birthday, but I used what I received to buy yoyos.

Of course, in my mind, no yoyo existed except those imprinted with the name, Duncan. The Imperial and the Butterfly were my favorites. When the string wasn’t twisted, I could toss them down, and they’d return to my hand. Doesn’t seem like much fun now, but it was then.

But a mere toss down and back up didn’t suffice. I needed to know the main tricks, such as “Walking the Dog” and “Around the World.” To walk the dog, the yoyo string had to be completely untwisted. When tossed down, the yoyo would remain in a spinning position until I jerked the string, at which time it would return to my hand. Around the world involved tossing the yoyo around my shoulder as a softball pitcher does when pitching a ball.

The Imperial worked well for these and other tricks, but the Butterfly performed even better. The Butterfly had a wider girth, making it easier to catch when it came back to me. If my slip knot didn’t come undone or the string didn’t break, my yoyos always came back, no matter what trick I performed.

As the string and slipknot connected me to my yoyo, so God’s Spirit connects me to Him. Paul says we’re given—or sealed—with the Spirit the moment we trust Christ as our Savior.

I wasn’t a perfect yoyoer. I often messed up, but if the string held, I could retrieve my wayward yoyo, rewind the string, and toss it again. The same holds true in our walk with God. Sin makes us prone to mess up. Even though God gives us new nature and clothes us in the righteousness of Christ, we still live in an imperfect body and an imperfect world filled with temptations.

The good news is that we can keep going back to God’s hand. The connection will never break, and He will never sever it. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Although we are not puppets on a string—God gives us free will—He is there for us to run back to when we fall into sin or travel down wayward paths.

When you feel completely unwound or twisted, remember God is there to draw You back to Himself.

Prayer: Father, thank You for never leaving us.

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Throwback Tuesday - God Isn’t Mad - Martin Wiles

A list of do’s and don’ts. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Don’t steal. Don’t lust after what others have or people of the opposite sex. Don’t swear. Or drink. Or smoke.

I grew up with the don’ts hung neatly on my bedroom wall. Don’t sass Mom or Dad. Don’t curse. Don’t lie. I can’t remember all the don’ts, but each one had consequences. A spanking or stint in my room. Something given or something taken away but all with the intent I not repeat the don’t.  Read more...

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Deliverance from Puddles - Martin Wiles

He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. Psalm 18:16-17 NKJV

Spring showers caused them to pop up everywhere.

My grandmother called them mud puddles. Living in the flatlands of South Carolina, I was accustomed to seeing them after a spring or summer rain. Water settled in roadside ditches, fields, and in low places in dirt driveways until it had time to soak in the ground. And as the puddles waited to soak in or be drawn into the atmosphere by the sun, my cousin and I were nearby waiting to play in them.

Nothing was finer than removing our shoes and wading in mud puddles or running through them—at which point our entire clothes got wet. Since the summers were hot and humid, the water on our feet and bodies felt exhilarating—until our grandmother delivered us from our game of fun.

Our dalliances in the mud and water meant she’d have to wash clothes—and us. And there was no telling what might be lounging beneath the puddles that lay beside the road. Ringworms or other parasites, jagged glass, and tin cans come to mind. All recipes for a trip to the doctor or emergency room.

As our grandmother drew us from our playing in shallow waters which carried potentially dangerous risks, so the psalmist said God drew him out of many waters that represented the many enemies trying to harm him.

For the believer, opposition is natural. It’s explained by the presence of light and darkness. We walk in the light while those who ignore God choose darkness. According to Jesus, light and darkness don’t mesh. Darkness will always oppose the light because light exposes its dastardly intentions.

Though unfavorable, God is sovereign over any opposition I face. Even if it brings unfathomable consequences or ends in my demise, He is still in control. He is forever greater than any opposition I face.

Opposition also confirms my identity. Jesus said if His enemies persecuted Him they would also torment His followers. Christian history is filled with the truth of His statement. Light hates darkness and reacts against it.

Comforting, however, is the thought that one day all opposition against the truth will be brought under the full authority of Christ’s reign. Believers living in the new heaven and earth won’t experience it because all forces of sin will have been eliminated.

Puddles of opposition may be numerous, but God will deliver you from them all. 

Prayer: Father, thank You for the privilege of suffering for Your name. We take comfort in knowing You will deliver us through or from the puddles of opposition. 

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