Toys in the Tub - Martin Wiles

Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. 2 Samuel 11:2 NLT

Baths may clean us up, but sometimes toys in the tub get us into trouble.

Resting outside the bathtub in our spare bathroom is a plastic container with numerous bath toys: a rubber duck, a sailing boat, several balls, a bar of Ivory soap, and cars. The normal toys kids play with when they bathe. 

And when they were young, all our grandboys loved to play with them when they bathed. They loved the bubbles MeMe put in the tub. They hid the toys under the bubbles, then held them in the air and watched as the water squirted out, hollering and laughing. Occasionally, they splashed water on the floor, which drew a sharp rebuke from MeMe. 

King David also knew a little about bathing and getting into trouble. He wasn’t the one bathing. Bathsheba was, but he was the one who looked when he shouldn’t have. The play on words is interesting: Bathsheba bathing. Some suggest she bathed here on purpose because she knew the king’s practice of walking on his roof. Whether or not she intentionally provided the temptation, David fell into the traps of lust, adultery, lying, and murder. One year—and several consequences—passed before he finally confessed.

Our world is filled with play toys—not that we bathe with but that we encounter daily. Technological gadgets, possessions of all sorts, hobbies—and the things we need to enjoy them—sporting activities—and the money we can spend watching them—movies, video games. The list of play toys available to those who live in developed countries is endless. 

Some of the play toys are sinful—and others have the potential to be. Bathsheba’s bathing wasn’t a sin, but if she did it hoping the king would do what he did, then it became sinful. David’s accidental glance wasn’t a sin, but when he lusted and acted, it became one. Satan is a master at wrapping innocent things in sinful paper. 

Only God can give us the wisdom to play with the right toys and to keep them in the proper perspective. We can’t trust our own judgment. It’s skewed by our sinful nature and our propensity to gratify our selfish desires. 

God may not ask you to throw your toys away. He may simply want you to see them with different eyes or use them more productively. 

Father, guide me in using my toys so they won’t grab my attention away from you and more important things. 

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.

Tossing Aside the Useless - Anita van der Elst

Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. Mark 10:50 NLT

Knowing how to dress in the area where I live challenges me.

At eight in the morning, clouds dump buckets of water. Noontime finds a blinding sun in a clear blue sky. The evening treats us to a thunder-and-lightning show accompanied by pinging hail. 

Should I layer a raincoat over a sweater or grab my umbrella and hope for the best? If I wear a coat to keep warm, I get overheated when I enter the grocery store, which makes my shopping task unpleasant. I must toss the coat because it’s a useless interference.

And then I sometimes sort through my closet—determining what doesn’t fit anymore, what would have the fashion police up in arms, or what is plain worn out. They’ve become useless to me and take up space for something new.

I wonder if that’s how Bartimaeus felt about his wardrobe. As a beggar, his coat was probably ragged, smelly, and so full of holes that it would have been easy to get tangled up in, especially since he was blind. 

But with the potential to meet Jesus and be healed of blindness, the blind man let go of the covering impeding his movement. It appears, however, that it was more forceful than just dropping it. No. He threw it.

The old habits and activities we wrap ourselves in only entangle us. When Jesus calls us, we must toss aside all that impedes us from following Him. We need the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life that He offers. He will heal our spiritual blindness so we see Him. Then He invites us to express our wants and needs.

Think about what raggedy old habits or thoughts keep you slumped on the side of the road and away from Jesus. Toss them aside and hurry to Him as Bartimaeus did.

Anita van der Elst finds joy in creating with words, believing God gifted her with the desire to do so. Married to her best friend, Edward, since 1976, she is a proud mom of four adult children and Oma to three of the most delightful grandchildren ever. Other joys in her life include bringing beauty to Facebook through photos she takes on her iPhone, exploring the state parks in the PNW, facilitating a small group of women, and participating in a Bible study.

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.

Decisions Decisions - Martin Wiles

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. 

~Philippians 2:13 NLT

My job was taxing but fulfilling. Deciding whether to leave challenged me like an unstudied-for test.

Five years had passed since I’d been employed by a local county. I began as a teller and worked my way up to supervisor. Although some days found me wishing for something different, most of the time I was satisfied.

Then, just as I settled into that routine, my pastor presented an opportunity. Due to difficult circumstances, I had been out of the ministry for a few years. Now he offered me the chance to be his associate and work with the youth and children. I turned down his first request, almost without thinking. Age had crept up on me. I was too old to act like youth ministers are sometimes required to.

A few months later, he approached me again. This time I told him I’d pray about it. Soon thereafter, I accepted the part-time position. My decision was only the beginning of more decisions to come.

Gas prices were rising, and my position at the county required a two-hour drive. As I stopped in at the old country store across the road from my house, one of the new owners approached me about a part-time day manager’s position. I prayed again. Before I knew it, I was putting in my resignation at the county and working two part-time jobs.

According to Paul, God works in us, giving us the desire and power to do what pleases Him. But how?

When we trust Christ as our Savior, he sends his Spirit to indwell us. Listening to him helps us make good decisions. God’s Spirit lives in us and works through us. He is not just a presence or force; He is living and moving. He nudges us in the right direction, but also nudges us when we make wrong decisions.

Knowing God’s Word also helps with decision-making. Here we find God’s principles, wishes, and commands. Having them ingrained in our minds helps us hear God’s Spirit when he reminds us of them.

Further help with decisions comes through prayer. Knowing the Word and having the Spirit make prayer more productive. As we pray, God will speak by his Spirit about things that align with his Word.

Don’t leave your decisions to chance. Listen to God’s Spirit, pray, and consult his Word.

Father, thank you for the resources you give that enable me to make good decisions. 

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.

Lukewarm Faith in a Hot-and-Cold World - Martin Wiles

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

The sign read: House for Rent. Hot and Cold Running Water.

Though laughable now, there was a time when having indoor plumbing was a luxury only the wealthy knew anything about. Water was drawn from a well or creek and carried indoors. Getting hot water meant cutting wood and placing cold water in pots in the fireplace or on a wood-burning stove.

On one mid-August trip through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, my wife and I noticed the leaves on the highest-elevation trees turning. Odd, I thought, this early, but then again, that’s what tree leaves do. As the summer season ended and the daylight hours got shorter, the leaves lost their luminescence and revealed their natural color. The yellows shone through beautifully. 

Christians shouldn’t run hot and cold or change like the leaves on a tree. Nor should we have lukewarm faith in a hot-and-cold world. Paul encouraged the early believers to be steadfast in their love for the Lord and in their work for him. Only by steadfastness would they be able to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth and teach people how to be his disciples.

But we also don’t want to burn out doing God’s work—nor does God expect us to. Unfortunately, I’ve known quite a few believers who did. Burnout can come from trying too hard to alleviate feelings of guilt over past sins, from serving with the wrong motives, or from trying to boost one’s self-esteem.

Another entire set of people tends to drop out rather than burn out. Among 18- to 22-year-olds, around 70% drop out of church after graduating from high school. Reasons they give for doing so include life changes, needing a break, moving away to college, work interference, judgmental or unfriendly pastors or church members, a change in their views, or an acknowledgement that they previously only attended to please someone.

God’s work requires determination. The abundant life Jesus offers requires the same. Otherwise, we’ll change like the leaves or run hot and cold like water. The power to remain steadfast instead of becoming lukewarm doesn’t lie within us, but in the power of God’s Spirit. He provides the want that keeps us keeping on—and for the right reasons.

Don’t let a lukewarm faith cause you to turn like the leaves. Serve God with consistency and diligence.

Father, enable me to check my motives for serving you. Then, give me the staying power to serve you faithfully until the end. 

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.

What's Stealing My Attention - Martin Wiles

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:21 NLT

Getting shoppers sidetracked is a retailer’s dream come true. Who hasn’t had to ask, “What’s stealing my attention?” And not for the better. 

After a long day of sweating in the hot, humid temperatures of a South Carolina August, my wife and I showered and readied ourselves for church. Moving isn’t fun, but we had no choice.

Following church, we stopped by the local Wal-Mart for a few necessities: curtain rods and a gallon of milk. Tired from a day of moving, I said, “Now, we’re just going to get those two things and leave, right?”

“That’s all,” my wife remarked.

As we entered the store, we began walking in the wrong direction: the garden center. “Your mom said they had chair cushions on sale.”

And so our visit went. Although we only came out with four items instead of two, I had to continually keep my wife pointed toward what we came to get. My recliner was calling my name, but the retailer’s reputation for putting things in my wife’s path that attracted her kept sidetracking her.

God did his best to keep the nation of Israel on track. He sent prophets, priests, and judges who kept his ways before them, but they kept getting sidetracked. The pagan nations around them put more attractive things in their path.

I’m not much different than God’s people of old. In fact, I’ve been known to get sidetracked in Wal-Mart myself—just not over the same things my wife does. That’s how the enemy of our souls works. Through experience, he learns what attracts us. He won’t try to sidetrack me with clothes or shoes because he knows they don’t interest me. But he will throw up a few tech gadgets, a new backpack, or a recently released Kindle book.

I had to continue telling my wife not to get sidetracked. “Keep your eyes focused on what we came for,” I reminded her.

I must do the same for myself. If I don’t, Satan will lead me in sinful or unhealthy directions. And like a puppy on a leash, I’ll follow if I’m not clothed in my spiritual armor. By the power of God’s Spirit, we can say no, get what we came to get, and go home.

Don’t get sidetracked by Satan’s attempt to convince you that you need things you don’t.

Father, give me the power to say no to Satan’s attempts to sidetrack me. 

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.

Wrong Place at the Right Time - Martin Wiles

A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. Mark 15:21 NLT

Daily, thousands, perhaps millions, of people are at the wrong place at the wrong time.

As I listen to the latest news headlines while eating breakfast, I hear about many of them. Some are seriously injured while others are killed. A police officer is shot. A motorist is involved in a life-altering accident. Some board a plane only to have it crash or be blown up by terrorists. Others are the victims of robberies or murders.

Apparently, Simon of Cyrene was one of them. Minding his own business, hobbling in from the countryside, he is accosted by Roman soldiers leading Jesus to Calvary to crucify him. By this time, Jesus struggles because of the persecution he has endured. Rather than fooling with his inability to move faster, the soldiers enlist someone to carry the cross for Jesus.

But, then again, perhaps Simon wasn’t at the wrong place at the wrong time. Just maybe, he was at the wrong place at the right time. Cyrene is located in modern-day Libya, so it’s possible Simon was an African man coming to worship during the Passover celebration. Although he worshiped the Jewish God, this experience of carrying Jesus’ cross likely led him to faith in the Messiah. By shouldering the cross, he would have touched the blood of Jesus and probably Jesus himself. Though his experience wasn’t pleasant, Simon was where he needed to be.

God has a habit of placing us in what appear to be the wrong places at the most inconvenient times. Later, we discover these times and places are just where we need to be to learn essential lessons that propel us forward in our spiritual growth. From God’s perspective, there is never a wrong place or a wrong time. He guides our steps and forms our image after his, just as the potter does the clay vessel. As with Simon, if we’re perceptive, he’ll put us exactly where we need to be.

Don’t fear the events of the day. Instead, trust God to put you exactly where he needs you so you can experience all he has in store.

Father, give me faith that you will place me exactly where I need to be. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.

Choice Not Destiny - Martin Wiles

So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 NLT

With a grunt and a heavy sigh, he asked, “Do we have to do this?”

Teaching students who have little interest in learning challenges the most creative and persistent teacher. I know; I teach some five days a week who couldn’t care less about school. One student came in every morning just before the late bell with a look on his face that said, “I just got out of bed, and I really have no desire to be here.” Five hours later, when he arrived in my class, his attitude hadn’t changed much. Now, he was tired of the work he had been doing for the last five hours. When he asked if he had to do a particular assignment, I said, “Yes.” The law dictates that he attend school, and the school dictates the curriculum he must pass to move from one grade to the next.

Sin sometimes feels like a dreaded assignment I must do, but Paul says otherwise. As a believer, I should consider myself dead to sin and alive to Christ.

The questions, “Do I have to complete this assignment?” and “Do I have to sin?” are similar. The answer to the first is “Yes” and “No.” Yes, if the student wants credit, but no if they didn’t.

Whether I have to sin depends on my situation as well. If I’m a believer and have the presence of God’s Spirit empowering me, then no, I don’t have to sin. Sinning is a choice, but it’s not my destiny. If I haven’t trusted Christ as my Savior, then yes, I do have to sin. My nature controls it, and I have no one to help me avoid it.

As believers, we choose to sin. God doesn’t tempt us; Satan does. God will give us the power to say no regardless of what the temptation is. And he will never allow the temptation to be so great that we can say, “I had to sin.”

Our destiny is purity and holiness. While this won’t be entirely achieved until we’re in heaven, we can make great strides toward that state of existence while on earth when we allow God’s Spirit to control our decisions and desires.

Let God give you the power to choose holiness and purity.

Father, help me understand that sinning is a choice and that you can give me the power to say, “No,” to any temptation.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.

How to Decide - Martin Wiles

And you will hear a voice say, “This is the way; turn around and walk here.” Isaiah 30:21 NLT

A multiplicity of choices can complicate our decision-making process.

My wife is the queen of slow when deciding what to wear. Very conscientious of how she looks, she will spend more time in a closet in one morning looking at clothes than I do in an entire week. She carefully takes the pieces of her prospective outfit from the rack and hangs them together to see how they look. This process may continue several times before she decides on an outfit she likes. Occasionally, she will ask, “How do you think this looks together?” My opinion really doesn’t matter, but I suppose it makes her feel better to ask. And, of course, I also appreciate her matching my clothes.

The ancient nation of Israel had a bad habit of listening to the wrong voices when making decisions. This habit cost them numerous defeats at the hands of their enemies and other forms of discipline from God. The prophet Isaiah reminded them that a better way to make decisions existed—one that still works today.

As believers, the first question we should consider when deciding is whether the choice is sinful. We have no acceptable time to decide to do something that will lead us down a sinful path. When those times come, we don’t even have to pray about what God would want us to do. He always wants us to say “No.”

Making decisions based on feelings is also not typically wise. Sinful choices—as well as other choices—can feel right but be very wrong. Sin often feels right. This is how Satan designs it. If it felt wrong, no one would sin—or at least not as often. We must learn to forego our feelings for facts and truth.

I’ve sought others’ opinions when faced with life-changing decisions. This is acceptable as long as we can trust them individually and if they base their views on scriptural truth.

We make our best decisions by faith, basing them on what God’s Word says. The truth of God’s Word trumps our feelings and others' opinions and will never lead us down a sinful course.

Make sure you always make your decisions based on the truth of God’s Word.

Father, thank You for the guiding power of Your Spirit when the time comes for us to make decisions. 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent or just want to hear grandparent stories, 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.

Sin’s Fallout - Martin Wiles

I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. Exodus 34:7 NLT

My wife and I pass a particular church’s parking lot on the way to our church. We were once affiliated with this church and remember when the parking lot and most of the seats inside were full. The music was awesome, and the preaching was vivacious. New members joined regularly, and excitement filled the air.

Then, things changed. Attendance declined to half as much, and an air of despondency filled the sanctuary—not because of anything the current members had done, but because of sin’s fallout effect. A leader—and a few members—chose to delve into sin, and the entire church felt the effect.

I once thought this verse was confusing . . . even unfair. Why should children and their children suffer for something they didn’t do? Then I discovered a better interpretation. God isn’t saying they are responsible for their relatives’ sins but that they will feel the fallout from them.

Though I’m responsible for my personal sins, rarely do they only affect me. Thousands of children suffer physical and emotional ailments because their moms chose to use dangerous substances while they were pregnant or because their parents chose to berate them with emotionally damaging messages. Numerous spouses experience irreparably ruined credit records due to poor decisions by an ex-spouse. And many reputations suffer when the person themselves has no control over a bad situation.

Since we’re involved with others in some fashion, our closest associates will feel the effects of our decisions. Choosing to sin is never just about us. Our sinful choices will take us where we really don’t want to go—even though we think we might. Additionally, we’ll carry others with us who don’t want to go but who are carried along by association. And we’ll then keep them and ourselves longer than we want to stay. Further, the cost can be astronomical. 

While confessing sin is crucial, it rarely removes the consequences of poor decisions. Consequences are God’s reminders. Better yet is making a commitment to live a pure life and walk in the power of the new nature God has given. When we do this, we’ll experience less of sin’s fallout effect—and so will others close to us.

Think of ways to prevent sin’s fallout effect in your life.

Father, remind me that my body is a temple of your Spirit and that I should present it to you as a pure and holy sacrifice. 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent or just want to hear grandparent stories, 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.

To Move or Not to Move - Martin Wiles

Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours? 1 Kings 3:9 NLT

 

“I’m not moving … especially for five more dollars each month.”

 

Moving might not be a big thing for some people, but it was for me. When my wife wanted to move three doors down to another patio townhome just like our present one—and when I found out the rent would be higher—I refused. She didn’t understand, but I had already calculated. Another move would constitute twenty-nine moves in my lifetime.

 

Growing up as a preacher’s kid—and then becoming a preacher myself—meant moving often. When I did the math, I had only averaged staying in one place for just over two years. And in some places, my family had not stayed that long. Dad was a restless kind of fellow, at least until he got older.

 

I had stayed a little longer at the churches I pastored, but I had still passed through quite a few moves, just like dear old Dad. Presently, we were not living in a church-owned home, so moving from one church to another didn’t require changing residences. My wife just wanted to move because our current landlord didn’t do such a good job of keeping up with repairs.

 

Nor did the amount of stuff we owned make me balk at moving. We had downsized tremendously over the years. After all, not much room exists in a two-bedroom patio townhome. This time we wouldn’t even have to pack. We could handtruck our furniture down the back sidewalk and into our new home. And we could load a few totes at a time until we had moved everything. No boxes required.

 

Why my hesitancy then? Bad back, heel aches, arthritis, time, sweat, aggravation, change. All those things slithered into my mind when I thought of moving.

 

“Just listen to what the new landlord has to say,” my wife pleaded.

 

So, I did. And as you might imagine, as I write this, I’m sitting in my recliner in my new home—three doors down. The decision wasn’t easy, but in the end, it appeared the best thing to do. We wouldn’t have to worry about our new landlords selling the townhome from under us. It constituted their retirement income—or so they told us. But all this changed later when home prices skyrocketed, making selling look quite attractive. We’d move again.  

 

King Solomon had many decisions before him. God had appointed him as the new king of Israel after his father, David, retired from the throne. But Solomon recognized he needed wisdom to govern God’s people. When God told him to ask for anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom—probably not an easy decision when he could have asked for many other things that would have brought him temporary pleasure.

 

Decisions are a part of life. Every day. Some we make without much thought at all—perhaps without any. But some are not so easy. Life-changing we might say. Difficult. Thought-provoking.

 

Whether large or small, significant or insignificant, Solomon’s actions provide a good example. He prayed. Always a good place to start. God really does care about the details of our lives and wants to be involved. After all, He knows the plans He has for us—and we often don’t. God is the author of wisdom—the kind we need to get through life without making a bunch of mindless mistakes. And when we ask for wisdom, God promises to grant our request.

 

We can’t undo many of our life’s decisions, so after we make the decision we shouldn’t look back—or live with regret. I’ve been able to undo a few bad decisions in my life … but only a few. Once we’ve decided, we need to move forward—good or bad—and make the best of the new normal we have invited, trusting that God will work all things for our good and His glory. Living with regret over past poor decisions only makes us miserable and keeps us focused on the past rather than on the glorious future God has in store.

 

Trust God to help you make your life decisions. Then, you won’t have to look back with regret.

 

Father, give me wisdom for every decision I must make in life.

Tweetable: How do you make decisions? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent, parent, or someone who wants to learn from grandparents, this is the book 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.