Finish Well - Martin Wiles

He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. John 13:1 NLT

I knew I was leaving, but I had a job to do. 

Working in a textile mill wasn’t on my list of places to work when I moved to Greenwood, South Carolina. Greenwood was a textile city with mills scattered all over the town and in surrounding towns. But I ended up where I didn’t want to work and, for the next three years, endured the noise and dust of the weave room. 

Then a layoff and call-back placed me in another department. Within a few months, I was promoted to third shift overseer. I was also hearing God’s call into full-time ministry, which meant leaving for college. I was excited about the venture ahead—and about leaving the job I disliked. But my parents had instilled in me a strict work ethic, so I finished well by doing my best until the last minute I was on the clock. 

Jesus did too. The Father gave him a job: coming to a sin-cursed world, demonstrating how God wanted people to live, inviting people to trust him as Savior and receive his forgiveness, and finally dying on a cross for the world’s sins. 

Although he felt fear and anxiety over how his life would end—even asking the Father if they could do it some other way—he finished well by obeying the Father’s plan. As his followers, Jesus also wants us to finish his work well—loving, sharing, and serving others in his name until the end of our lives or until he returns. 

Finishing well involves doing the right thing. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it’s the definition of integrity and manifests itself in a person of character. We can finish our task well when others are looking or if it’s a part of our job description, but integrity means finishing well when no one is looking. Just because it’s the right thing to do. 

Finishing well also entails perseverance. Persevering is sometimes complicated. It takes energy we don’t seem to have, wisdom we don’t appear to possess, courage we can’t seem to muster, and obedience we sometimes don’t want to give. God, however, can provide all of this and more so we can move ahead to the finish line. 

Don’t stop short of doing your best for God. Trust him to help you finish well.

Father, give me the grace, courage, faith, and stamina to finish well for you. 

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.

The Heavenly Know-It-All - Martin Wiles

For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. Proverbs 5:21 NLT

Every class I took in college seemed to have a know-it-all.

Know-it-alls are people who think they ... well ... know it all. And during my college tenure, I knew quite a few. They were the ones who quickly raised their hands when the professor asked a question he thought no one should know. With a smirky smile, they bellowed their answers and were proud of them—even when they were wrong. They were the ones who prided themselves on asking difficult questions to the professors, thinking they might stump the one who was supposed to know everything. And they loved to brag … on themselves.

I never enjoyed hanging around with know-it-alls. Their pompous attitudes got in the way of my having any meaningful conversation or relationship with them. A friendly, “How are you?” was the most I could manage. Inside, I felt sorry for them when the professors put them in their place or when I saw others avoiding them because of their attitude. And there were times when I knew more than they did, but I wouldn’t answer because I didn’t want to be perceived as what they were.

But there is one know-it-all I choose to have a relationship with: God. We term his ability to know it all as omniscience. Just as he is all-powerful and can be in all places at the same time, so he also has the capacity to know the past, present, and future—as well as all the possibilities that never materialize.

This trait of God is comforting. When we’re down in the dumps, he knows. When the financial crunch crunches, he knows. When the relationship sours, he knows. When the test grade bombs, he knows. Not only does he know the facts, but he also knows the whys behind the facts. He knows how to get us through the financial messes, soured relationships, difficult assignments, tough work atmospheres, and emotional upsets.

I make a habit of avoiding know-it-alls, but not God. He’s not pompous or self-focused. He wants to help us through life’s tough spots, and will if we ask.

Don’t wait until life goes downhill to consult God. He’s the know-it-all who knows it all and wants to help you every day and with every detail.

Father, as my heavenly Know-It-All, prompt me to come to you with all of life’s episodes—good and bad.  

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 of Second Chances - Abigail Skelton

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20 NRSVUE

When I was in high school, I loved God and wanted everyone to know Him. Yet after a few weeks at a secular university, I became intimidated by the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). I still loved God, but how could I “make disciples of all nations” when I found it hard just to share my faith with my peers? Over the next few years, I prayed for coworkers and attempted to bring some spiritual depth to my conversations—when I felt like it—but ultimately, I graduated feeling like I hadn’t made the most of every opportunity. Fortunately, God is a God of second chances. 

A few years later, I found myself back in the same college town, alongside a group of young adults who visited the campus and held fun events for the students. This group of young adults invited the students to dinners or coffees and listened to the students’ spiritual journeys, which were often nonexistent. Yet, much to my surprise, I learned that most students liked discussing their beliefs. From these chats, over ten chose to turn their lives over to Jesus. I was floored.

In retrospect, I wish I’d put more effort into sharing my faith when I was a student. I could’ve easily asked other students questions about their moral upbringings. And even if I’d been mocked for my beliefs, this life is short-term in the grand scheme of eternity. Being teased by someone is nothing compared to the real persecution that Christians suffer around the world.

Students across the country are surprisingly open-minded, ready to discover themselves and live their own lives. And frankly, a lot of students are severely lonely. Knowing Jesus is the absolute best antidote. 

Perhaps you have any college kids in your life. Or you may live in a university town and are looking for ways to encourage students during this busy back-to-school season. You might be surprised to find that college ministries love older staff on the teams as well. And ultimately, no matter where you go or what you do, God goes before you and is with you always. 

Never forget God is a God of second chances.

Father, thank you for giving me more than second chances. 

Abigail Skelton is from beautiful Southern Oregon, where she grew up with an avid love for Jesus, chocolate, and writing. She has lived in three countries while involved in missionary work and frequently travels and studies foreign languages. You can connect with Abigail on her website: https://abigailskelton.com.

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.

Sweating-Blood Scared - Martin Wiles

He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. Luke 22:44 NLT

He had proudly denied the existence of God and spewed nothing but hate for him. But that was before he lay on his deathbed, sweating-blood scared.

The movie, God’s Not Dead, details the story of a battle between a college freshman and an atheist philosophy professor who challenges the young student to prove God’s existence—a battle the student wins when he asks the professor how he can hate someone who doesn’t exist.

Having a change of mind, the professor hurries to a Newsboys concert, only to be hit by a car while crossing the road. Fortunately, a local pastor is nearby and rushes to his side. Fear washes over the professor’s face as he realizes that perhaps God is alive after all. Willing to take the risk, he professes his belief in Jesus Christ just before he takes his last breath.

Fear also washed over Jesus before his death as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane—so much so that his sweat became like blood (Luke 22:44). Although God in the flesh, he was also very much human. He knew the agony involved in crucifixion, but realized his would be even more painful. He would take the sin of the world upon himself.

God has created within us a fight-or-flight mechanism that serves us well. When we find ourselves unwillingly in danger, God gives us healthy fear, which leads us to run away. This mechanism can also provide adrenaline power that we don’t typically have when we need to fight.

Satan, on the other hand, is the master of burdening us with unhealthy fear. This spirit debilitates and keeps us from fulfilling God’s plan for our lives. We’ll make excuses instead of forging ahead. This fear can also prevent us from forming healthy relationships, causing us to dwell on those that weren’t. With this fear, Satan can steal, kill, and destroy God’s intentions for us.

Overcoming the fear of sweating blood is as simple as acknowledging it, reminding ourselves that it isn’t coming from God, and asking God to replace it with a sound mind that trusts him to lead us into his bright future.

Give your fears to God, and let him replace them with a sound mind. Don't be sweating-blood scared. 

Father, I place my fears in your hands and ask for peace of mind, soul, and spirit. 

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.

Age Doesn’t Matter - Martin Wiles

Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Psalm 92:14 NLT

I couldn’t imagine what a sixty-year-old person was doing in my college classroom. I soon found that age doesn’t matter. 

 

Eight years after graduating high school—and finally succumbing to God’s call to enter full-time ministry—I enrolled in college. I wasn’t excited about attending a traditional college where most of my classmates would be newly graduated high school students. Fortunately, I found a college that accommodated people in my age category who were also entering ministry. 

But when a retirement-age student walked into the classroom, I couldn’t help but wonder why God would call someone that late in life. For a person in their late 20s—as I was—a person in their late 60s was near dead. Now, that I am near that age, however, I no longer hold the same opinion. 

Age Is Relative 

 

Attending college with some older students taught me the truth of what the psalmist wrote. Age is relative and doesn’t keep anyone out of God’s service. Even now, I have a Canadian friend who is in her 80s and in a nursing home, but still writing for God.

God Has No Requirement Age

 

In God’s work, there is no retirement age. Some places of employment might require us to retire at a certain age or after we’ve worked a certain number of years with their company, but God never will. He offers the best retirement plan, but he’ll never ask us to retire early, or at all.

 

Age brings certain limitations, but it never takes away all possibility of serving God. He always has something we can do that will trump any physical limitations age may place on us. If nothing else, we can pray or send a card of encouragement to someone. We could even find someone to mentor in the faith.

 

I plan to eat right (well, most of the time) and stay in good shape so I can serve God with vigor for as long as possible. Then when it comes time to enjoy his retirement plan, I can die satisfied—knowing I did all I could for as long as I could.

 

Don’t let age—along with its limitations and ailments—keep you from serving God.

Father, thank you for the years you give me to serve you. Encourage me to give you my all until I take my final breath.

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.

Swim Don’t WADE - Martin Wiles

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. Matthew 14:29-30 NLT

My plans were in place, but circumstances beyond my control changed them.

I was in college, finally preparing for what God had called me to do: preach. However, I had always felt a part of that call was also to teach.

Twenty miles away was a university that worked with my college. If a graduate entered their master’s program, all their earned credits would transfer. Within one year, I could complete my graduate degree and be certified in elementary education. 

But a few months before graduation, my plans melted. I had recently quit my part-time job, and now my wife’s employer told her she was closing the business. By graduation night, we were both unemployed.

I was devastated. I could preach, but my chance of teaching—at least in the public sector--had vanished like a bad dream. Peter may have felt the same when he tried to walk on water. Wasn’t he one of the disciples who had left his business immediately when Jesus called him to follow? Hadn’t he palled around with Him and listened intently to His teachings? Wasn’t he the one who understood Jesus was the Messiah? Now, he wanted to test his faith. But he was disappointed. When Peter saw the waves’ angry arms grasping at his ankles, he sank like a stone.

Since I can’t swim, I will only wade. But some wading I don’t care for, and this tends to happen when disappointments wash over me. I Worry, even though God says worry is unnecessary because He’ll care for His children’s needs.

I’m also prone to drift toward Anxiety. God’s Word also reminds me I don’t have to be anxious. Instead, I can submit my prayers and concerns to God, and He’ll calm the waves.

When I wade, I can drift toward Depression. After all, depression is just around the corner when worry and anxiety are present.

But the worst-case scenario when I wade is that I’ll experience Emotional burnout. Rather than controlling my emotions, my emotions will control me. When moods fluctuate, trust in and service to God also do.

Don’t WADE. Trust God regardless of your circumstances.

Father, thank You that no waves are too high that Your love and sustaining power can’t help me overcome. 

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Dieting for God - Martin Wiles

And when you fast, don’t make it obvious as the hypocrites do. Matthew 6:16 NLT

I once fasted, but not from food.

I suddenly found myself saddled with two car payments. Knowing I couldn’t afford both, I had a decision to make. One of the vehicles would have to go. One was a new Chevrolet Tracker I had just purchased. The other was a used Chevrolet S-10 pickup. The solution came not in selling one but in drawing out my retirement so I could pay one of them off. I chose the Tracker and then gave it to my daughter, who was about to leave for college.

The decision to give up the Tracker was difficult. I planned to use it on my monthly hiking escapades in the mountains. Love, however, led me to give it up for a higher purpose.

Fasting requires letting go. Often, food is in question. It was when Jesus addressed the religious hypocrites who thought they did such an excellent job at it. Like most of what they did, they did this with ulterior motives. They wanted others to notice them.

Dieting from food for a time or certain foods has never been my forte, but God has shown me a few other things I need to take a break from. Sin is one. Instead of seeing how close I can come to sin without sinning, I need to stay as far away from it as possible. God has given us a new nature, and we must avoid the “old person” with a passion. Christian baptism symbolizes our intention to die to the old way of living, walking instead in obedience to Christ’s commands.

When I choose to go on a diet for God, it should also be because I want to draw closer to Him. Good and not-so-good attractions that attempt to distract us from God fill this world. Giving up whatever prevents us from clinging close to His side is always a good diet.

Dieting for God is an individual choice. God won’t force us to diet for Him. We must voluntarily let go of those things that keep us from a closer walk with him. What can you let go of that will move you closer to God?

Father, take away those things that prevent me from being all You want me to be. 

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Infinitely More - Martin Wiles

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 NLT

Dropout wasn’t a word with enough negative connotations to keep me from becoming one.

By the midpoint of my senior year of high school, I’d had enough. Education had disgusted me for quite some time. I could now legally decide whether I wanted to continue. I chose not to. But after several months in the work world, I saw how important a high school diploma was.

Reluctantly, I returned and graduated. A few years later, God confronted my “I hate education” attitude by calling me into the ministry, which required I attend four years of college. Several years later, he allowed me to earn my master’s degree. One year later, he put me in touch with a gentleman who offered to pay the tuition and book fees for me to earn my Doctor of Christian Ministry degree. By God’s strength, I was able to accomplish infinitely more than I ever could have by myself.

Sometimes I forget about the mighty God I serve and about the presence of His Spirit within me. Occasionally, I launch out into tasks with the plan mapped out, thinking I have all the answers. Periods of failure remind me I control nothing but myself and that even the best laid-out plans can go awry. God also has a habit of reminding me I can only do all things through Him and His power—not my own.

Underestimating God’s power and being satisfied with less than He wants to give or accomplish is tempting. This verse reminds me He can do infinitely more through me than I could ever imagine. God’s power over the world is limitless, and it is unlimited in believers as well. When our focus is where it should be, and when our faith is great and pure, God will take us to new heights and greater accomplishments for His Kingdom.

Don’t sell God short. Let Him achieve more through you than you could ever dream of.

Prayer: Father, prepare our hearts so that You might accomplish more through us than we could ever imagine. 

Tweetable: Are you experiencing God's infinitely more? 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Don’t Forget God - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands. Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT 

Forgetting can be embarrassing and aggravating.

I once could memorize things, names, and events easily. Having a college professor who required memorizing long lists of answers to numerous questions wasn’t a problem. Despite having a good memory, I’ve always carried several calendars. Then I turned forty, and life changed. Names were the first thing to go. I could look at people I’d known for years and forget their last names—and sometimes their first. I still record scheduled events, birthdays, anniversaries, and a “to do” list on several calendars, but now I need to. These memory lapses disturb me, but I’ve accepted them as a part of the aging process.

God’s Old Testament followers tended to forget as well, but it wasn’t due to age. Instead, they usually forgot because they turned their attention to something else—often idol worship. Or because things were going so well they didn’t see the need for God anymore. God cautioned them to be careful.

Forgetting God is never something I intend to do, but it happens just the same. If things go too well in my life, I begin thinking I have life under control and can handle anything that comes my way. So, God sends or allows a little adversity to remind me I can’t handle life without him—at least not without messing it up.

Things can easily distract us: relationships, material things, hobbies, sports, substances, etc. 

When distracted, we’re more apt to focus on the distraction than on the God who wants our undivided attention. 

Taking precautions is necessary if we’re to focus on God and obey his commands continuously. God is behind every success we enjoy, and he will see us through every adversity we encounter.

Don’t forget God along life’s journey.

Prayer: Father, may we never forget loving and serving You are the most essential things in our lives.

Tweetable: Have you forgotten God? 

 

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