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.

Dealing with a Difficult Audience - Martin Wiles

They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says!” Ezekiel 2:4 NLT

God never promises that what He asks us to do will be easy, and it wasn’t for Dad.

Other than when I was a small child, I only knew Dad as a preacher. Living in a preacher’s home makes one privy to information that the typical church member might not know. One thing entailed getting the inside scoop on how difficult some people can be.

I recall one church my father pastored. Mom, my two brothers, and Dad loved the area and the people. It was country living at its finest. I loved it too and soon decided to move to the area. No sooner had I settled in than Dad decided to move.

Dad and the members got along well, but one thing bothered him. On the Sunday of his resignation, he said, “I’ve been here two years, and no one has ever come forward during an altar call.” In Dad’s mind, this made them a difficult audience to preach to. Perhaps the needed decisions were all made in the pew, but Dad wanted to see action.

I’ve felt Dad’s concern. Having pastored several smaller membership churches, I, too, have preached hundreds of sermons and witnessed little, if any, movement to the altar. Maybe they, too, made their decisions in the pew.

Ezekiel, however, didn’t have to label his audience as difficult to preach to. God made the judgment for him. Stubborn. Hard-hearted. But God sent him anyway.

Whatever the audience God sends us to, our responsibility is to be faithful to His call. God doesn’t hold us responsible for their decisions—whether many, few, or none at all. Or whether the decisions have been made publicly or privately. Our job is to deliver the message God gives.

Sometimes, God has to remind us that even though we don’t see the fruit, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been produced. Seeing matters of the heart is difficult. Our job is to trust God to give us the strength to do whatever task he assigns. And he will. As he does, he’ll walk by our sides, giving guidance the entire way.

When God calls you to deliver a message to a difficult audience, remember he’ll be faithful to you if you are faithful to him.

Father, enable me to trust you to guide me and give me the strength, regardless of the audience you call me to speak to. 

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.

When God Gives Extra Time - Martin Wiles

So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Joshua 10:13 NLT

What could I do with an extra day or on other occasions when God gives extra time? 

Almost every four years, February gets an extra day. More than two thousand years ago, Roman general Julius Caesar introduced Leap Years into the Roman world, which at that time used the Julian calendar. Every year that was divisible by four was classified a Leap Year. This practice produced too many Leap Years but wasn’t corrected until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar.

Leap Years are necessary to sync the Gregorian calendar with the earth’s revolutions around the sun. The earth requires 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to make one revolution. Since the Gregorian calendar year only has 365 days, failing to add one day every four years would mean losing six hours annually and a total of 24 days over 100 years.

Joshua needed extra time, too. Daylight was waning, and he hadn’t finished defeating God’s enemies. He decided to pray and ask God for more time. God answered by allowing the sun to stand still.

I’ve often wished for more than an extra day. A few more hours in every day would do nicely.

Joshua’s reason for needing extra time was admirable; mine doesn’t always fall into the same category. I suppose when God gives extra time I need to reflect on why I have it. Is it because I’m lazy? Are there things I should do? Does God have plans I’m not following? Does he want me to rest?

Of course, the opposite may also be true. God might withhold extra time because I’m not using his allotted time judiciously. Jesus tells several parables demonstrating the necessity of using wisely what God gives along with warning about what can happen when I don’t.

Leap Year gives us an extra day for meditation—and perhaps action. A day that won’t surface for another four years. A day to meditate on some crucial questions: “What have I done with Jesus?” and “What am I doing for him?” A day to contemplate his goodness in spite of our badness as well as his undeserved unconditional love and forgiveness even when we don’t meet his expectations.

Leap Year re-aligns the calendar with the earth’s rotation, preventing the loss of time. Taking advantage of the extra time God gives can re-align priorities, decisions, relationships, and life in general.

Let God reveal extra time in your calendar and how he wants you to use it.

Father, enable me to always use the time you give wisely. 

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.

Stopping for a Recharge - Martin Wiles

Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. Mark 6:31 NLT

After two hours, she heads for her docking station to recharge.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 put millions out of work. The government issued stimulus checks to individuals and families to stimulate the economy. Yes, they wanted us to use the money to help pay our bills, but they also hoped we’d spend some for unnecessary things to jump-start the economy.

And my wife had an idea about how we could use some of ours to contribute. She had had her eye on a robotic vacuum cleaner before COVID hit. Not the one that costs $500, but a cheaper version sold by America’s favorite retailer. I had ignored her hints for months, but now, since we had extra money—and since Mother’s Day happened to come along simultaneously—I gave her the okay to order one.

Having both grown up when The Jetsons’ was a popular kids’ show, we decided to name our new addition Rosie—after the household robot the Jetsons owned. My wife loves Rosie. I suppose because my wife is the one who does the sweeping and vacuuming. I, on the other hand, tolerate her. She’s a little noisy, and she always seems to be cleaning in the exact spot where I need to walk.

Not being the most expensive kind of robot. Rosie can’t map out our house, so she plunders around from room to room until her battery drains. When I hear her noise level lower, I know she’ll soon be heading for her recharging dock. I must admit, I’m amazed she knows when she needs a recharge—when things are about to stop working if she doesn’t do something. Like a heat-guided missile, she aims for the recharge station, where she stays until we press the “clean” button again.

What builders have programmed Rosie to know, Jesus also knew: we need time to relax. Crowds regularly thronged Jesus and His disciples. So much so that they didn’t even have time to eat on this one occasion. Jesus invited them to join Him in leaving the crowds—and the work—so they could rest. In His earthly body, even Jesus needed downtime.

God demonstrated the need for rest at the beginning of time by resting for a day after He had created. God, of course, is God and didn’t need physical rest. Instead, He gave an example. Later, when issuing the commands to Moses, God designated one day as the Sabbath and instructed the listeners to rest and worship on that day. After Jesus’ resurrection, early believers changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. But the day is not as important as the ideas behind it. We need downtime, and we need worship time.

God did not create our bodies with the capacity to run continuously without rest, which includes more than getting adequate sleep. Jesus and His disciples may have slept during their rest time—perhaps they even took a power nap—but they more likely just relaxed.

My grandmother once warned me I was burning the candle at both ends and setting myself up for trouble. She was right. Not long afterward, I contracted a bleeding ulcer. A week in the hospital gave me time to rest and reflect.

Without proper rest—including sleep and downtime—our bodies break down, and things go haywire. We can also become legalistic about the one-day worship thing and forget that our worship can occur anywhere, but should occur daily.

God has work for us, and taking care of our bodies properly allows us to do His work and do it for a longer period than we could if we didn’t nurture our bodies. Our world is a busy place. To get the proper rest requires following Jesus’ example. He determined to rest, planned to incorporate it into His schedule, and then did it. He didn’t let the crowds—or their needs—stop Him. He knew the benefits of rest would far outweigh what the crowds perceived as urgent needs. Rest would allow Him and His disciples to do more later, and for a longer period.

God didn’t create our bodies to run continuously. Plan to incorporate rest into your daily schedule.

Father, guide me to those times when I can rest and reflect on my priorities and my relationship with 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.

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.

Change with a Purpose - Martin Wiles

Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. Hebrews 7:18 NLT

Change isn’t easy for most people, but it’s easier to stomach when it has a purpose.

Gossip had driven the previous pastor to another venue. The church had dwindled to around thirty faithful attendees during the interim period. When the church leaders interviewed a new prospective pastor and invited him to take the helm, he said, “Here’s what I plan to do if I come.”

Change is difficult for any church, but some find it even more challenging. But this congregation knew if they didn’t change, death was just around the corner. They agreed to his goals and called him as their pastor. Soon, attitudes made a radical shift. People were excited about coming and what would happen next, perhaps because the changes had a purpose. The pastor designed the changes to transform a dying church into a living, breathing organism that would make a difference in God’s kingdom.

The writer of Hebrews wrote to people who had inherited a several-thousand-year-old tradition: the Levitical priesthood. Men were selected from the tribe of Levi to tend to the Temple, offer sacrifices for the people, and intercede with God on behalf of the people. Now God—through Jesus Christ—had changed all that. Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah, not Levi. The old system was good for a time, but it wasn’t God’s plan for it to last forever.

Change for the sake of change is difficult for most people. Most love time-honored traditions as well as the same old same old. Life is easier when we have a pattern, a routine. When something happens to uproot the norm, we often react with anger, confusion, depression, or resistance. But we can respond with acceptance.

Rarely does God work the same way during the entirety of our lives. His overarching plan for our life requires many changes along the way. Rather than resisting the changes, when we know they come from God, we should willingly accept, adapt, and conform. He is working out His goal for us and conforming us to the image of His Son. Resisting the changes God initiates can prevent our spiritual growth, put us at odds with others, and keep us from realizing the good rewards He is attempting to give us.

When God sends change, accept it willingly.

Father, help us accept the changes You send that are for our good and Your glory.

Tweetable: Does change unnerve you?  

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, 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.

If Only - Martin Wiles

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. James 1:5 NLT

No one has penned the “If only” conundrum more appropriately than poet Robert Frost in the selection, “The Road Not Taken”:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

 

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

 

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

 

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

 

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 

If not careful, the “If only's” can consume us. Frost seemed to be as he described two paths, only one of which he could take. He wished he could have taken both—or at least gone back to travel the other he hadn’t taken the first time around—but he couldn’t.

Choices fill life. According to James, God will give us the wisdom to make those choices if we only ask.

Not all choices are between good and evil—or even better and best. Frost said both roads looked equally good. He simply couldn’t travel both. I’ve experienced the same. Choosing between right and wrong is easier; choosing between two equally good choices is challenging. Seeking God’s wisdom through prayer, studying His Word, and getting advice from wise spiritual counselors is crucial to avoiding the “If only's” later in life.

Some roads are labeled “Right” and “Wrong” in bold letters, but that doesn’t necessarily make the choice any easier. Our archenemy loves to take us down roads he knows will destroy us spiritually and then watch us wallow in regret, shame, and depression later on. God provides the wisdom to choose in these circumstances and gives us the strength to say “No” and take the other path.

Whatever your life choice, God will give you the wisdom to make it if you take the time to ask.

Father, give me wisdom for the choices I must make in life. May my choices reflect my love for and faith in You. 

Tweetable: Are you plagued by "If only" choices?

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, 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.