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.

Series: Oh, the Things We Say: More Than I Can Handle - Martin Wiles

And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

My arms were full, and I didn’t know whether or not I could make it to the car. I had more than I could handle.

At the age of fourteen, I began my first real job: bagging groceries at the local grocery store. Although I had helped my grandfather on the ice cream truck for several years, this job introduced me to the real world of work. 

In addition to bagging the groceries, we bagboys carried them to the customer’s car. Most customers bought enough groceries that we needed a buggy to transport them, but occasionally a customer would have only a couple of bags. Trying to impress them and whoever else, I attempted to carry them. 

Today, that wouldn’t be an issue. Bags are plastic and have handles. Then it was. The bags were made of paper and had no handles. A shifting of the contents in the bags might mean spilled and damaged groceries.

I’ve heard numerous believers say, “God won’t put any more on us than we can handle.” A statement commonly spoken when someone is going through a difficult period or even a series of unfavorable circumstances. It’s another one of those statements we’ve formulated to comfort and encourage. And perhaps it does, but the problem is, we can’t support it biblically.

I don’t know where the saying originated, but it may be based in part on Paul’s statement that God won’t allow Satan to tempt us to the point that we must give in. However, difficult circumstances and temptations are not necessarily the same.

In reality, God will put more on us than we can stand. And he has a reason. We often think we can handle life on our own. Just as I thought I could handle the grocery bags. Trying to maneuver through life without help from anyone else—particularly God--is foolishness. When God allows more into our lives than we can handle, we are forced to turn to him, which is what we should do in the first place.

God wants to be our burden bearer. He will give wisdom and courage for every situation we face.

Let God give you the strength to face each life situation.

Father, I thank you that I can depend on you to guide me through every circumstance of life. 

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. 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.

Serious about Serving - Martin Wiles

All night long I search for you; earnestly I seek for God. Isaiah 26:9 NLT

After nine years of floundering around in the work world, I became serious about an education and serious about serving.

From first to eighth grade, I was serious about school and enjoyed learning. Then the teenage-don’t-care bug bit. Joining in the movements of the time, I found myself rebelling against society and education. Why did I need it? Jobs were plentiful. 

After quitting my senior year and then returning six months later, I finally graduated a semester later than my peers and entered the workforce. The first few years went well, but then the economy turned sour, and so did my employment. After being laid off from the plant where I had worked since graduation, I found myself holding a string of unfulfilling jobs. Nine years after graduation, I finally succumbed to God’s earlier direction and went to college, but now as a married man with a small child. Doing so after graduation would have been easier, but I wasn’t serious at the time.

In the prophet Isaiah’s song of praise to the Lord, he expresses his sincere devotion to serving God. Though I doubt he actually stayed up all night every night seeking God, his word choice relates how much he needed God in his life.

Perhaps there was a time when Isaiah, too, wasn’t serious about serving God. After all, it took a hot experience to set him on fire for God (Isaiah 6). While God didn’t have to touch my lips with live coals to convince me I needed to get serious about serving him, he did use a series of disappointments to get me pointed in the right direction.

Through the payment Jesus made on Calvary’s cross, God demonstrated how serious he was about humanity’s salvation. He wasn’t under obligation to deliver us from our sins, but he didn’t want us to be a lost cause. Christ went all the way for us, and we should do no less for him.

Getting serious about serving God is a decision we can make through an act of our free will. God desires this decision and gives everyone the power to make it. 

Decide today to be serious about serving God.

Father, focus my heart, mind, and will on serving you to the best of my ability. 

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.

Help Wanted - Martin Wiles

The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. Pray to the Lord . . . and ask him to send out more workers for his fields. Luke 10:2 NLT

I heard their help wanted plea, so I took the job. They needed help—and I needed more money.

Picking watermelons was one task I’d never undertaken. I had recently moved to a farming community where one of my fellow church members grew watermelons commercially. The owner had only one regular employee but hired extra hands during watermelon season. When he asked if I wanted to be one of the extra hands, I agreed.

Little did I know it would mean sweltering in one-hundred-degree temperatures in fields clothed with stagnant air. I also didn’t know I’d have to work bent over, rising only to toss the melon to the person waiting in the back of the farm truck that meandered down each aisle. After loading a truck, we’d drive back to the farmer’s home where an eighteen-wheeler waited. Here, we’d unload what we had just loaded. One summer was all I needed to realize we needed extra help.

The harvest Jesus spoke about wasn’t a nice crop of watermelons. Souls were on his mind. He was sending His disciples out into a world where the majority of the people were unbelievers. They had never heard of Jesus—which was possible since He’d only been around thirty or so years—or they had chosen to disbelieve He was the Messiah.

Every church could hang a sign over their doorway reading, “Help Wanted.” Most of the time, pay isn’t involved, but they need the help, nevertheless. While we have more means to preach the gospel message now than ever, the need to tell it is just as critical as in the first century. Technology helps us spread the good news faster and more effectively, but the world is still filled with those who need to hear and respond.

The disciples’ earlier decision to follow Jesus indicated their willingness to apply for the “Help Wanted” position. They would encounter opposition, ridicule, unbelief, and persecution. Some would be martyred. But they went, nevertheless. We should do the same.

Have you answered God’s help wanted ad? How can you share this ad with others?

Father, open my eyes to the harvest around me. Then give me the courage to go.

Tweetable: Have you answered God's "Help Wanted" call? 

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Spiritual Benefits - Martin Wiles

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:5 NLT

I’ve worked in places where benefits were good, places where they were meager, and places where they were nonexistent.

While a good salary might attract us to a particular job, benefits enhance the chance we’ll actually apply for the position. If my salary is good, but I must pay an enormous monthly premium for insurance, my salary diminishes tremendously. Or if I choose not to get insurance, I must pay my total medical cost out of pocket. I remember one prospective employer saying as she offered me a position, “I can’t offer you a good salary, but I can give you wonderful benefits.” I took the job.

Employment benefits are excellent, but spiritual benefits outweigh them. I can be set in life and lose in eternity. I can meet all my medical needs through my insurance plan and still miss heaven. God chooses to adopt me into his family just as an employer offers me a job and then hires me. Unless God reaches out to me, I won’t reach out to him. But when I do, the benefits far surpass any I’ll find in an earthly job.

As God’s adopted children, we receive everything his Son does—and that’s everything. We’re in the already-not-yet stage. It’s ours; we just don’t own it outright now. But it’s in the works. We also receive complete and total forgiveness for all past, present, and future sins. None will ever be charged to our account again. Christ paid for them on the cross. God sends his Spirit to indwell us and indwells us continuously, giving us constant guidance and wisdom.

Along with the Spirit, come gifts. These we’re privileged to use in service to God and others. And best of all, we have the benefit of living with God in a new heaven and on a new earth. 

Choose to enjoy the benefits God offers by becoming his child.

Prayer: Father, thank You for all the benefits we have because we have the privilege of being called Your children. 

Tweetable: Are you reaping life's spiritual benefits? 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Consistency Amidst Inconsistency - 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. 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NLT

She was the most inconsistent person John had ever met . . . but she was his boss.

In an office predominantly stocked with females, he was only the third male ever hired. For that, he was thankful. He needed the job. He soon discovered, however, that each day differed. Although he was hired for a particular position, he didn’t occupy that spot until months later. Instead, he was put in another position, then another, and then another.

From day to day, he never knew what his duties might entail. One day, he might be a teller, the next a custodian, and the next a supervisor. Nor did he ever know what type of mood his boss would be in. One day, she might be playful and humorous and the next morose and serious. Working for her was a challenge because of her inconsistency. 

The first century was also changing because of the day of Pentecost and the church's birth. No longer were Jewish customs and ceremonies needed or required. Instead, early apostles said people only needed to trust in the crucified and resurrected Christ.

Technology has brought a constant flow of change also. No sooner do we learn to maneuver one smartphone than another comes out, and we have to learn new features. Or, as soon as we get comfortable with one computer operating system, the manufacturers will change it to look and function differently.

Thankfully, there is a constant variable among all life's variables: Jesus Christ. Belief in his sacrifice on Calvary was my path to salvation initially, and I don’t have to fear he’ll change the way. Faith was sufficient in the beginning and will be in the end. He isn’t fickle as we often are. He doesn’t keep us guessing whether we are on good terms with him. In an ever-changing world, he is the only constant. Trusting in him will never lead us in the wrong direction.

Is Christ your constant in a changing world?

Prayer: Father, we thank You that the way to You will never change. 

Tweetable: How do you deal with inconsistency? 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Choose the Better Hope - 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. 

For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:19 NLT

John possessed a spotless reputation at work.

He was a diligent worker with integrity to match—until a worker in a neighboring office brought false accusations against him. His serene day was interrupted by a call to the boss’s office where the accuser, her boss, and several other co-workers sat. They questioned him about a comment he had made, but the accusation associated with it had been taken out of context. He explained his meaning and expressed surprise at the co-worker who accused him of something he would never do.

When the meeting ended, John was surprised to know that even though the matter had been settled, the accusation would be placed in his permanent file. He was angry that his good name would be soiled, but hope soon surfaced. His employer accompanied him to the personnel director and pleaded on his behalf. Then another co-worker helped him expunge the record. John’s hope was renewed through the intercession of two friends.

Life was frustrating in Old Testament Israel, and hope was dim. A constant threat of punishment for sins hung over every person. Sacrifices were plentiful, and so were the priests who offered them in the worshiper’s behalf. The priesthood seemed to function well, but no worshiper ever felt the assurance of forgiveness. They needed a better hope.

I’ve been in John’s predicament a time or two. The woods are full of people who’d love to ruin our reputations, jump ahead of us when a work promotion presents itself, cheat from our paper, gossip about our family, steal our hard-earned possessions, and harm us or our family members.

We need an intercessor like John had, and fortunately, we have one in Jesus Christ. He stands by our side when no one else will. He is powerful enough to turn around bleak situations and protect us from those who would try to spoil our reputation and harm us physically or emotionally. He is our better hope and only a prayer away.

Are you looking to Christ for hope?

Prayer: Father, may our hope in You remain steadfast through the trials of life. 

Tweetable: Where does your hope lie? 

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Meandering Monday - Promoted - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again.

For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house. Hebrews 3:2 NLT

On some days, it seemed she despised me; on other days, it appeared I was her favorite.

Imagine my surprise when the boss called me into her office and said, “I’m giving you a promotion.” And not just any promotion, but one that took me from an ordinary office worker to supervisor. I worried about how others in the office who had done more time than I would welcome me in my new position.

With the exception of a few bumps, the transition went well as I settled into my new title with its added responsibilities. I was accountable for more than I had been before, but there were days I wanted to return to my old position.

Jesus was greater than Moses, but like Moses, he was faithful to the mission the Father sent him on. Old Testament Moses was admirable as well and served God faithfully. From a small baby hidden in the bulrushes to escape a jealous king to the one who led more than a million people through a foreboding wilderness to the Promised Land, he served God with passion. He ruled over both complaisant and rebellious people but handled his promotion well—all things considered.   

Promotions at my various places of employment were always nice. Yet, with more authority came more responsibility—which made the promotion somewhat of a mixed blessing.

My best promotions, however, have come spiritually. Born a sinner with a horrendous future, I’ve now been promoted to a saint—not in practice but in position. Ironically, I’ve also been elevated to a servant rather than a ruler. In God’s kingdom, serving makes me greater than ruling.

My promotion involved a new heart that would prompt me to love and serve others regardless of their race, gender, cultural background, or financial standing. And although I’m not there yet physically, I’m now spiritually seated in the heavenlies with Christ. My promotion to heaven from hell is a sure thing.

Are you enjoying the promotions God has given you?

Prayer: Thank You gracious God for making us something more than we ever could have attained in our own power. 

Tweetable: Has God promoted you? 

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Meandering Monday - Too Busy - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday. 

But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. Luke 5:16

Even when performing admirable actions, busyness can take us away from God.

I counted my jobs once. Five. One full-time and the others part-time. My total doesn’t represent workaholism—although I do struggle with scheduling down time. Because my full-time job doesn’t pay enough to cover our bills, I must add a few part-time endeavors to get us over the hump. Thankfully, God has opened several doors—some of which I’ve had to close. I can only do so much in twenty-four hours, and I can only endure so much physically and emotionally.

Crowds pandered after Jesus. Occasions for Him to do good abounded. People needed healing, dead needed raising, sinners needed befriending, hungry needed feeding, and religious leaders needed correcting. But occasionally, He needed to get away to a solitary place so He could hear His Father. 

Worthwhile prospects surround me daily, but I’ve discovered I can perform good works and still miss God’s will. Just because honorable opportunities abound doesn’t mean God expects me to put my hands into each one. Pursuing a good agenda doesn’t necessarily mean I’m satisfying God’s agenda.

Finding out which opportunity God wants me to tackle is the key. Through intense prayer, I discover the avenues He wants me to pursue. Then, rather than blindly and busily trying to do everything, I can focus my energy on the right thing. I can’t wrestle every good thing accessible, but I can seize those that fulfill God’s vision for me and the world.

Going full speed in all directions leads to frustration, bad attitudes, burn out, and failure at what I want so desperately to succeed at. Being open to change and sensitive to God’s guidance sets my course in the direction he desires.

Don’t get so busy doing good that you can’t hear God’s instructions? Follow Jesus’ example. Get away with the Father.

Prayer: Dear Father, amidst the many opportunities to do good, give us clear insight into which ones are Your will for our lives.

Tell us how you changed your busy life. 

Tweetable: Are you too busy? 

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When Life Stings - Martin Wiles

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it … But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. Psalm 55:12-13 NKJV

The boss’s secretary summoned me to the boss’s office.

As I walked through the door, people—work cohorts—lined the wall. The boss invited me to sit and then spilled the accusation brought against me. An accusation made by a friend. A false accusation. The nature of the accusation didn’t shock me as much as the fact that this person had made it. We were good friends, helped each other almost daily, and kidded with each other regularly. Now, they had misinterpreted something I said.

I explained my statement, and they accepted my explanation, but the matter would go on my permanent record. I didn’t want that. It wasn’t fair that I should be labeled for something I didn’t do. My boss accompanied me to Human Resources where I fought to have the matter expunged from my record … and won.

Months passed before my friend and I treated each other as before. An air of caution surrounded me. Would this person betray me again? Could we have the same kind of friendship we’d had before? Eventually, the air cleared, but life had delivered me a nasty sting I’d not soon forget.

Life had stung David, too. By whom and how we don’t know. We could choose several episodes from his life, but the sting is not as important as how he handled it. Jesus knew the sting, too. Judas, one of His own disciples—one of the handpicked ones—betrayed Him to those who sought His death.

When stung by life, listening to the accusations—even when they’re false—has merit. Often, amid the lies, a kernel of truth exists. A lesson we can learn for future reference. Listening carefully also keeps us from overreacting, which often leads to anger and actions we’ll later regret.

I apologized to my accuser. Not for what I had said but for the fact that my statement had been misunderstood. We can never go wrong with the words, “I’m sorry.”

I also forgave and moved on. Forgiveness, in this case, was a process I worked through, which involved not dwelling on what had happened. In time, we restored our friendship.

Above all else, I gave the matter to God. He controlled it … and I needed to let Him. He had the power to do what I couldn’t.

When life stings you, forgive, give the matter to God, and move on.

Prayer: Father, we trust in You to move us forward when life stings us.

Tweetable: What do you do when life stings you? 

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Working for Whom? - Martin Wiles

And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do! Psalm 90:17 MSG

I wondered if what I did really made a difference.

I am a teacher—or so it says on the outside of a door leading into my classroom. Middle School. Language Arts. Five days each week, more than one hundred students enter my door because the law says they must, and so do their parents. And when they enter, the law and their parents expect me to teach them what I’m paid to teach them. In my case, writing, literature, spelling, and grammar.

Since I’m also a writer, I love the subjects I teach. Not much preparation required. I teach with enthusiasm, wanting them to understand how important good communication is…desiring that they love good literature which can take them to worlds they may never visit and open their minds to things they’ve never considered.

But I’ve not always enjoyed my jobs. Some titles I hated. I worked there because I had no other choice. I didn’t like whom I worked for, the place I worked at, or the salary I drew. In some cases, I didn’t even care for the people I worked with. I labored with a frown on my face and dreaded every day I had to enter the doors.

My perspective hasn’t always been a good one. According to the psalmist, however, I don’t work for a person, but for God. When I have that perspective, the possibilities are limitless and so is the way I conduct myself at my place of employment.

Rather than a job, my employment becomes a mission field. In my present case, that’s easy. I teach at a Christian school and can say God’s name and teach biblical integration as often as I want. Not so with every job I’ve had. Speaking about Christ could have gotten me laughed at, warned, or even fired.

No matter what we do, God can confirm and affirm that work. We work for the Lord, not the one who signs the paycheck. God can help us transform the atmosphere of the environment. We can smile, even when doing unpleasant tasks. We can show kindness, even around unpleasant work associates. And in so doing, we shine the light of Christ into our work world.

If your working world is dark, bring in the light of Christ.

Prayer: Father, may we be Your shining lights with every job You give us.

Tweetable: Whom are you working for? 

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God Unemployed? - Martin Wiles

O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. 1 Samuel 1:11 NLT

Lay off. The words sent shudders throughout my body.

I was a single young man working for a local textile mill when imports threatened their existence. Many had already closed. Layoffs came regularly. Every week, I listened to the rumors—and waited for the pink slip.

One week, my fears were realized. How would I pay my bills? Where would I find work? What was the possibility of my being called back? Fortunately, a fellow church member worked at the local unemployment office. She gave me guidance, and within one week, my unemployment checks had started. But they weren’t nearly as much as my paycheck.

The reality hit hard. I now lounged among the unemployed. I had no boss, except the government, who said I had to actively seek employment to keep drawing my unemployment benefits. Fortunately, my employer called me back within a few weeks. I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed his funds to meet my monthly obligations.

Hannah needed an employer too. God. Her rival, Peninah, gave her husband children, but Hannah couldn’t bear any. She did the only wise thing she knew to do: approached the God she believed could act on her behalf and could give her the thing she wanted so passionately.

Some feel as if technology and science have eliminated the need for God—unemployed Him. People in biblical times attributed miraculous events to a supernatural God because for them this was the only logical explanation. But when scientific thought developed and was applied to various areas, it explained what was once attributed to God. God died—or became unemployed. People didn’t need him anymore.

Or so we thought. Some still do. Not me. I love science and technology. But I’m not so naïve as to believe God isn’t still involved in these developments. Who, after all, gives scientists the wisdom to discover, to develop, and then to apply their findings to various areas, which in turn make our lives more enjoyable? And, by the way, to help us as believers more rapidly grow God’s Kingdom?

Don’t ever lay God off in your life. He wants to be employed in every detail. He loves you and wants you to love Him in return. Without Him, we are only left with fate or chance—neither of which are good options.  

Tweetable: Do you feel as if God has left the job? 

Prayer: Father, we want You to always be employed in our lives.

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