A Collision of Raindrops and Sunshine - Anita van der Elst

When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. Genesis 9:16 ESV

As my husband and I drove out of a nearby hillside neighborhood, we saw it in the distance. The unmistakable arcs and colors of a double rainbow. But not a surprise to see since a sudden rain shower had come while the sun shone brightly at the same time. A collision of raindrops and sunshine. 

I wanted to capture a picture of it on my phone, but the foliage was too thick, so down the hill we went, chasing those rainbows. The result was a lovely image of two rainbows, one slightly fainter in vibrance, shining against a dark blue sky.

Reading this promise from God, it occurs to me that when I see the rainbow, he and I are seeing it at the same time, an activity we do together. We are in relationship. The rainbow draws my attention to him. 

God promised never to send another flood to punish wrongdoing. However, our sins remain a barrier between God and us. In paying for our sins by dying on the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to be in relationship with God. We are forgiven and washed clean. In rising again, Jesus defeated death forever. A collision of justice and grace.

Now, instead of seeing my sins, God sees me through Jesus. The light of Jesus shines from my heart, and because of Jesus, God promises eternal life in heaven with him forever. 

Make sure you have entered into that relationship with God through trusting in Jesus. 

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.

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Finding Comfort When God Draws Near - Martin Wiles

But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. Genesis 11:5 NLT

They popped over the treetops and whizzed along the nape of the field.

When I was a young lad, crop dusters were common in the flat farmland. Fields were planted with cotton, corn, and soybeans. Laws preventing certain chemicals, which we now know cause cancer and other diseases, had not been passed. So farmers and crop dusters spread cotton poison to protect their crops.

Visiting my grandfather’s farm and sitting on the front porch, watching planes crop dust the neighboring fields, was one of my favorite activities. From out of nowhere, the plane would appear at tree-top level, drop to just above the cotton, drop its load, and then pull up just before reaching power lines, homes, or trees. Enduring the stench of the cotton poison was almost more than I could bear, but it was worth it to see this acrobat’s antics.

There was a time long ago when God came low. When a group of people got together and decided to build the Tower of Babel. Seemingly an innocent task … until you read the rest of the story. Doing so was about selfishness and pagan worship. God dropped a load on them. Not poison, but the confusion of their languages and thus the end of their project.

A few thousand years later, God came low again. This time when he allowed his Son to take on human flesh and die for humanity’s sins. But he didn’t stop with that. After Jesus ascended back into heaven, God sent his Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and the church was born. The psalmist was right when he said that God delights in every detail of their lives (Psalm 37:23).

As I delighted in watching the crop dusters fly low, so I enjoy knowing God flies low into my life’s experiences. And not only mine, but everyone’s who will call on him. He’s never too busy, nor is he ever unconcerned. What concerns us, no matter how insignificant, concerns our Creator. He can come down for our needs and everyone else’s at the same time. We don’t have to take a number or wait in line. God flies so low we can reach up and touch his grace, mercy, and assistance at any time we choose.

Let God fly low into every detail of your life.

Father, give me faith to reach out for you in every circumstance of my life, knowing you are as low as the stretch of my fingertips.

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More Difficult Than It Has to Be - Martin Wiles

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 NLT

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that earlier. I made it so difficult,” my wife said.

A friend and I lounged at our favorite fast-food restaurant, shooting the breeze while our wives walked to a nearby retail store. My friend had lost a lot of weight due to recent health problems and needed a pair of pants that fit him.

Our wives soon returned and plopped down beside us. Mine immediately took out a fingernail file and began working on a pocketbook that looked unfamiliar. It should have because it belonged to her friend, not her. The fabric had caught in the zipper and stuck fast.

After the nail file rendered unsuccessful, my wife asked for my pocketknife. She cut a few slices to no avail. After ten minutes of struggling with a stubborn zipper, she inserted the fingernail file between the zipper, and it immediately separated. With a sigh and laugh, she realized how difficult she had made something so simple.

On the other hand, my friend and I thought of God’s freeing grace. Paul had experienced it, taught it, and lived it. He was a legalist to the core before meeting Christ. His life had been about following all the rules, even those Christ hadn’t given. Now, it was about freedom.

Grace is freeing, just as the contents of the pocketbook were by the separated zipper. My wife attempted to approach the problem in the usual way—unzip the zipper—when all she had to do was open the pocketbook another way.

Grace is the other way . . . the only way. When we place our faith in Christ, his grace forgives our sins and frees us from their chains. Now, we can do what we couldn’t before: obey His commands.

Grace, however, isn’t a license to live recklessly. We misunderstand grace if we think we don’t have to worry about sin anymore because Christ has forgiven our sins. When we understand what grace cost God—the life of His Son—we’ll want to please Him by staying as far away from sinful and spiritually harmful situations as possible. Like soldiers in sync, we’ll march to the tune of holiness.

If you have experienced the freeing power of God’s grace, show your appreciation through obedience.

Father, thank you for making it easy to run into your loving arms. 

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Angry at Grace - Martin Wiles

The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him. Luke 15:28 NLT

Michael was angry at grace and God. 

But he hadn’t always been. He once loved going to church. Not that he had a choice. His parents made sure he was there every time the doors opened. At a young age, he accepted Christ as his Savior.

Somewhere along the line, however, Michael became an angry teenager. His walk away from Christ began with tobacco and led into alcohol abuse. Vandalism followed. He lashed out against churches, cracked open vehicles, and went on a string of destructive ventures. He was never apprehended by the police. Just too sly, I suppose. 

 

By the time Michael turned twenty-two, he’d calmed down a bit. All that remained of his prodigal childhood was the smoking. For some unknown reason, the convicting voice of God’s Spirit finally penetrated his hard shell. He listened, gave up his one final bad habit, and recommitted his life to God. 

 

God has used Michael’s ever since. God saved him twice: once from sin, and once from his sinful practices.

Some might get angry at God for forgiving and using Michael. He does, after all, have a sordid past and a bunch of baggage. The older brother in Jesus’ story probably would be one who’d object to God’s grace. He didn’t appreciate the fact that his father forgave his straying brother and welcomed him back home as if nothing had happened. Had he forgotten his son had requested his inheritance early and then blown it on wicked living? When his father asked him to join the “Welcome Home” party, he said, “No thanks!”

I’ll admit there have been times when I’ve thought God’s grace was unfair. Actually, it’s unfair all the time if we think about it. Were He fair, we’d all get what we deserved: unforgiveness and an eternity in a hot place. But He’s willing to forgive and forget all our sins if we only ask. 

And who am I to question His grace. After all, He’s God, He makes the rules, and He can love and forgive if He wants to. My job is to be more—rather than less—like Him. 

Don’t let God’s grace disturb you. Repentance unlocks the door to forgiveness—regardless of what a person has done. Things much worse than the prodigal and Michael ever thought about. 

Father, thank You for Your grace that covers all our sins. 

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Undeserved Mercy - Martin Wiles

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Ephesians 1:2 NLT

I was the recipient of grace . . . undeserved mercy.

“I made God a promise I’d help the next person I knew whom he had called into ministry.” He spoke the words and then handed me an envelope. I was following God’s call, which, in this case, meant leaving my job and moving somewhere I’d never been. And without any promise of work or income. Having a family to care for made the decision more difficult. When I got home, I tore into the envelope. A check for $1,000 fell out.

Paul’s life before Christ had no peace, only religious zeal. Christians were different, and he was out to destroy as many as he could. He may have appeared happy and satisfied, but he wasn’t. Christ met him while he was on one of his escapades and offered him grace. He accepted, and for the first time in his life, he experienced peace.

Christ offered me grace for the first time when I was nine. I jumped at the offer. He’s provided grace daily since then, but the first time was the most monumental. This offer involved the chance to have my sins forgiven and the penalty for them erased. Accepting the offer restored me to a right relationship with God.

When grace came, peace followed. Now I didn’t have to worry anymore about my present or future state. In the present, I had the assurance of his presence in my life to give me guidance in every circumstance. I also had the peace of knowing heaven was in my future.

Later in Paul’s life, God told him his grace would always be sufficient. And it was. It carried him through numerous unpleasant situations. God’s grace does the same for us. 

When we lean on God in life’s trying situations, we find his grace to be sufficient and calming.

Let God’s grace assure you of forgiveness and give you peace amid life’s trials and tests.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for extending the grace of Your forgiveness and then giving us peace that is beyond our comprehension. 

Tweetable: Have you experienced God's undeserved mercy? 

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Grace Greater Than Sin - Martin Wiles

When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. Jonah 3:10 NLT

Abraham Lincoln was a busy man during the Civil War—but not too busy for one young man who needed him.

The President often visited the hospitals to cheer up wounded soldiers. On one of his visits, he met a young man who was near death. He asked him, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Please write a letter to my mother,” the young soldier said.

Lincoln sat down and wrote what the young man told him. The letter read, “My Dearest Mother, I was badly hurt while doing my duty, and I won’t recover. Don’t sorrow too much for me. May God bless you and Father. Kiss Mary and John for me.”

Too weak to continue, the young man stopped reciting. Lincoln ended the letter with “Written for your son by Abraham Lincoln.” When the young soldier asked to see the note, he was astonished to discover who had shown him such kindness.

“Are you really our President?” he asked.

“Yes,” came Lincoln’s quiet answer. “Now, is there anything else I can do?”

With failing breath, the lad replied, “Will you please hold my hand? I think it would help to see me through to the end.”

And the tall, gaunt man granted his request, offering words of encouragement until the young man took his final breath. Grace.

God showed greater grace than Lincoln. The prophet Jonah ran from God’s initial instructions to preach to the Ninevites. He hated his cruel neighbors. But after a stint in a large fish’s belly, he completed the task. To his surprise, the Ninevites repented. When they did, God forgave them and didn’t send His intended punishment. Grace.

God’s grace shines on all people daily. He shows special grace to His followers, but He also doles out other forms of grace to those who reject Him. None of us deserve it. The Ninevites didn’t. I don’t. Humanity doesn’t. And we can’t earn or buy it. Nor can we outsin it. His grace is forever greater than our sins.

Like Lincoln, God keeps giving grace freely to those who ask. The grace of forgiveness. The grace of second and third and fourth chances. Although we can’t pay God back for His grace, we can show our appreciation by sharing it with others—as Jonah finally did. We can also honor His grace by living a lifestyle that reflects the holiness of God.

Think of one way you can show others the grace of God.

Prayer: Father, thank You for your marvelous grace that covers our sins. 

Tweetable: Have you experienced the greater grace?

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Meandering Monday - God’s Invitation to Dine - Martin Wiles

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

And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. Hebrews 10:21-22 NLT

She lived on the wrong side of the tracks, but an invitation from a distant relative changed her life.

Susie’s life was mediocre at best. She lived in an uneventful tiny town, graduated from a petite high school, and took a job as a seamstress at a local small business. Life changed, however, when her sister and brother-in-law were tragically killed, leaving two small children for her to raise.

The children were more than a handful. One day—when life was overwhelmingly hectic—the doorbell rang. When she cracked the door, a well-dressed gentleman stood before her. With an English accent, he identified himself as the butler for her deceased brother-in-law’s grandfather—the one who had disowned him because he married her sister, a commoner.

The sourpuss grandfather was a duke and lived in a castle. But he’d had a change of heart. He wanted to see the grandchildren he’d never laid eyes on. So off to England, she and the children went for a grand time.

God issues a similar invitation as the less-than-tolerable grandfather. He invites those who believe to come right into his holy presence, trusting he will accept them when they arrive.

I’ve received quite a few invitations in my lifetime. None special. Just the normal ones. Wedding invitations. Baby showers. Graduation ceremonies. Many of them requiring gifts.

God’s invitation to dine with him has only one stipulation: belief. If we come to his banquet with Jesus in our hearts, we’re welcomed as if we were the most important person in the world. No reason to fear. No room for doubt. Just a clear conscience that all is well between us and our Creator.

Many of my invitations were sent to me and my wife. I didn’t have to attend alone. God also gives us the privilege of bringing others with us to his eternal home if they’ll believe as we have.

What have you done with God’s invitation?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the invitation to enjoy eternity with You. 

Tweetable: Have you accepted God's dinner invitation? 

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Grace Giver - Martin Wiles

Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.” 2 Kings 6:22 NLT

Elizabeth Keckley was a slave in Missouri before the Civil War.

Keckley’s greatest desire was purchasing freedom for herself and her son. Her owner told her that if she could raise $1,200, she could have her freedom. Keckley worked as a seamstress. She engineered a plan to go to New York City and work to raise the money, but her owner feared she would not return.

Instead, some of Keckley’s wealthy clients in St. Louis showed grace by contributing the money she needed. Keckley paid the price for her freedom as well as her son’s. She moved to Washington, D.C., where she counted Mary Lincoln among her dressmaking clients. Without the help of others—grace—Keckley never would have been able to purchase her freedom.

The king of Aram fought the king of Israel, but God had a habit of telling the prophet Elisha all about the enemy king’s plans. So often, in fact, that the king of Aram thought a spy had infiltrated his ranks.

Once, when the enemy army had finally found Elisha, Elisha prayed that God would blind the enemy army. Elisha, in turn, led them to Samaria—the middle of their enemy’s camp. When the king of Israel witnessed this turn of events, he asked Elisha if he should kill them. Although the Arameans wanted to kill the Israelites, Elisha told the Israelites to show them mercy. “Feed them and let them go,” Elisha told the king of Israel. Show them grace, even though they came here looking to destroy you.

Grace adorns God. From the beginning when Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying Him, God has demonstrated grace. Instead of destroying them, God killed animals and clothed them with hides—an early symbol of His grace. The entire Bible and history are filled with acts of God’s grace.

Grace is God’s undeserved favor—shown primarily through salvation, but in many other ways too. We can’t earn the forgiveness for our sins that ushers in salvation. Nor can anyone else give it to us. Neither can we get it because our friends or relatives have it. It is a personal thing only God can grant.

God gives grace in large doses to those who trust Him and in smaller doses to those who don’t through His common grace. He makes His sun to shine on the evil and the good. All experience the rain and the goodness the earth produces.

But only by God’s grace—and our asking for it—can we experience the forgiveness we need, the abundant life God offers, the daily peace God can grant, and the eternal life He promises. And when we’ve experienced it, we’ll want to sprinkle a little of it around for others.

God is the ultimate grace giver. Have you asked for His grace?

Prayer: Father, may we give grace in small doses so that others will be pointed the greater grace that only You can give.

Tweetable: Are you giving grace to others? 

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Sufficient Grace - Martin Wiles

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

In 1799, Conrad Reed found a seventeen-pound rock as he fished in Little Meadow Creek.

 

Not knowing its composition, he and his family used it as a doorstop for three years. In 1802, his father, John Reed, noticed it and took it to a jeweler. The jeweler identified it as a lump of gold worth $3,600. Reed’s gold nugget stands as one of the largest ever found east of the Rockies. But until the jeweler determined its composition, its value remained unknown.

Our faith is like the rock: gold. Until God challenges its composition, its strength stays unknown. The great missionary, Paul, discovered this too.

 

Although God used Paul to take the gospel to the known world, he did so with a thorn. Theologians offer several guesses as to the thorn’s identity. What we do know is that the thorn aggravated Paul enough for him to petition God on several occasions to remove it.

 

God’s response to Paul was probably not what Paul wanted . . . but what Paul learned to live with and accept: God’s grace was sufficient. Then, God told Paul he must keep the thorn. By doing so, he would experience God’s grace in a way he would not have had God removed the thorn. Strange, but God often works this way.

 

God allows trials in our lives, not to hurt us, but to strengthen and prove our faith. His grace has been sufficient in the past. He sent Jesus to act as our substitute. Had Jesus not died for our sins, we would have had to die for our own sins. Jesus’ sacrifice proved sufficient for God to offer forgiveness to everyone.

 

God’s grace stands sufficient for the future. The forgiveness of sin God provides when we ask is good for the present and the future. Jesus said no one can snatch us from His hands once we’re there. He is also preparing a place for us and promises to return for us when the time is right—at His Second Coming or our death.

 

God’s future grace gets us through the present, as it did Paul. What we’ve experienced in the past—and what we know by faith lies ahead—gets us through whatever trials we face. No matter how intense the ordeal, God tells us the same thing as he did Paul: My grace is sufficient.

 

Be a willing participant in God’s trials. They will prove the composition of your faith.

 

Prayer: Father, we trust You for grace to carry us through our life trials. 

Tweetable: Are you trusting God for your thorny issues? 

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Return for Deposit - Martin Wiles

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Ephesians 4:7 NKJV

My cousin and I walked the one-mile highway, searching for the treasure we hoped to find.

I remember well the time when “Return for Deposit” was stamped on every beverage bottle. And I often did what the imperative sentence suggested. Doing so cut down on litter and also yielded a nice result.

My cousin and I were country boys who rarely had money. Our grandfather sometimes gave us a little for helping with chores around the farm, but not often. So we looked for ways to make money. Picking up tossed-aside drink bottles was one way.

My grandparents lived one mile from the nearest town—a small hole in the road that housed nothing but a mom-and-pop store, a gin, and a post office. My grandfather, along with other farmers, frequented the store often, and here was where my cousin and I headed with our treasure.

In these days, two young boys could walk a highway without worrying about getting kidnapped or murdered. We set out alone, eyes searching the sides of the road as we walked, looking for bottles we could snatch for a nickel return deposit each.

By the time we had walked the mile and reached the store, we had enough bottles to purchase a drink and something to eat. If we were lucky, our grandfather would buy the drink and Nabs, and we could pocket the money. One week later, we could walk the road again and find more returns.

Sadly, the day came when aluminum cans took over, and the “Return for Deposit” embossment faded into history. Not so with God’s grace. Paul says God’s grace is a gift, the gift from which spiritual gifts flow, but also the gift that we can keep returning for. His grace never ends.

God’s grace flows through forgiveness. A forgiveness that never runs out no matter how many times we mess up. God thrives on second chances. His grace gives strength for life’s journey—a journey often fraught with trials and troubles. His grace makes troubles bearable, but also gives us the wisdom to make the journey without giving up.

God’s grace will forever bear the stamp, “Return for Deposit.” Don’t fear that His grace will run out in your life.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for the grace that continually flows to us.

Tweetable: Do you worry that God's grace will run out? 

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The Leftovers - Martin Wiles

Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them. Romans 1:5 NLT

He lumbered through the door, meandered to the bar, and stood silently.

My wife and I were doing our normal Tuesday night thing: eating with Mom and my stepfather at a local downtown restaurant. We had finished our meal and tucked our leftovers into a carry-out plate. Now we waited for Mom to finish. As we waited and talked, an elderly man entered the establishment and approached the bar where the owner, a waiter, and a waitress stood. He asked for nothing but the restroom, but his eyes and clothing told his story.

After he returned from the bathroom, the owner offered him a cup of water. We watched his eyes drool over every tray of food the waiter and waitress delivered to patrons. Finally, he sat at an empty booth, a cup of water in hand. 

“He’s hungry. Give him our box of leftovers,” my wife whispered.

I have a habit of praying for opportunities to demonstrate God’s love, but then not seeing them. Thankfully, my wife helps my eyesight.

“You remember what happened last time we tried that,” I said.

A few years back, we’d attempted to help a local homeless man, only to have him curse us and tell us to feed our food to the dogs.

“This guy is different,” my wife commented.

I handed her the box of leftovers as we rose to leave. She took them to the gentleman. Before she could finish asking if he wanted them, he reached out, grabbed the box, and thanked us.

“You know what the Bible says about attending angels unawares,” my wife said as we walked out the door.

Paul had experienced God’s grace on the road to Damascus. His life was forever changed, but enough grace was leftover for him to share with the Gentiles. And he did.

I’m not overly fond of leftovers—and my wife is even less so. Some throw out leftovers, others give them to pets, and still others share them with friends or family members.

When we experience God’s grace, we always have leftovers, and God expects us to share them with others. The way we do so varies, but doing so is urgent because hungry people are everywhere.

Find ways to share God’s leftover grace.

Prayer: Father, thank You that Your grace is more than enough for us and everyone else.

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