Mind the Chickens - Martin Wiles

Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean.” John 13:10 NLT

Sometimes, chickens leave behind more than eggs and meat. 

My maternal grandmother had a dozen or so chickens wandering around her yard. At night, she enclosed them in a small pen with a coop, and there they slept. 

Being country boys, my cousin and I romped outside most of the time, foraging in the woods, playing in the hog pens, and mulling around in the yard—the same yard the chickens scratched in. Since we didn’t always wear shoes during the summer months—and even if we did—our grandmother would warn us before we came onto her porch or into her house: “Check your feet (or shoes).” 

Chickens, it appeared, left more than eggs, and my grandmother didn’t want it in her house or on her porch. When we discovered this unwanted material on our shoes, we paused to scrape it off on the dirt or a grassy patch. Doing so became such a habit that eventually our grandmother didn’t have to remind us as much. 

In Jesus’s day, getting one’s feet dirty was a fact of life. If people wore shoes, they wore open sandals, and open sandals don’t keep out dirt. And since the main form of travel entailed using one’s feet, people’s feet stayed dirty. When guests arrived, the owner—or more commonly a slave—washed the guests’ feet. He didn’t, however, wash the entire person. If the person needed a full bath, they could take care of it themselves. 

Jesus’s meaning is deeper. The bath happens when we trust Christ as our Savior. God the Father takes the righteousness of his Son and applies it to our sins, making us pure and holy in position—although not in practice. 

But daily living is like walking in my grandmother’s yard. We’re subject to getting our feet messy with unwanted things. The world is full of sinful influences and tempting temptations. 

The news isn’t all bad, though. Jesus says we just need to wash our feet. Through the spiritual disciplines of praying, meditating on the Bible, and confessing, we scrape our feet across the dirt or a grassy patch, removing what shouldn’t be there. Confession brings restoration, and knowing God’s Word keeps our lifestyle aligned with God’s principles. 

Learn to mind what the chickens of this world leave behind. 

Father, give me the insight and courage to avoid those things that dirty my feet and taint my soul. 

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.

Toys in the Tub - Martin Wiles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Hemmed In - Martin Wiles

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 NIV

The fence was there for a purpose—not just for looks. 

The first house I lived in was situated on two acres of land just outside of town. Gardening and farming had always been in my blood—I suppose because both of my grandfathers had, so I decided to set up a small farm. I bought twenty chickens, two goats, and two hogs. 

But before buying any of my animals, I erected two fences. A six-foot high fence for the chickens, complete with one-by-fours around the bottom. For the hogs, I put up hog wire and fastened it to the ground with stakes. Although I’d had none of these animals before, I knew their tendency. My maternal grandfather raised hogs, and I watched as they continuously tried to root under the fence. Since goats go over, I topped the fence with barbed wire. I’d watched my maternal grandmother raise chickens, so I knew they loved to fly over a fence and roost up high. 

I didn’t hem my animals in because I wanted to make their lives miserable. Just the opposite. I knew if they got out, they might be killed by other animals, get run over on the highway, or be tempted to go into the neighbor’s yard and root up everything. The fence protected them.

The psalmist also knew God hemmed him in for a reason. He was hemmed in by God’s commands and principles, as well as by his daily interactions. He enjoyed being hemmed in. 

As God’s child, God also hems us in. Instead of looking at his commands and principles as cruel and cumbersome—things given to make our lives miserable—we can see them as being for our good. Like my hogs and goats, we tend to root under God’s commands and jump over his principles. Things on the other side look more appealing. 

But God knows what’s best. That’s why he gave guiding ideologies. And that’s why he gently brings us back into the fence with his discipline when we get out. He loves us and wants us to experience the best in life, which we won’t know if we go over or under what he’s put there to hem us. 

Learn to live within the hemming boundaries of what God has erected. He provides the fences for your good, not your detriment. 

Father, thank you for hemming me in so I won’t wander on paths I’d be better off leaving alone. 

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.

Why We Wonder Why - Martin Wiles

And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? Numbers 11:11 NLT

Wondering why often leaves us wondering why we wonder why.

I sat in the car with two of my grandsons, waiting for my wife to complete a physical test. One of them—three at the time—sat in the front seat with me, biding his time and asking three-year-old questions.

“Pop, what is this?” he asked, pointing to one knob on the radio.

“It turns the radio on and makes it louder,” I said, trying to focus on what I was doing.

“Why,” was the next question.

“I don’t know. It just does.”

“What about this button?” he continued, pointing to a button beside the first knob.

I finally told him that all the buttons in that general area worked the radio. My answer still didn’t satisfy him.

“Why?” he asked.

After playing this why game for every piece associated with the dashboard and exterior mirrors, I finally said, “Pop’s tired of answering questions. I need to work.”

I was glad he had entered the inquisitive stage and eager to learn. But he would soon discover that I didn’t have an answer to everything he asked. And I often eventually tire of answering “why” inquiries.

Moses wondered why in the world God had saddled him with the task of caring for more than a million people. People who complained most of the time, couldn’t get along, tended to rebel against God, and on occasion threatened to kill him. God answered his why question by giving him some help. God wanted those people in the Promised Land, and Moses was the person he chose to lead them there. He didn’t need to know why; he just needed to obey. As when God didn’t tell Job why he allowed him to suffer all his misfortune.

God’s ways and will are often a mystery he chooses not to solve in our presence. Perhaps in heaven, he’ll answer some of our “why” questions; perhaps he won’t, and it won’t matter. There is nothing wrong with asking God why, but we must be prepared to experience silence. While God never tires of our asking why, he doesn’t want our whys to come from disbelief or discouragement but from a desire for more understanding—like Moses.

Don’t be afraid to ask God why, but be prepared to be kept in suspense. Following his will is a faith journey with many unanswered whys.

Father, when you choose not to answer my why questions, give me the faith and courage to keep following you. 

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.

The Hunt for Truth - Lynne Phipps

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

Easter morning is always an exciting and bustling time within our household as my granddaughters search for Easter eggs. These goodies have been cleverly hidden by their parents, and the girls must search diligently to find them. What happiness ensues when all have been discovered, and their Easter baskets are overflowing with yummy treats. But the hunt for truth should bring even more excitement. 

Searching for Easter eggs brought to mind the treats of truth and wisdom God has hidden for us within his Word. The Scriptures hold the secrets of life. They reveal who God is and how we may come into a relationship with him through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. They teach us how to deal with any situation life can throw at us. We learn how to praise God and the best way to treat our enemies. 

God’s Word has the power to correct our behavior and convict us of wrong thoughts and actions. It can restore us spiritually and emotionally. The Scripture makes the simple wise and promotes hope and joy. It prepares us for the future and relieves us of the burdens of our past. Indeed, within God’s Word are found treasures beyond compare.

Like hunting for hidden Easter eggs, however, we too must be prepared to hunt for these gems of truth within the Scriptures. We must be willing to ask God for a hunger in our hearts for his Word as well as guidance as we read it. We must be persistent in searching the Word for new truths that we may have missed. Some, we may not have been mature enough to see or understand at a previous time. We must also be tenacious in seeking enlightenment regarding how to apply these precious truths to our everyday lives.

When the girls hunt for their eggs, they are rewarded for finding them. They gather them and eventually pop them into their mouths to enjoy the tasty morsels. Likewise, when we seek, ask, and knock to discover the truths in God’s Word, we too are blessed as we discover, embrace, and taste their goodness by putting them into practice and seeing that they are good.

Make sure your hunt for truth takes you to God’s Word daily. 

Father God, thank you for your precious Word. Encourage and motivate me to hunger for its truths.  Strengthen me to be tenacious when asking, seeking, and knocking. Grant me enlightenment, wisdom, correction, and teaching through them, so that I might live a good and productive life. Help my life to be a witness of your lovingkindness and mercy to all those around me. In Christ’s name I pray, amen.

Lynne Phipps and her family live on a small hobby farm in the heart of Alberta, Canada’s farming country. She has been writing devotions for forty years and never tires of the spiritual correlation the Holy Spirit blesses her with. He uses normal everyday events and the behaviors of the multitude of glorious creatures He has brought across her path to point her to the truths of God. Lynne is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More, Christian Devotions, and Love Lines from God.

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 Stop Chickening Out - Martin Wiles

So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.” Numbers 13:32 NLT

I was young when I learned chicken wasn’t necessarily a chicken. Chickens ran around my grandmother’s yard during the day and were locked up in the coop at night. But if my cousin asked me to do something I was scared to do and I didn’t do it, he labeled me a chicken. And since I was somewhat afraid of adventure, I often wore the label.

“I bet you won’t jump off the tractor shed,” he might say.

“Are you crazy?” I’d respond.

“Chicken. Bak, bak, bak.”

Or if it was something I initially said I’d do but then changed my mind about at the last minute, I would be accused of chickening out. Either way, I was a chicken.

Of the twelve spies Moses sent into the Promised Land, ten chickened out. Four hundred years of Egyptian slavery was behind the Israelites. Now, they stood on the border of the land God had promised their ancestors. Out of fear—or good sense—Moses sent twelve men to peruse the land. It was promising all right, but was also guarded by giants and walled cities. Only Joshua and Caleb maintained they could take the land. The majority’s disobedience cost the Israelites forty years of wilderness wandering.

It sounds reassuring to tell people God won’t ask them to do anything they can’t do—but most of the time that’s not true. God often asks us to do things we can’t do. If we can do it, we don’t need him. If we can’t do it—but He helps us do it—then the spotlight shines on him, and he gets the glory for what’s accomplished.

What God asks of us, he enables us to do. He would have enabled the people to conquer the land—and he did for another generation forty years later. The walled cities and giants were no problem for them when God was their guide.

I wonder how many things we’ve missed doing for God because we chickened out and never started. Living the Christian life involves faith and trust, and sometimes the faith must be blind faith—the kind children have.

Don’t chicken out on what God asks of you. He’ll always supply the strength, the way, and the courage.

Father, help me to trust you for the wisdom and power to do everything you ask. 

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 Pancakes - Lynne Phipps

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 NIV

My granddaughters love pancakes and request them for breakfast whenever they stay overnight, which is frequently. Since I make the batter from scratch, the girls are always anxious to help by fetching ingredients and stirring the mixture for the pancakes. 

One day, seven-year-old Ade asked if she could try making the batter. Ade is a bit like a hummingbird: never still and always moving quickly rather than cautiously. I was tempted to say no, sure a mess would ensue if I granted her request, and I do so hate a mess. Still, I mused, she did need to learn sometime and maybe today was the right time. Thus, I reluctantly agreed.

First, I had her read the recipe through, and we discussed the meaning of the measurement symbols. Then she retrieved the ingredients from the pantry. Next, we measured the wet ingredients, along with cracking the egg. Dry ingredients followed, and then we added the wet to the dry, then mixed everything. She had accomplished her task. 

Yes, flour was on the counter and the floor. Milk had slopped over, and I had to pick eggshells from the batter. Ingredient containers littered the countertop. Yet, Ade’s beaming face and confidence in her success far outshone the cluttered, messy countertop. Today, she not only makes the batter with little mess but also is adept at pouring the batter onto the griddle. She also knows when the pancakes are ready to turn and flips them with ease. She also cleans up.

In the book of Acts, Paul had a sharp disagreement with Barnabas over taking along a young disciple, John Mark. For some reason, Paul had dismissed him earlier. Barnabas disagreed and felt the young man should be given another chance. He was not willing to give up on him. 

Later, in the book of Timothy, Paul realized that John Mark was a good and helpful worker. Thankfully, Barnabas had persevered with patience and gentleness, aiding this young follower of Christ to grow into a mature and valued Christian man.

Likewise, each of us has many opportunities in our daily lives to be patient and gentle with those who are still growing and learning. After all, who among us can ever say that we have nothing more to learn? 

Let us therefore pray for open eyes and hearts to see those whom God places in our pathway. Additionally, we can teach them in whatever ways God may reveal to us. In this way, we can encourage their confidence and maturity. After all, isn’t this what God does for us?

Father God, help me today to be willing to help others grow and mature as the need and opportunity arise. In Christ’s name, amen.

Lynne Phipps and her family live on a small hobby farm in the heart of Alberta, Canada’s farming country. She has been writing devotions for forty years and never tires of the spiritual correlation the Holy Spirit blesses her with. He uses normal everyday events and the behaviors of the multitude of glorious creatures He has brought across her path to point her to the truths of God. Lynne is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More.

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.

 

Lessons from a Dog on a Foot - Martin Wiles

Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. Luke 10:39 NLT

Of all the stores my grandfather delivered ice cream to, the one where the dog sat on my foot was my favorite. Who would have guessed I would learn lessons from a dog on a foot?

Aside from a few chain pharmacies, gas stations, and small-town grocery stores, Mom-and-Pop stores ran the retail world. Small stores owned by local people. Stores where customers could buy a little of anything, including ice cream. And my grandfather was more than happy to supply them with all the ice cream their customers could consume.

As a young boy, I enjoyed traveling from town to town and through the country, helping my grandfather stock these small stores with ice cream novelties. But the one I looked forward to the most was the one where a small dog sat on the customers’ feet.

“Where are we going next?” I’d eagerly ask on the day of the week we worked this store. Finally, my grandfather would say, “To the store where the dog sits on your foot.” As my grandfather took the store owner’s order, the dog walked over and sat on my foot. Why he did, I’m not sure. Perhaps just one of those odd habits some animals pick up as a part of their personality.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were Jesus’s good friends. Martha was a busy body, wanting everything to be in order. But she was a good hostess. Mary, however, loved to listen to Jesus teach, so she sat at his feet. Martha fussed about it, but Jesus reminded her that Mary had chosen the better thing.

The small dog at the store could have reared up on my leg or sat with his tail wagging, and gotten the same response from me as he did when he sat on my foot. He wanted attention from the store owner’s customers. He obviously loved people and craved petting.

Jesus wants the same from us as he did from Mary. But most of the time, we’re Marthas. We get so wrapped up in daily affairs—good things, mind you—that we forget to sit at Jesus’s feet, enjoy his company, and learn from him. There’s a better way, and Mary and the foot-sitting dog remind us of that. Time spent with the Savior is never wasted. Other things can wait. Listening to him is more important.

Find time daily to sit at the feet of Jesus.

Father, help me slow down so I can spend time sitting at your feet and learning from you.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and God in eBook or paperback. If you want a daily dose of God's grace, 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.

Learning to Be Satisfied - Martin Wiles

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 NLT

One chose to stay on the farm; the other chose city life. One was satisfied; the other, well...

When my mom was a junior in high school, she chose to leave her family farm and marry my dad. Her new life would take her away from her country upbringing and plant her in cities and rural areas for the remainder of her life. Mom’s sister, however, married a Navy man and chose to build their home next to her parents and remain on the family farm—a place she stayed until her death.

My grandparents’ old homeplace was sold for a negligible amount—and it seemed the same would happen to my aunt’s home. But her oldest son stepped in and decided he and his wife would make it their retirement home. All the hunting, fishing, and golf he could stand would surround him. Sadly, he died soon thereafter from a heart attack, and the home passed into a stranger’s hands.

I always envied my cousins, growing up with open land all around them. Hunting, fishing, romping through the woods. Having pets wasn’t a problem. Leash laws didn’t exist. Being able to raise chickens, cows, hogs, and anything else they wanted without having to wonder where they’d put them or if the smell would offend the neighbors. They lived a carefree, down-to-earth lifestyle.

Because Mom and Dad chose city and small-town life, I had to endure it as well. Although it has its conveniences, I still miss the open land and the perks of country living.

I’ve also been known to envy those God is using, wishing he’d use me the same way. Paul reminded the early believers that the church was like a body. Each part has a specific function, and they fit together perfectly. When one piece is out of whack, the entire body is affected.

Curbing my jealousy is an ongoing lesson God must teach me. Instead of envying what he does in other believers’ lives, we must learn to enjoy what he does in ours, as well as rejoice in what he does in others’ lives. We’re not in competition but in cahoots with other believers. Our job is not to fuss and fight but to work together to accomplish God’s work in this world. He gives us unique opportunities and personalities. Even when we share the same gift as another person, we will use it differently.

Rather than envying someone else’s gift, use yours to fulfill God’s plan for you.

Father, thank you for giving me unique gifts and opportunities. Help me to use them faithfully in your service.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and God in eBook or paperback. If you want a daily dose of God's grace, 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 Clean Fingerprints - Martin Wiles

WISHING ALL OUR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. 

Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean.” John 13:10 NLT

“Fingerprints all over the place.” Of course, how to clean the fingerprints involved another story.

My oldest grandson called the dirty storm door to my attention as he and his younger brother stood looking over the back yard. What he failed to mention was that both were the reason for the smudges. At the time, we kept them five days a week, so keeping the door clean was an exercise in futility—as it is now, since their number has grown to four.

“Handprints are more like it,” I snickered.

“You need to clean it, Pop,” he said.

A Type A personality like myself, he couldn’t stand dirt—or smudges. I walked by and left the door alone. Since we planned to move in a couple of weeks, I had even more reason to ignore the grimy handprints. But when I decided to clean the door—just before we moved—I didn’t replace the entire door. I just took out the window cleaner and cleaned the glass portion.

Jesus proposed a similar scenario to his disciples. They didn’t need to wash all over—just their feet. They were fully cleansed when they believed in him and decided to be his followers. Now they merely needed a daily sponge bath.

At nine years of age, I decided to do what these early disciples did—trust Jesus as my Savior. Dad explained the gospel message of how Jesus died for my sins. I believed and invited Christ into my life. In that moment, he cleansed me all over. Past, present, and future sins were washed away. The price Jesus paid on Calvary for humanity’s sins was applied to me.

But what about the daily fingerprints that come from putting our hands where they don’t belong—like my grandchildren? They won’t send us to hell because Jesus’ blood has covered them. They will, however, interfere with our spiritual vision as the fingerprints on the door clouded the view of the backyard. Confession will clear away the smudges. Our acknowledgement of our failures and sins is what Jesus referred to when he mentioned daily foot-washing.

Make confession a daily practice. Doing so is good for the soul and will keep your feet clean—and remove the smudges from the doors so interaction between the Savior and you can be open and transparent.

Father, keep me free from sin smudges so I can hear you clearly when you speak.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and God in eBook or paperback. If you want a daily dose of God's grace, 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.

Managing Cuckoo Burrows - Martin Wiles

Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn. Matthew 13:30 NLT

Managing cuckoo burrows was a new experience for me in farm life.

Visiting my maternal grandparents on the farm was always enjoyable. Every day was a new adventure, doing things I had never experienced in the city. Along with my cousin, I’d pile into my grandfather’s blue Chevy truck and head to the farm.

As my grandfather rode down the dirt roads dividing the cotton fields, he pointed out cuckoo burrows. These invaders were thorny weeds that often grew alongside the cotton. They were easy to spot as they matured. And when my grandfather did, he’d send my grandmother, my cousin, or me into the fields to pull them up.

“Be careful not to pull up the cotton,” he’d caution. Sometimes, this challenged me because they grew so close together.

Jesus once said something similar when asked if weeds should be pulled from the wheat field. Unlike my grandfather, he said to leave them until the harvest time. Then they would be separated into their respective places.

Like the tares of Jesus’ day, these weeds represented things that shouldn’t be in the cotton field. If left alone, they would take over, preventing the cotton plant from growing and producing as my grandfather intended.

Cuckoo burrows represent things that shouldn’t be in our lives. Left there, they will stunt our spiritual growth or even keep us from Christ in the beginning. Sinful choices and relationships invite thorns into our lives. Some aren’t sinful; they merely interfere with our service to Christ. Like my grandfather, Christ tells me to pull them up.

Ridding our lives of prickly invaders takes intentional effort. I could have looked at them in the cotton field all day long, but they would never have gone away. I had to leave the truck, walk into the field, and remove them. Cuckoo burrows interfere with our being the salt and light Jesus wants us to be in this world. Spiritual disciplines spread poison on them.

Ask God to show you your cuckoo burrows. Then pull them up so you can be successful in your work for Him.

Father, thank you for giving me the power to rid my life of anything that hinders my witness and service to you.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and God in eBook or paperback. If you want a daily dose of God's grace, 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.

Garden Conversations with the Creator - Martin Wiles

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 

~Genesis 3:8 NLT

Walking in the garden was a Sunday-afternoon tradition, but it was nothing like garden conversations with the Creator.

Edisto Gardens is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the only town the 250-mile-long Edisto River passes through. The river is one of only a few Blackwater rivers—so named because decaying vegetation falls into the river, giving it a black appearance. A smaller pond filled with fish and turtles idles near a rose garden where prize roses show off their sparkling blooms. Several paths meander on either side of the paved road, snaking through the middle of the gardens. Moss-covered oaks keep most of the garden shaded. Several small covered sheds provide a place to rest for those who want to sit and admire the beauty.

When I was a small boy, my paternal grandfather took me there every Sunday afternoon. It was our alone time. We stopped in the sheds so I could read the names of those who had disobeyed park rules and carved their names in the wood. We ambled along the river’s edge to the waterwheel. It served no purpose but continued turning as if it did. And my granddaddy held my hand as I walked along the rock wall, trying to maintain my balance. Spending time in the garden with my grandfather was always enjoyable.

Walking in the cool of the Garden of Eden with God must have been even more enjoyable for Adam and Eve. Wondering how two people could walk with God—or questioning whether he was physically present —misses the point. They had garden conversations with the Creator. How long this continued before the tempter showed up, we can’t be sure. I suppose growing older interrupted my walks with my grandfather. Disobedience did for the first couple.

God wants nothing more than to enjoy these garden walks with us. It begins when we accept what Jesus did on Calvary’s cross, and it continues through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers. Sin, misplaced priorities, busyness, and any number of other things can disrupt our garden walks, but they don’t have to.

Although God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden, he still walked with them when they confessed and sought reconciliation. He’ll do the same for us when we copy their behavior.

Don’t let anything interfere with your garden conversations with the Creator.

Father, thank you for your willingness to walk with me daily. 

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.