Keeping the Vessel Clean - Martin Wiles

If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21 NLT

Keeping silver clean is no easy job.

As one-time antique dealers—and as recipients of my mother’s silver--my wife and I know a little about silver. One, it’s valuable, and two, keeping it clean is challenging. Before my mother gave us her silver flatware set, she would sit for hours, shining each piece until she could see her reflection in the forks, spoons, and butter knives. Then she separated the various utensils and placed them in a plastic bag where air could not touch them. So far, we have kept them in the same zip lock bags she placed them in. We know if we expose the set to air, we’ll soon have to repeat what she did before she gave them to us.

We’ve also owned silver tea sets, which we displayed on antique buffets. When shined, they made an attractive addition to our antique furniture. But after a short period, tarnish crept over each piece. We either had to polish them and put them away or leave them out and shine them every few months. Leaving them out and tarnished wasn’t a choice. Doing so ruined the look of our décor.

God requires purity to use us. Exposing silver to air means it will turn and eventually require cleaning. Living in the world exposes us to sin, whether we want it to or not. Even monks and nuns who withdraw from everyday life and environments still face the inner pull of sin. Cleaning silver can be challenging. So can keeping ourselves pure and holy.

Maintaining purity is easier when we recognize that we possess an inner power that enables us to be successful—the Spirit of God within us. Holiness is not something we can accomplish on our own, but it is possible when we allow God to perform it in us.

Just as silver exposed to air requires regular cleaning, so does maintaining holiness. If we neglect tending to holy living, the tarnish of sin will take over. But if we spend time in spiritual disciplines and make obeying God’s commands a priority, our vessels will remain pure.

Do whatever it takes to keep your vessel clean.

Father, I depend on your Spirit’s power to help me keep my vessel pure so I can be ready to be used by you. 

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Filtering Life - Martin Wiles

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:1 NLT

I met him on an informational walk on the Foothills Trail—a thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail.

Meeting and talking with a thru-hiker excited me. As he discussed his adventure, he related the only time he had to leave the trail. He had visited a trail shelter where trail angels left fresh fruit in a nearby stream. Without thinking, he lunged into an apple without washing it. He soon found himself suffering from giardia from water bacteria and sidelined from the trail for a few days of misery.

I’ve never drunk unfiltered water from creeks, lakes, or streams without filtering it. Spending the money required for a dependable filtering source is worth the effort, as is ensuring I replace the filter and clean it regularly.

Filtering life’s experiences isn’t quite as easy as filtering water. All I must do with water is place the filter in the water source and pump. What comes into my drinking canister is at least 99% pure. The chances I’ll be infected are slim. Not so with filtering life. Life’s experiences vary in intensity and probability, and advice on how to face them is plentiful.

The psalmist concluded everything he said about God with the refrain, “His (God’s) faithful love endures forever.” This is a dependable filtering system. Whatever comes our way, we can rest assured that God’s faithful love for us endures forever.

God doesn’t filter his love through our behavior. If he did, most wouldn’t experience it regularly. Instead, he filters his love through his nature—which is love. While his nature also encompasses holiness—which involves his divine wrath against sin—his nature is to love all people, good and bad.

God’s Word is the only reliable filtering source. Other sources may or may not allow bacteria that could taint how we respond to a particular life experience. As the psalmist used God’s revealed Word throughout his life journey to filter his experiences, we, too, can find there a source of instruction and encouragement to help us filter life. When filtered through God’s Word, unpleasant life experiences will lose the potential to infect us with bitterness, anger, confusion, unbelief, and doubt.

Change your perspective on life experiences by filtering them through God’s Word.

Father, when difficulties come my way, lead me to filter them through the teachings of your Word. 

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Chewing on Sin- Martin Wiles

Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? 1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT

Nasty. Repulsive. Although he doesn’t know what an adjective is, I could tell these two were circling in his mind.

I remember when my wife introduced one of our grandsons to table food. Baby food just wasn’t doing the trick anymore. He wanted the real thing whenever he sat down at the table with us to eat.

One night, my wife cooked a spread of vegetables—broccoli among them. Since his older brother loved broccoli, we assumed he might. Additionally, it was healthy. My wife mashed up a small piece and placed it in his mouth. His expression was priceless. Not a smile that said, “Give me more,” but a contorted scowl that sent us rolling with laughter. Though he continued to chew on and then swallow it, he didn’t enjoy it.

Paul reminds us our bodies are temples of God’s Spirit. He took up residence when we trusted Jesus as our Savior. God’s Old Testament temple was a holy place. Not just anyone or anything could enter, and certainly nothing sinful. Since our bodies are now temples, nothing should change.

Most of what we chew, we swallow. If it’s nasty or repulsive, we typically spit it out. But I have been known to swallow some things I shouldn’t have and some I didn’t enjoy. Regardless of what I swallow, it comes out through the digestive process. Jesus says what we swallow through our senses will also.

Chewing on sinful tendencies, explorations, and thoughts should produce the same contorted expression I witnessed on my grandson. But rather than swallow them as he did the broccoli, we should spit them out. Actually, we should never taste them in the first place. If we ingest them, they will pollute our temples and come out in ways that offend God.

The best way to keep from chewing on sin is never to taste it in the first place. God’s Word tells us what spiritual food is and isn’t beneficial. All we have to do is read the menu. Though pleasurable for the moment, sinful food will never produce anything of lasting value.

Chew on God’s Word and get the nutrition you need.

Father, guide me to the spiritual nourishment that will ensure godly living. 

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Smelling Good for God - Martin Wiles

Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:15 NLT

Having once been antique collectors and dealers--and still loving antiques--my wife and I love the smell of “old.”

But how does old smell? Perhaps only those who deal with old things can tell. When I open a book published in the 1800’s, I smell old. When I bought an old oak desk and brought it home, I opened the drawers to the aroma of “old.”

“Smell this,” I said to my wife.

I remember when I inherited my mother’s first china cabinet. My wife opened the bottom two cabinets and said, “This smells old.”

Although we like things that smell old, we don’t necessarily want our home to smell old. And it can’t because it’s not old. My wife has air fresheners or warmers in almost every room. Various fragrances float through the air, touching every piece of furniture and clothes. We don’t necessarily perceive it, but if we leave home and go somewhere else, we notice our clothes smell like our house.

Paul says our lives are a Christ-like fragrance that ascends to God. Just as my wife and I have fragrances we adore—old being one of them—God also does. There are some air fresheners we won’t buy because the aroma repels us. God has special fragrances He enjoys, too. Not all aromas that rise to Him will receive a “That smells good” response.

God loves the fragrance of holiness. He is holy, and He expects the same aroma from His children. While He gives us the fragrance of righteousness (holiness) when we trust Christ as our Savior, we must put forth effort and rely on God’s Spirit to emit that fragrance regularly. Holiness doesn’t happen automatically. We must transfer our position into holiness by practice.

Only by entirely depending on God’s power and placing ourselves around those things and people that discharge holiness can we ever hope to smell good for God. Those emitting the same aroma as us will enjoy a similar fragrance, but those emitting sinful aromas will most likely not appreciate our smell. When smelling good for God, we will always face opposition.

Pay attention daily to what type of fragrance you emit.

Father, remind me of whom I represent so I can release a fragrance that pleases You and points others to You. 

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Unleash the Holy - Martin Wiles

When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant. Exodus 29:35 NLT

They called him “deac,” but he wasn’t one. Still, he could unleash the holy.

By usual standards, my paternal grandfather didn’t have an impressive build. At five-foot-six inches and 165 pounds, he was comparatively small. But what he lacked in stature, he made up for in godliness.

On one trip to visit him and my grandmother, my father told me how people called my grandfather deac—short for deacon. Interestingly, he wasn’t a deacon, but they associated him with the position because of his godly behavior. He wasn’t a vocal man or unusually bold in sharing his faith. He didn’t have to be. What he held onto on the inside naturally oozed out in his actions and speech.

My grandfather himself told me of a time when he visited a local diner across the street from his house. As he drank his coffee, another of the usual customers sat beside him. The waitress took the man’s order and said, “Oh, I have a joke to tell you—but not until Mr. Boyce leaves.” My grandfather’s life unleashed the holiness in him.

After Moses visited with God on Mount Sinai, he lumbered down the mountain to tell the people what God had revealed. Unknown to Moses, his face shone because he had been in the Lord’s presence. So brightly, in fact, that his brother and the others feared approaching him.

As believers, God has set us apart and instructed us to be holy, even as He is holy. Doing so doesn’t entail walking around with a snobby attitude, imagining we’re better than anyone else. It simply means remembering who we are and who we represent. God has given us the righteousness of Christ, and our goal should entail reflecting that to others.

Living in a world that is often hostile to Christianity means that unleashing the holy takes conscious effort. Fear, neglect, and busyness can keep it leashed if we’re not careful. But when we remember and nurture the person we are inside, holy living will naturally be unleashed to run free on the outside.

How are you unleashing the holy?

Father, give me strength to let my light for You shine brightly before others. 

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Hating the Holy - Martin Wiles

Don’t give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. Matthew 7:6 NLT

As far as he knew, he was the only Christian in his office.

John was fresh out of college and had just taken a promising job in his hometown. Not ashamed that he was a believer, he quickly decorated his small cubicle with Christian décor. Imagine his surprise when his boss approached him and told him to remove it. The excitement over his new opportunity soon digressed as the antagonism against him progressed. The actions and words of his co-workers demonstrated they hated the holy. He stayed, though, and continued to cast pearls before them.

I’ve owned a few hogs in my lifetime. They are avid eaters and cared for nothing except food and slop to eat, dirt to root in, and a mud hole to wallow in. Had I thrown anything of value in the pen along with their food, they would have trampled it. Trying to give them what they didn’t care about would have wasted my time.

Jesus wasn’t giving a command to pig farmers. Nor was he teaching we shouldn’t share with those who are unreceptive. Instead, he warned about what to expect when we toss the gospel to those who aren’t interested . . . to those content with their evil ways.

Selfishness and contentment with filth are in a hog’s nature. But there is good in the hog when the dirt is washed away—everything, in fact, some say, except the squeal.

Changing a hog’s nature is almost impossible. Changing ours is impossible, too. Like the hog, we’re quite content to wallow in the filth of sin and disobedience. I, too, have cast pearls before some people who had no interest.

God, however, can give anyone a new nature—a nature that loves pearls and all things holy . . . a heart that drives us toward obedience to God’s commands rather than mud.

Wisdom is necessary to know where to cast our pearls. While everyone needs to hear about God’s love, allowing God to guide us helps us throw them where they will reap the most results.

If God has changed your hate for the holy, how can you cast that same pearl before others?

Father, give us wisdom to cast the pearl of the gospel where it will garner the most fruit. 

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Jeremiah Wasn’t a Bullfrog

I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. Romans 12:1 NLT

I tried to tell him Jeremiah wasn’t a bullfrog, but he wouldn’t listen.

One of Three Dog Night’s more famous songs—that wasn’t supposed to be—was “Joy to the World.” What made it famous was the opening line: “Jeremiah was a bullfrog.” As a child of the ’60s and ’70s, I naturally loved the song. My dad, on the other hand, a self-proclaimed fundamentalist preacher, hated it as much as I esteemed it. In his mind, the song made fun of the biblical prophet Jeremiah.

According to one band member, the original line to what they planned as a silly kid’s song was “Jeremiah was a prophet.” Perhaps Dad was right. The song's writer, however, said, "Jeremiah was an expedient of the time. I had the chorus for three months. I took a drink of wine, leaned on the speaker, and said, 'Jeremiah was a bullfrog.'"

Whether the song was written to make fun of the prophet or not seems uncertain. What is certain is that my dad was doing his dead-level best to obey what Paul wrote. He wanted his body and mind to be pure and holy before God. Listening to things that were sacrilegious wasn’t permissible for him, and he didn’t want me to either. That might also explain why he rarely visited a movie theater or watched anything but the old flicks on television—the ones produced before cursing and overt sexual content were allowed. 

Even at a young age, I thought Dad might have gone a little overboard, but I admire anyone who stands firmly for what they believe. And he did. Convictions are essential to life. Without them, I’m blown about like a tumbleweed. While I didn’t always share my father’s beliefs, I admired the fact that he had them and watched his example to manufacture my own.

I still doubt the song was making fun of the biblical prophet, but the controversy taught me that some things and people will attempt to lead me away from God’s standards. Only by establishing convictions built on God’s Word can I remain on the straight and narrow path God wants me to walk.

How are your convictions impacting your life?

Father, grant us the courage to establish convictions based on the teachings of Your Word.

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Meandering Monday - Walking into the Holy - Martin Wiles

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

Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. Hebrews 9:3 NLT

Before the contestants were three doors—or actually curtains—Door 1, Door 2, and Door 3.

Which one to choose was the gamble. Monty Hall co-created and co-produced the original television show Let’s Make a Deal. Contestants played various games and were offered chances to trade their winnings for the possibility of something more valuable.

The Big Deal came at the end of each show, and the top winners were offered the chance to trade their prizes for what was behind one of the doors. Those who took the chance could possibly win the Big Deal of the day, which might be a car, boat, vacation, furniture, appliances, or any combination thereof. Some were pleased with their choice after the curtains opened while others wished they had kept their original winnings.

Two rooms comprised the tabernacle God instructed Moses to construct after the Israelites left Egyptian slavery: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. A curtain separated the rooms. Ordinary priests were allowed in the first, but only the high priest could enter the second—and that only once each year. The Ark of the Covenant, which represented the presence of God, resided in this sacred room. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest confessed the sins of the people and begged for God’s forgiveness.

Happily, no doors or curtains presently separate us from God. The curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross. Our sin debt was paid, thereby removing the barrier between us and God. Now we are priests in our own right. God gives us the privilege and loving invitation to enter boldly and confidently into his presence as often as we desire. His guidance, love, and listening ear are available regardless of the time or our location.

Nothing separates us from God’s love unless we voluntarily or rebelliously erect it. How often are you walking into the holy?

Prayer: Father, thank You for making it possible for us to enter Your presence at any time and any place. 

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The Wrong Word the Wrong Way - Martin Wiles

You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. Exodus 20:7 NLT

The wrong word in the wrong context conveys the wrong message.

As a Language Arts teacher and freelance editor, I see students and writers confuse several groups of words. Among them: they’re, their, there; wear and where; let’s and lets; and your and you’re.

My attempted solution to get students to use the correct word is to make them write sentences using the various words in the correct context. Even then, they sometimes continue to make mistakes. 

Seasoned writers occasionally use the wrong word too. When editing their articles, I simply make the correction and move on without telling them. I assume they know better but just didn’t catch the error when proofing their work.

God warned about misusing a word too: His name. Doing so would being punishment.

Dad always taught me that saying the really bad curse word, the GD word, broke this command. So even when I was a rebelling teenager who cussed like a sailor, I avoided that word. Doing so crossed a line I didn’t want to cross. God might strike me dead.

As I matured spiritually, I came to understand there were many other ways I could misuse the Lord’s name without saying that word. Such as not speaking up for God when I encountered situations where I should have. Not reflecting the light Jesus said I was as His child. Instead of correcting friends, or strangers, when they did or said things that violated God’s principles, I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to lose friends—or be thought of as a Jesus freak.

I also came to understand I could misuse the Lord’s name in my thoughts. Thinking was just as bad as doing. I discovered this when I read and studied Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. If I thought a curse word, I was as guilty as if I had said it. Thinking words that misused God’s name but substituting another word that technically wasn’t a curse word placed me in the same camp.

Making unwise or sinful choices or walking around with a negative attitude misused God’s name before others too. Doing these things demonstrated I didn’t think God could give me the wisdom to make good choices or that I didn’t really think He controlled my circumstances.

God’s name is holy. Let Him give you the power not to misuse it in your speech or actions.

Prayer: Father, may we keep Your name holy in the things we do and say.

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Thinking God’s Thoughts - Martin Wiles

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them? Psalm 8:3-4 NLT

Thinking the right thoughts makes the difference between happiness and misery.

I’ve flown in foggy conditions, watched as the pilot took the plane upward, and marveled at how blue the sky was once we got above the clouds. I’ve also lain on the ground, looked upward, and marveled at the different shapes of the clouds.

I’ve sat on mountaintops and marveled at how far I could see. Peak after peak, rising into the sky in a seemingly endless range. I’ve also perched on mountaintops when the clouds were so thick I couldn’t see the next peak. But I could see clouds dancing between the peaks and carousing through the valleys.

Nature is a marvel. The psalmist thought so too. He had been a shepherd and spent many nights looking at the expanse of stars. No city lights existed to interfere with his view. He saw planets he didn’t know existed. When he had finished marveling over God’s creation, he thought of how small he appeared. What was he that God would even think about him?

But God did think a lot of humanity. So much so that He made them a little lower than Himself and the angels. He created them in His image. While we aren’t a carbon copy of God, we are more like Him than we are like plants and animals. We can think, reason, feel, and control our actions.

Sin spoiled God’s purpose for humanity. He knew we would sin before He created us, but His desire for relationship was worth the risk. He had another plan. Although Satan would think he had won, God’s plan was far superior to Satan’s. God would allow His only Son to pay our sin debt.

Accepting what Christ has done for me allows me to think God’s thoughts about me and leads to a radical change in my emotional conception of myself and others. God’s image in me is reborn. God works in my daily affairs to make me more like His Son in actions and words. I am no longer under His condemnation. Christ has set me free. God the Father sees me clothed in His Son’s righteousness. He sends His Spirit to continually indwell my life, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Think the same thoughts about yourself that God thinks. Doing so will change your life’s outlook.

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Prayer: Father, may our thoughts about ourselves mirror Your’s and prompt us to be the people You formed us to be. 

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