Walk-on Wednesday - No Laziness Allowed - 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. 

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12 NIV

Laziness wasn’t allowed in my home of origin.

As a first-born child, my parents were out to make me responsible. Early on, I was given chores: take out the trash, help with the dishes, make my bed, clean my room. At twelve, I was using my parents’ push mower to cut neighbors’ yards for a small sum. When I turned fourteen, my grandfather procured me a job as a bag boy at a local supermarket. As an added source of funds, I also cleaned the church my father pastored. As soon as I graduated high school, I entered the world of full-time work and have been there ever since. There are days when I feel like being lazy—and am—but most of my time is consumed with work and doing other things I enjoy. Sitting around isn’t my style.

My parents didn’t appreciate laziness, and it appears from this verse and many others that God doesn’t look favorably upon it either. Yes, there is a time for rest—God demonstrated that by taking a day off when he had finished the work of creation—but the norm is for us to work diligently.

Although I’ve never been lazy where it concerns secular work, there have been periods when I’ve been lazy with God’s business. Those times when I just didn’t feel like attending church, reading my Bible, saying my prayers, visiting the sick, checking on the shut-ins, teaching a class, monitoring the nursery, etc. And, of course, when my attitude sours, it becomes increasingly difficult to share or live out my faith. Inviting someone to know Christ with a sour attitude and a face to match usually isn’t inviting.

Just as physical laziness will affect our health, spiritual laziness will bear on our spiritual health. There are days when we won’t feel like going to work, but we must go anyway. And there will be times when Satan discourages us from doing God’s work, but we must maintain the course, knowing that our labor for God is crucial and will be rewarded by him.

Has an attitude of laziness stolen your joy and your effectiveness for God?

Prayer: God of glory and grace, when an attitude of laziness steals our effectiveness for You, redirect our minds and hands to the work before us. 

Tweetable: What helps you overcome laziness? 

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Sharing the Story

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the final report. The tale had grown, and the details were altered.

You’ve probably played the game. Everyone sits in a circle, and the first person tells something to the next individual. The story is repeated until it travels full circle with the last person telling the entire group. Inevitably, it will vary from the original. Which explains why in life we often alter details or get them incorrect…and not necessarily on purpose.

But one story never changes and shouldn’t be altered. Read more...

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Devoted to God

He was passionate about his passions, and his dedication resulted in excellence.

Dad was devoted to his favorite hobby…woodworking. He could take a raw piece of wood and turn it into anything he wanted…eventually. Since he was a perfectionist in everything he did, he would have never made a profit selling his wares. Every inch was sanded to perfection, each nail or screw head disguised, every edge flush to point, and each piece varnished to a perfect shine. If there was a flaw, you’d never discover it. Read more...

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Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Control or Controlled

When I saw the “Hot Now” neon sign, all sense of self-control vanished. I had to have one. The heck with calories and sugar levels.

My wife and I were ushering Mom to a Christmas concert. As our car crept up to the parking lot and we prepared to park, I couldn’t help but notice what lay lit up across the street. A Krispy Kreme doughnut shop…freshly built…with the all-important neon sign shouting an essential message for lovers of dough, sugar and fillings. We immediately made plans to visit as soon as the concert concluded. I enjoyed the music, but my mouth watered for what followed. And I wasn’t disappointed. One dozen was just enough for the ride home and breakfast the following two mornings. A classic picture of self-control’s absence. Read more...

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God’s Rewards - Martin Wiles

To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. Matthew 13:12 NLT

His comment came during one of the most taxing times of a school year.

As I stood outside of my doorway during the changing of classes, a young man—who I had previously taught, passed my way. I normally speak to him first, but this day he spoke first. “Dr. Wiles, you were hard on us, but it paid off in the end.”

His comment shocked me. Rarely do we teachers hear remarks like this while students are still in school. Perhaps during graduation speeches or after they enter college, but not while they are still under our tutelage.  

I smiled a large smile, thinking this was one of his normal smart remarks he was known for, and said, “I’m glad.”

With an even larger smile, he remarked, “I’m serious.” 

This interaction was one of those rare occurrences when a teacher receives confirmation they are doing a good job at what they do. I thanked him for his comment. The remainder of my hectic day took on a new shape. I had been rewarded—not monetarily, but in a way money couldn’t buy. 

Wanting rewards for things we do is normal. Never receiving recognition for anything leads to a miserable existence. Jesus’ disciples were rewarded with something many others weren’t: the ability to understand the parables He taught. When they didn’t, He explained them. 

God’s greatest reward is the assurance of salvation and comes when we trust in what Jesus did on Calvary’s cross and follow Him as our Savior. The work God assigns to His children can be challenging. 

Some of the work He has given me taxed my ability to cope, understand, and carry it out. But God rewards our good works. He gives more opportunities in the present and promises crowns in the future. 

Regardless of how He rewards, I must always remember to praise Him for any accomplishments that result. I can do all things through Christ—but nothing worthy apart from Him.

While good works don’t produce salvation, they should result when forgiveness of sins has occurred. They are the proof in the pudding. Using them to serve God in new and fresh ways—and as a way to say “Thank You” for His salvation—is the only wise thing to do. 

What are you doing with the rewards God has given you?

Prayer: Father, move us to serve You faithfully as we anticipate the rewards You will give for our obedient service. 

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Loving the Right Things - Martin Wiles

Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love the Father in you. 1 John 2:15 NLT

Growing up, I never doubted what my parents loved.

First and foremost, Dad was a pastor, so he loved doing what made him good at it. He spent hours in his office at home and at church studying the Bible, reading commentaries, praying, and listening to God. 

Dad also had hobbies he enjoyed. Squirrel hunting was one. As soon as I was old enough, he bought me a small shotgun, and we began hunting. Several Saturdays during the month, we found ourselves in the woods waiting on the tree runners to appear. 

Later in life, Dad took up woodworking. By the time of his death, he had become very proficient at what he did. He built items for his children and grandchildren. He even left Mom with an oak bedroom set that still adorns her room to this day. 

Mom also demonstrated what she loved: music. Every church my father pastored she led the music. If she didn’t when he first went there, she would soon thereafter. It wasn’t uncommon to find her at the piano on Saturday nights practicing what she or the choir would be singing on Sundays. 

John cautioned first century Christians to make it evident what they loved also. He instructed them not to love the evil world or the things in it but rather God and the things He loved. 

My actions shout my priorities. They shouldn’t reflect a love for the evil world but only the world minus all its evil manifestations. I can love nature, but I shouldn’t worship it—only its Creator. I can love animals but not at the expense of other humans—or even to the degree where I place them on the same scale as another human being. 

The evil world only offers physical pleasure but can’t penetrate our spiritual frame or satisfy its deepest needs. Only God can dwell there. Every person was created for a connection to the Holy and to the holy things He represents. Only when we love Him and what He loves can we be all He created us to be. Things may bring temporal enjoyment, but they’ll never bring eternal satisfaction. 

Let God teach you to love the things He loves—things that are pure, lovely, true, honorable, right, excellent, and worthy of praise. 

Prayer: Father, create in us a love for those things You love so that we might enjoy living life to the fullest. 

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Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Lifelong Productivity

Spring. Trees budding. Flowers blooming. Freshly plowed fields embedded with fruit-bearing seed. Youthful vigor. The sun’s warming rays. Life at its finest. Invincibility. 

Summer. Unbearable heat. Incipient fruit dangling from trees awaiting fall. Busyness. Too much to do and too little time to do it in. Misplaced priorities. Mislaid focus. Life is good. Read more...

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Determination Delivers - Martin Wiles

He would call out from his bedroom, “Don’t bother me. The door is locked, and we are all in bed. I can’t help you this time.” Luke 11: 7 NLT

They were our next door neighbors, and they loved Christmas. 

The first church I pastored was a small congregation located several miles out in the country. Our next door neighbors were a retired pastor and his family. Though it was only him, his wife, and their adult daughter, they had a large extended family. When the Christmas holidays arrived, so did all the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. 

The old farmhouse was spacious but not enough for each of them to have their own rooms and beds. No problem. They loved family, wanted them there, and stacked them on the floor like cordwood. Getting up at night for a visit to the bathroom or kitchen could be treacherous. But no one complained. They enjoyed being together for the holidays and wouldn’t have thought about holding up in a motel. Determination to be together led them to re-arrange the house so all could find a place to sleep.  

The friend who had a friend visit at midnight in search of food for a friend who had showed up at his house met a similar scenario. Getting up would have meant disturbing his wife, kids, and animals. But the knocking friend wouldn’t go away or take no for an answer. His determination won the day…and the food. 

Determination demonstrates my sincerity and moves me forward in God’s work. The midnight caller was determined to find food for his friend who had called at a late hour. Societal rules demanded this courtesy. Had this friend refused him, he would have tried another. Our neighbors were equally determined to find room for their large family. When I’m determined, I’ll do more for God, not less, and He won’t have to beg me to work for Him. 

Determination is usually met with rewards. It was for the friend at midnight. Now he wouldn’t have to return to his house and cook for this midnight caller. Although our determination is sometimes overlooked in life, God says He will reward our faithful, sincere service now and in the hereafter. 

God is determined to carry out His plan for our lives and this world. He wants us to be equally determined to do our best for Him. How determined are you in your work for God?
  
Prayer: Father, increase our determination to do our best for You. 

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As Industrious as Ants - Martin Wiles

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Proverbs 6:6 NLT

Though only a block away, it was too far for him to walk. 

The year my son began high school, we moved to a rented home just across the street. All he had to do was walk out the front door, cross the road, and immediately he would be on the school grounds. I thought, This will be convenient. I didn’t know my son. Although a hard worker now, he wasn’t the most industrious person then. He didn’t care to walk. I’d rather ride the bus, he said. And he did. Instead of walking a block, he chose to board the bus at 6 a.m. 

Neither did he care to walk home. He chose to ride the bus again and not get home until 5 p. m. In my mind, it was the epitome of laziness. Why would one want to be gone from the house for 11 hours when it only had to be seven? Had he walked home, he could have had his homework completed earlier. And had he walked to school, he could have slept for another hour. 

I’ve never observed a lazy ant. Had they been, my yard would not have been infested, I wouldn’t have gotten stung, and I wouldn’t have had to spend untold dollars on ant poison. Ants are continually working…gathering food…building mounds. 

My parents weren’t lazy and didn’t allow me to be. From an early age, I was given chores. As a result, I became an industrious adult and passed along the same lessons to my two children—though it took a while for them to stick in at least one of them. 

God’s work has no room for laziness. Jesus says the harvest is plentiful. There are millions who need to hear about Him and millions more who need a closer and more serious walk with Him. God has given believers the task of changing the world…of actually turning it upside down by permeating it with a different kind of love—His love. Time is slipping away. His coming is nearer than it was. The need is urgent. Laziness won’t accomplish the task. 

If God’s work for you is just across the road, don’t take the bus. Walk the block. 

Prayer: Father, give us the desire to be eager to do Your Kingdom’s work.

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