Getting the Big Head - Martin Wiles

Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill. Numbers 20:11 NLT

Henry was a close friend of my father’s, but they were different. Dad was quiet and reserved; Henry was outgoing and comical. Dad held post-graduate degrees; Henry never made it out of college. Dad held no position in his state denomination, while Henry had moved up in the ranks. Dad was a relatively unknown pastor. Henry was known by most and had served for many years as the parliamentarian for his denomination on the state level. But Henry never got the big head. Regardless of how important the people were whom he hobnobbed with, he remained the same old Henry. He must have known that getting a big head can push us away from God and others.

Moses forgot how to be humble. God had chosen him to lead the Israelites from Egyptian slavery to the Promised Land. He also gave him the power to perform miracles. One was striking a rock with his staff. When he did, water gushed out for the thirsty people. But on this occasion, God told him to merely speak to the rock. Moses, full of himself and angry at stubborn people, hit the rock instead. God doesn’t appreciate orneriness and politely informed Moses he had forfeited his chance to lead the captives into the Promised Land.

The Bible doesn’t use the word big head, but it does use the word pride—and they’re identical. When pride infiltrates our lives, life becomes about us. Initially, Moses wanted nothing to do with the assignment of freeing the captives, but as time moved on, he thought more of himself than he should.

Pride leads us to distrust God, causing us to make poor decisions. No inherent power resided in Moses’ staff. Trust in God made the staff work—along with anything else God told him to use. Many of my poor decisions have been selfish and made in a moment when I failed to let God guide me.

God has a way of shrinking our heads when they get too big. He shrunk Moses’ by taking away the privilege of living in the Promised Land. He’s used various methods on me as well. But God isn’t in the head-shrinking business because He’s mean. He simply wants us to trust in him instead of in ourselves.

When your head gets too big, let God remind you about who you are without Him.

Father, remind me daily that I am nothing without you. 

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When Dogs Are Coons - Martin Wiles

For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it. Ephesians 5:8 NLT

 

A deep growl reverberated from the terra cotta pipe extending under our driveway. But when dogs are coons, I get a little confused. 

 

I was a middle school student living in Jackson, Tennessee. As a couple of neighborhood boys and I played in my front yard near the road, we suddenly heard a deep growl from a roadside pipe. I quickly called Mom, and we all began calling what we imagined was a dog stuck in the pipe. When the calling didn’t work, we tried a little food to entice this frightened little pup. What emerged wasn’t a pup, though. We all stepped back when a raccoon walked out.

 

According to Paul’s philosophy, no one should mistake a child of God. Before Christ, we are sinners under God’s condemnation. After receiving Christ’s forgiveness, he fills us with the light of his love. As a result, our growls should make it clear to everyone that we belong to the Lord. But some things can lead others to mistake our identity.

Watch the Lifestyle 

Mistaken identity will occur when I’m out of step with God’s plan for my lifestyle. I was there during my teenage years. I was a pastor’s son who didn’t want his friends to think he was a goody-two-shoes. So I lived as they did, and, sadly, most of them never knew I was a Christian. A holy lifestyle will always give away who we are, but a wicked one can disguise our identity.

Watch the Gifts

Our identity can be hidden when we don’t use God’s gifts. All believers have one, and many have more. Using our gifts helps others see whom we belong to.

Watch the Focus

 

When our focus is off, others will also misidentify us. Just as I can’t see clearly when I remove my glasses, I also hide my identity when my priorities are out of focus. What’s important to us reflects who we are to others.

 

Falling in love with Jesus and relishing that relationship helps others identify who we are. Don’t let fear, rebellious living, or misplaced priorities hide your identity.

Father, help me shine my identity brightly to others.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Cheating Death - Martin Wiles

You boast that you have struck a bargain to avoid death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. Isaiah 29:15 NLT

During my teenage years, I often cheated death--or so I thought.

Growing up as a teenager in the 1970s made it easy to rebel. Everyone seemed to be against something. Add to this that I was growing up in the home of a conservative preacher, and it should be easy to understand why I chose to join the rebellious. 

My rebellion took me down the path to bad addictions: tobacco, drugs, alcohol. Like most teens, I thought I was invincible. Although the thought of death frightened me, it didn’t scare me enough to make me change my ways. Driving drunk or drug-intoxicated was the norm on the weekend. How I got home safely without killing myself or someone else is nothing short of a miracle. I cheated death, but only because God had other plans for me. 

Isaiah spoke about death for his listeners who thought they could cheat death. God would send their enemies, and when they came, death would follow. 

I may have cheated death numerous times as a teenager, but I won’t cheat it in the end. If Jesus tarries with his Second Coming, I will walk the way all others have walked. Sickness will overtake me. My organs will finally shut down. A tragedy will strike. Whatever the form, death will strike. 

Death is the great leveler. We may differ from others in social standing, religious beliefs, and other ways, but the ground is level where the end of life is concerned. Science may discover many medical marvels, some of which can extend life, but it will never make a discovery that will prevent death. 

As a teen, I feared death, even while thinking I was unconquerable. Although I don’t enjoy thinking about it now, I no longer fear it. My life is now in God’s hands. He has forgiven my trespasses against him, cleaned the slate, and assured me of a heavenly home. I can now face death with the calm assurance of an eternity with my heavenly Father.

I knew Christ as a teen, but from a distance. Now I know him up close. I cannot cheat death, but I can face it through faith, with the knowledge that I’ll be victorious over it through the resurrection of my body and spirit. 

Don’t think you can cheat death. No one can.

Father, even though I must walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I know you are with me and will protect me.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods 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.

Giving God His Due - Martin Wiles

You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 NLT

How could ninety cents go further than one dollar? According to Dad, however, it was doable.

Two things Dad taught me about money were the importance of saving some and the necessity of giving one-tenth to God. As a child, I only received money from allowances or gifts on Christmas or my birthday. Dad reminded me that I was supposed to give one-tenth to God. He called it tithing and repeated an old adage: “You can’t outgive God.”

I took Dad’s word as truth. When I learned math concepts, I wondered how to buy more with ninety cents than one dollar. But Dad taught me that tithing worked, and so I continued. I tithed ten percent of my income when I began my first part-time job. Dad even taught me that I should tithe from my gross pay, not merely my net. Again, I wondered, Why should I give from what I didn’t receive? After I began working full-time, I continued the practice. Tithing worked. I couldn’t explain it; I simply experienced it.

When we give God his due, we demonstrate our belief that his resources are limitless. He had given me the job and the means to work it and owned every available job and resource. Why should I worry about how I would get by without the ten percent? Believing God can make the ninety percent go further than the one hundred percent is an act of faith—a deed that reminds us that we walk by faith, not sight.

Giving God his due boosts our trust level. We always need the ten percent to pay bills. In fact, we need more than ten percent. Yet, God still wants us to give him the ten percent—and sometimes more. Then, we'll believe he’ll stretch the ninety. And God will honor our giving when we’ve done it with the right spirit and motives. He promises to meet our needs, and we'll learn he can be trusted to keep his word. Giving sporadically illustrates a lack of faith in God, but consistency proves our faith.

Giving comes down to giving because we want to, not because we must. We give to God because he has given so much to us. 

Make sure you are giving God his due. 

Father, prompt me to give you your due because you have given so much to me. 

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.

An Inheritance from God - Martin Wiles

How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Ephesians 1:3 NLT

Inheritances aren’t always what we envision.

My aunt had inherited most of the belongings from my maternal grandmother’s house when she died. When my aunt died, Mom hoped to get some of the family heirlooms back. But it didn’t happen as she wished. My aunt had three children. What she had was rightfully theirs. If they chose to share, we would appreciate it.

Several pieces of furniture that had belonged to my grandmother were especially dear to Mom. Mom voiced her love for them, but my aunt held on. All Mom received was a China cabinet she had purchased before she and Dad married—one she asked my aunt to keep while she and Dad were overseas—a picture my aunt had painted of the old homeplace, and two end tables and a coffee table that matched my grandmother’s living room suit that Mom had inherited earlier.

I come from a middle-class family and have no monetary or other inheritance in the waiting. But I do have another type of inheritance that surpasses anything I could get from a deceased family member.

Paul praised God for his spiritual inheritance—one available to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. This inheritance is eternal. When I placed my faith in Jesus Christ and asked him to forgive my sins, he immediately began preparing a heavenly home for me. Nothing can change that.

Earthly inheritances, we can spend. Even if we invest them, we must leave them behind at some point for someone else to enjoy. But our eternal inheritance is secure. God won’t change his mind and take it from us—even when we misbehave.

Our inheritance is also a present reality. We don’t have to wait until we die or Jesus returns to get it. Presently, God adopts us into his family. While some adopted children aren’t treated equally with biological children, God treats all his children the same. He grants forgiveness for every sin and never takes this back. Nor does he show favoritism. Instead, he loves all his children equally and gives us the same things he gives to his Son.

Abundant living—existing with peace and joy—also accompanies our inheritance. Because of what Jesus has done for us presently and promises to do for us in the future, we can enjoy life for the very first time.

Make sure you enjoy God’s present inheritance.

Father, thank you for the eternal inheritance I have in Jesus Christ. 

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.

Christmas Remembrances - Martin Wiles

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

~Isaiah 9:6 NLT

As I age, I yearn for the Christmases of my childhood.

Being the first grandchild in the family for the first four years of my life meant a great deal of spoiling—by parents and grandparents. Although I don’t remember those years, pictures relay the joy and giving that took place. Before my paternal grandmother’s retirement, she bought presents with abandonment and worked to make Christmas a special day for everyone—especially the grandchildren. Waist-high presents lay under and around the tree, waiting for eager little hands to open them.

But Christmases at my maternal grandparents' house was more practical. They were into the fellowship—telling stories, hunting, cooking, and eating—rather than giving presents. One or two gifts were all I could expect.

When my giving grandmother retired and could no longer afford to buy mounds of presents, Mom took over the tradition and continued it until she retired. Now, my wife tries her best to keep the abundant giving alive. But things have changed.

My early Christmases were about togetherness. The togetherness lasted for hours—even days. They weren’t pop-in visits from children and grandchildren. We hung around, talked, laughed, hunted, and watched ball games together. I never heard, “We can be there at ___, but we must leave by _____.”

Amid my childhood Christmases, we always remembered the reason we were celebrating: to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. He overshadowed the presents rather than the other way around.

Parents, grandparents, and children said blessings at my childhood Christmas meals. As at Thanksgiving, we remembered God was responsible for all we had and enjoyed.

My childhood Christmases were also times of joy—and not just over presents. We were glad to see each other, to celebrate Christ’s birth, to eat a meal together, and to open presents. Just to enjoy one another’s company.

Divorces and remarriages have now changed the structure of our immediate and extended family, multiplying in-laws and grandparents and dividing our time into tiny increments that temper the joy of being together. Although some of the things from my early Christmases are missing, I still enjoy the Christmas season.

Don’t let the changing seasons of your life steal the real meaning of Christmas. Remember the birth of the Savior, and celebrate it with family and friends.

Father, I celebrate the birth of your Son—and giving as the real meaning of the Christmas season. 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent or just want to hear grandparent stories, 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.

Longing for God’s Presence - Martin Wiles

Then Moses said, “If you don’t go with us personally, don’t let us move a step from this place.” Exodus 33:15 NLT

She longed for their presence: her son and husband. Both fought in a Middle Eastern war. She worried night and day, never totally focused on anything she did. What if both were killed? Or suppose they were critically injured? How would that change the life she had known?

Another time and place. Another person. She and her husband longed for the presence of their son. He had made some unwise decisions that landed him in jail. Six years had passed with only temporary visits. They longed for him to be released so he could move back home, where they could talk and visit regularly.

Moses, too, longed for God’s presence. He had agreed to God’s assignment and led God’s people out of slavery. But no sooner had they left Egypt than the rebels rebelled. While Moses received the Ten Commandments on a mountain, they lounged below and wondered what had happened to him. Additionally, they fashioned a golden calf to take God’s place. God considered annihilating them and starting over with Moses. Moses, however, interceded for the people and begged God to go with them on their journey to the Promised Land. He didn’t want to move one step if God wasn’t by his side.

Emotions can trigger our longing for God’s presence. A soul-stirring musical concert or fiery sermon can easily arouse them. We can be stirred, feel God’s presence, and be ready to take on the world for Christ. However, the danger of longing for God’s presence only when something stirs our emotions is that the feeling is typically short-lived. Though important and necessary, emotions mimic a roller coaster’s up-and-down movement.

A longing for God’s presence that results from an inner conviction that we need and want his presence is more permanent. Faith and a firm commitment will carry us farther than an emotional experience.

When we long for God’s presence, as Moses did, we strive to please him with our actions, words, and attitudes. We live a holy lifestyle, recognizing that our bodies are a temple of his presence. And we move closer to him daily, long to grasp the opportunities he sends and share him with others.

Pursue those things that will help you long even more for God’s presence.

Father, I believe you are with me always. Help me long to feel your presence with me continuously. 

Tweetable: Do you long for God's presence? 

 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book 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 Burden Bearer - Martin Wiles

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. Isaiah 53:4 NLT

For the first eighteen years of my life, my parents assisted me with burdens. From teaching me responsibility to getting me jobs to tending to my basic needs, they helped me carry the burdens of growing up. Since then, there have been other occasions when they helped me bear unwanted burdens: when I lost a job, when a relationship failed, when a child rebelled, and when my only car broke down.

Others have also helped me carry burdens. Church members who’ve come to my side when death took a loved one, grandparents who helped me purchase tires for a vehicle, a child who forked over hard-earned money to help me pay a bill, total strangers who helped me free my truck from a snow drift, and a spouse who helps me bear every burden that surfaces.

The ancient prophet told of how the coming Messiah would help bear burdens. He would not blow in on a white horse and conquer Israel’s enemies. Instead, he would bear burdens the first time and conquer at his Second Coming.

The greatest burden Jesus Christ helps carry is sin. We need a burden bearer since we’re born with a sinful nature. On the cross, Jesus bore the sins of humanity. Though paid for in full, the results of what he accomplished are only effective when we ask him to apply the results of what he did to our lives. Forgiveness doesn’t automatically happen.

When we ask Jesus to carry our sin burden, he not only carries but also removes and throws the sin as far as the East is from the West. He also shoves them into the uttermost depths of the ocean. In other words, he eliminates the penalty for this burden: eternity apart from him.

Unfortunately, life also has other burdens that result from living in a world tainted by sin. We also need help bearing these burdens. While others help us shoulder these burdens, only God can do it consistently and permanently. Others will disappoint us—not necessarily intentionally but simply because they are human.

Though the help of others is wonderful and needed, the help of an all-powerful and all-knowing God is crucial. He is the burden bearer who will never leave or forsake us. Let him bear your burdens.

Father, thank you that there is no burden so great that you can’t bear it for me. 

Tweetable: Who is your burden bearer? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book 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.

Freezing Out Temptation - Martin Wiles

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. James 1:14 NLT

The humungous concrete trough begged us to place our parched toes in its tantalizing coolness.

Life on the farm was different every day. My cousin and I could find more adventures than we had time for. We sat around this particular day, thinking about what we could do. Where we sat was on a ledge just above a concrete trough filled with green water.

Running around barefoot wasn’t uncommon. Why not plunge our dirty, parched feet into this water? We did. Within a few days, I noticed a circle on my foot. When I showed it to Mom, she immediately took me to the doctor, who froze it. The stagnant water had produced ringworm.

While the freezing process was somewhat unpleasant, this infestation wasn’t as deadly as the one James speaks of. The sinful nature we’re born with leads us into temptations of various types and degrees and drags us into sinful activities and thoughts. Of course, Satan and his demonic hordes are involved, but we don’t need any help being bad.

Satan, however, often provides the stagnant water that draws our attention to areas we should avoid. With Eve, it was fruit from the one tree God told her and Adam to leave alone. For King Saul, it was a jealous spirit. With David, it was sexual lust. For the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, it was power and an attitude of spiritual superiority.

God, however, provides the strength to freeze out a pattern of sinful activity. We must put forth the effort. We know our nature and what our weaknesses are. Satan learns them and uses them to his advantage. When we live with a desire for holiness and purity, We’ll make a valid attempt to stay away from people and situations we know will pull us down and entice us to sin.

Even as a young boy, I probably had better sense than to put my feet in stagnant water—but I did it anyway. When we’re determined to live a holy lifestyle, we’ll depend on God to give us direction and stop us from putting our feet—and eyes and hands--where they don’t belong.

Let God help you freeze out temptation.

Father, remind me you will never let me be tempted beyond what I can bear with your help. 

Tweetable: Are you freezing out temptation? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book 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 Final Appointment - Martin Wiles

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment. Hebrews 9:27 NLT

“Did you hear that Richey* died?”

The early morning text came from my cousin, a first responder in the town where Richey lived. She had seen Richey’s sister’s post on Facebook. He had experienced headaches for a few days with no relief. After Richey missed supper with his parents the night before, Richey’s dad walked over the next day to check on him and discovered him dead. 

Richey and I had been best friends during high school—and for a few years after that. We also worked at the same grocery store in our local town, where we both bagged groceries. After high school, Richey went to work for a small business, where he remained for the next twenty years.

But my life took a different turn. I worked locally, too, for a few years, but a layoff took me several towns over to find another job. Eventually, I went back to college. After graduation, I moved from one city to another—and even to another state, before finally coming back to my home state.

Throughout my transitions, I lost touch with Richey. I thought of him often—after all, he was my best friend. After Facebook was born, I searched for him. I found his sisters and brother, but never located him. I guess he wasn’t a Facebook fan. Now, he was gone.

I’ve heard it said that no parent should have to bury a child, but Richey’s mom and dad had buried two: Richey’s youngest sister and now Richey.

Even though it is appointed for us to die, very few want to. “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 NLT).

Depression drives some to an early death by suicide. Pain and disease plague others. And some get tired of living in a world that seems to have gone awry. Dad fell into the last category.

Dad’s first heart valve lasted one year. When doctors told him he needed another one, he didn’t want it. The family talked him into having the surgery, but he matter-of-factly informed us he would not be coming home from Atlanta, Georgia, after his surgery. He had lost the will to live. He had lived the seventy years God had promised and was ready to go to heaven. Dad was right. He never made it home.

Christians believe in heaven—a place where gold lines the streets, where pain flees, where everyone gets along, and where time is erased—but most people I’ve met are in no hurry to get there. Not if it means we must die. We want to enjoy earth as long as possible before passing through the unknown.

Death separates us from earthbound family and friends. But, of course, some of our friends and family—barring a change—won’t make it to heaven. They have no interest in God. In that case, death separates us forever. Not a pleasant thought.

We can’t do much about this death thing though. Unless Christ returns, we’ll all experience it. Exercising and eating right won’t prevent it. Nor will freezing our bodies after death, hoping scientists will one day find a way to bring them back to life. God has appointed death, and it will happen.

As I age, I find myself scanning the obituaries of local newspapers--the same thing my grandparents and great-grandparents did. They lived before the internet when the only sources of information were the local newspaper, the local television station, the local radio station, and the local busybody who knew everything about everybody. As I look over the names, I hope I won’t see anyone I know—but I will because dying is what we do.

Fortunately, we don’t have to live with dread over death. God has made a wonderful, eternal place for us. Jesus said when He left earth, He would return for His children—at His Second Coming or our death. And heaven will inhabit beauty and circumstances we’ve never experienced before.

Before we get there, our earthly sojourn allows us to invite others to travel to heaven with us. This journey also gives us time to accomplish God’s plan for us. To do all the good we possibly can to as many people as we can for as long as we can. Finally, when our time is over, God will usher us into heaven and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I don't know about Richey. As a teenager, he never had time for God. I hope somewhere along the way, he changed that. 

Enjoy your time on earth, but don’t forget to prepare for eternity.

Father, let me enjoy my time on earth, but prompt me not to forget to prepare for my death and eternity.

*Name changed to protect privacy.

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