Engraved by God - Martin Wiles

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:16 NIV

The pages revealed to whom it belonged and under what circumstances. 

Mom received a call from her niece. They had cleaned out my aunt’s house and discovered some things that might interest Mom. Although never a lover of old or sentimental things, Mom took them. 

The items included four funeral home books for deceased relatives, newspaper clippings, family pictures, and two Bibles—both of which had my aunt’s name handwritten inside, along with the names of those who gave them to her and when. One of the two had her name engraved on the outside.  

After checking the giver’s name, I wasn’t surprised by the engraving. When I was eight years old, Mom and Dad—and I—had given my aunt the Bible for her birthday. Dad followed this pattern of engraving a name on the outside of a Bible for his entire lifetime. Every Bible he ever owned—and that was a multitude—he had his name engraved on the outside. The inside page with the handwritten name might be lost, scratched out beyond recognition, or torn out, but the name on the outside would remain. The Bible belonged to him. 

The nation of Israel needed reassurance. They had a habit of disobeying God, and God had a habit of punishing them. But better days were in store because they had repented. They would once again return to their homeland. 

Life is tough and filled with bitter disappointments. To us—just as he said to Israel—God says, “I’m engraved on his hand.” No one can steal us from His grip or erase the fact that we belong to him. Unwise decisions and sinful actions will bring his discipline, but the engraving stands. Willful, occasional sin may slightly obscure our name, but we’re still God’s children, and confession will once again bring out the brilliance of the engraving. 

And when it appears God has forsaken us, God has his ways of showing us the engraving and reminding us that we still belong to him. Our name’s engraved on his hand.  

Don’t fear life or the things it brings. Your name is engraved on the Father’s hand. He is loving, kind, gentle, and more powerful than anything the world can throw your way. 

Father, show me the engraving often so I’ll never forget to whom I belong. 

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When Death Stares - Martin Wiles

The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face. 2 Samuel 22:6 NLT

She lay quietly on her bed … pale … yellow … a picture of death.

Though uncommon in their historical time, my parents came from families with only two children. Mom once received word that doctors had detected cancer in several of her sister’s major organs. The prognosis wasn’t good. Six months at best. Her daughter called to say we should come if we wanted to see her.

A number of family members gathered on a cool Friday morning to make the three-hour drive. She greeted us with a smile, especially when she saw two of my grandchildren she had only heard about. One, too young to know what was happening, sat on her stomach and cooed. The other, perceiving something was amiss since she was lying in a hospital bed, shyly gave her a kiss and said he loved her.

After a short visit, most of us said our goodbyes. While Mom hung around a little longer, my brother and I took a stroll. Since my aunt lived next door to what was once my grandparents’ farmhouse, we had a chance to gander over the property. As I took the short stroll, I was struck by a thousand resurrected childhood memories—hunting, playing in the hog pens, picking weeds from cotton fields, and sitting on my grandmother’s front porch.

I knew I’d probably set foot on this property only one more time. Suddenly, it wasn’t my aunt’s impending doom staring me in the face anymore. My mortality gazed into my eyes—intensely.

David penned these words after God had rescued him from his enemies—particularly his father-in-law and archenemy Saul. On numerous occasions—as he fought and ran for his life--death stared him in the face. But each time, God delivered him.

My aunt wasn’t delivered from death--only its sting. Neither will I when the time comes. Unless I’m alive when the Lord returns, I, like everyone else, will walk through and be overcome by death’s haunting shadow. It is appointed for everyone to die and, after that, to face judgment. Yet I can do like David: cry out to the Lord in my distress.

Death is a reality. We may prolong it by making healthy living choices, but eventually, it will make its appearance. When it might stare us in the face is not as important as being ready when it does. Faith in Christ is the only preparation. We made sure our aunt had taken care of this. She had. Sometimes, we focus so much on others that we forget our family.

Good news awaits. When we’ve made the faith connection, death ushers us into a beautiful eternity prepared by our heavenly Father. Be confident of your eternal dwelling when death looks into your eyes.

Father, thank You that in Jesus Christ, death loses its sting. 

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Loving, Faults and All - Martin Wiles

Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Ephesians 4:2 NLT

Loving, faults and all, is sometimes easy and sometimes tricky.

Never had I encountered such suspicions as I did at my maternal grandparents’ house. Mom grew up on a farm. Mom’s only sister married and moved a stone’s throw away. I visited often to see my grandparents and hang out with one of my first cousins.

Visits without stories and suspicious happenings were uncommon. My aunt talked about the hag—an impish beast who came out at night, jumped on a person’s night, and paralyzed their bodies. My cousin referenced a white horse that roamed in my grandmother’s front yard. And the stories continued.

As we made our way to my grandmother’s funeral, another cousin felt my grandmother’s hand stroke her hair. Then there was the handprint that suddenly embedded itself on the same cousin’s brass bed while we were at the funeral.

After my uncle died, my aunt soon found evidence of his living spirit. A leaf floating down the hallway. The rose that mysteriously fell from its resting place in the arrangement while the minister pronounced the final words over his body.

Mom and Dad found these stories humorous—as did I. We weren’t the suspicious type. But we loved our family just the same. They were, after all, our family.

Paul encouraged believers at Ephesus to do the same. None were perfect, but a common bond joined them: Christ. Believers still are.

I’m often tempted to find fault with others. In those moments, I remind myself I have my own trunkful of faults. They may not be sinful habits, but they are blemishes, nonetheless. Paul’s instruction challenges me. Finding fault with others is the easy way out. Looking for the good—along with encouraging and loving them—takes patience, something I’ve never had large doses of.

Remembering we are all pilgrims on a similar journey also makes it easier. Loving the really difficult-to-love—my enemies and those not like me—means allowing God to remind me His Son also died for them.   

When loving others seems challenging, remember God loves you—faults and all.

Father, help me to love others with the same love You love me. 

Tweetable: Do you love others, faults and all? 

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Meandering Monday - At the End of the Journey - Martin Wiles

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

No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. Hebrews 12:22 NLT

She lay in a hospital bed in a local nursing home, waiting to end her journey.

What kept her hanging on, I didn’t understand. She had gone there after leaving another nursing home—the one she and my grandfather were in together . . . the one from which he had made his final journey. Now it was her time, but it was as if she didn’t want her journey to end.

My aunt called, “You need to come to see her. She’s waiting to see you before she goes.”

I had just started a new job and was afraid to ask for time off.

“Well, can you just talk to her if I call you?” my aunt asked.

I could, and I did. I told her it was okay to go home. And she did. 

Mount Zion was literal and figurative. Literally, it was the place where Solomon had built the Jerusalem temple. The figurative meaning holds more importance, however. It represents heaven, the end of the journey for all who chose to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

I’ve heard it said, “I have more miles behind me than I do before me.” I always classified the speakers as old. As I calculate their age, however, I realize they were about my age now. Suddenly, I’m the one with more miles behind than in front of me. On some days, knowing that comforts me; on others, it causes a wave of fear to wash over me. Not fear of missing heaven but of journeying where I’ve never been before: death and heaven.

My confidence for the final journey is built on a decision I made when I was nine: the decision to follow Christ. The same decision my grandmother had made. Forgiveness of my sins gives me the fortitude to close my eyes in death and know I’ll immediately open them in heaven.

Is heaven waiting at the end of your journey?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the assurance of an eternal home with You. 

Tweetable: Are you prepared for the end of your journey? 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Just like Me - 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. 

Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us…so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17 NLT

Imagine my surprise when I received a response that said: “You have the same name as my husband.”

The reader who read my devotion saw her husband’s name at the end, but the place of residence didn’t match. That’s because it wasn’t her husband; it was me. He was in Canada; I was in the United States. Through this coincidence, we established a relationship. But even though we shared the same name, we shared little else. He was older, and so were his children. We didn’t look the same, and I had no record of him in my genealogical records. He had great-grandchildren; I only had grandchildren. 

Jesus, on the other hand, was made just like me. He took on human flesh and experienced the same things I experience: hunger, thirst, tiredness, betrayal, abuse, hardships, misunderstandings, rejection, financial deprivation, anger, temptation, grief. The only way he could take me to the Father was to become like me in every respect—except for my sin.

Through Christ, God created everything, but only by becoming like me could he truly understand me. Since he has experienced similar life experiences, Jesus can identify with what I face along life’s journey. The ups and downs, the mountains and the valleys, the temptations and the triumphs. Having experienced how cruel this world can be, he can show me the mercy I so often need. Life’s knockdowns are numerous, but Christ’s grace and mercy are abundant enough to get me through them all.

The greatest advantage, however, of Christ becoming like me was fashioned at the cross. Through his death, he took away my condemnation. Though he wasn’t sinful, he took my sin so I could go free. By faith, my sins are forgiven and no longer charged to my account.

Have you thanked Christ lately for becoming just like you?

Prayer: Eternal God, we thank You for the love that motivated You to allow Your Son to become like us and procure our salvation. 

Tweetable: Are you becoming like Christ? 

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Death Pangs - Martin Wiles

The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. Psalm 18:4-5 NLT

The thought of experiencing it unnerved me—even though I claimed to be prepared.

While a pre-teen, the fear of dying overcame me. As a nine-year-old, I had accepted Jesus and knew He had a place in heaven for me, but I feared what I had to experience to get there: death.

A few years later, relatives began dying. First, my paternal grandfather’s unhealthy living habits finally caught up with him. A couple of years later, he was followed by both of my great-grandparents. Soon after, the remainder of my grandparents died. Now at 56, I have lost one parent, and my wife and I know our remaining parents won’t be here forever.

Old age wasn’t why David feared death—he wasn’t old. A jealous king was on his trail, and he was running for his life, hiding in caves and in the wilderness. Death seemed near at all times, but God preserved his life. King Saul didn’t kill him—but was killed himself, and David was made the next ruler.

Only a very few welcome the thought of death. Regardless of how tough circumstances might be or how intense the pain of disease or other body ailments can get, most don’t wish for death. Rather, they pray for healing or for God to soothe the debilitating situation. But the healings of diseases and the removing of stressful situations won’t stop death. Barring the return of Jesus Christ, everyone will experience it.

Living peacefully while at the same time knowing the pang of death is just around the corner is possible. Doing what I did as a nine-year-old is the first step in facing the death pang: asking Jesus to forgive my sins and committing myself to be His follower. This act removes the condemnation I’m under and takes care of the sins I’m responsible for—all of which keep me out of heaven.

Knowing I’ll immediately enter heaven upon my death is also comforting. I won’t have to lie unconsciously in the ground until Christ returns. The apostle Paul said to be absent from the body was to be at home with the Lord. Jesus told the thief on the cross who begged for His forgiveness that he would be with Him in Paradise that day.

When you make things between you and God right, you no longer have to fear death’s pangs.

Prayer: Father, thank You for taking away the fear of death when we trust in You as our God. 

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