Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Feeling Dirty

Five days had passed, and I couldn’t wait to slither into a nice hot shower.

Only once in my life have I been more than two days without bathing. But presently my daughter and I were on a five-day backpacking trip, and the only water available was for drinking and cooking-not washing. While we wiped down each evening, these “piggy baths” didn’t completely remove the dirt and sweat we accumulated from trudging over mountains. We felt more than a little dirty by the time we were through. Read more...

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Innocent Before God - Martin Wiles

How can a mere mortal stand before God and claim to be righteous? Job 25:4 NLT

I love questions—especially the ones I have to think deeply about. 

In an effort to make Middle School students use their critical thinking skills, I often asked them difficult questions answers. Among them: Why is there something rather than nothing, How do I know the universe really exists and is not merely an illusion, Do we have free will, Does God exist, Is there life after death, Can we really experience anything objectively, What is the best moral system, and What are numbers. 

Job, however, offers an even deeper philosophical question: How can a person be innocent before God. Going free while being guilty is possible—at least in the American judicial system, if the judge sets bail and I can afford to pay it. But with God…

The Bible’s pronouncement on my predicament is clear: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Although I walk around in apparent freedom, there will come a day when I’ll be tried…unless. 

Unlike in the court system, I cannot pay my way out of my spiritual predicament. I don’t have enough money to offer God a bribe or deal, nor can I perform enough good works to make up for my sinful acts. 

Job’s fair weather friends told him sin was the cause of his bad fortune. He kept maintaining his innocence. Even though he asked the question—How can a person be innocent before God—he truly thought he was. 

The good news is that I can be innocent before God. The process of God declaring me innocent comes through a big theological phrase: imputed righteousness. God takes what characterizes His Son, Jesus Christ, and imputes it to me. He credits the righteousness of Jesus to my account. 

I’m not righteous because I’ve attained perfection or a sinless state. I’m righteous because God has made me so in Christ. When God looks at me, He views me in Christ. Living with that knowledge gives a new perspective on life. It changes how I view myself and others, and it gives me a deeper love for God. He did for me what I couldn’t do for myself. 

So, yes Job, a person can stand as innocent before God, but only because of what Christ has done. Now that you know the answer, how are you standing?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the standing You have granted us in Jesus Christ. 

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If Only - Martin Wiles

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. James 1:5 NLT

No one has penned the “If only” conundrum more appropriately than poet, Robert Frost, in the selection, “The Road Not Taken”: 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

If not careful, I can be consumed with the “If only’s.” Frost seemed to be as he described two paths, only one of which he could take. He wished he could have taken both—or at least gone back to travel the other he hadn’t taken the first time around—but he couldn’t. 

Life is filled with choices. According to James, God is more than willing to give us wisdom to make those choices if we’ll only ask. 

Not all choices are between good and evil—or even better and best. Frost said both roads looked equally good. He simply couldn’t travel both. I’ve experienced the same. Choosing between right and wrong is easier; choosing between two equally good choices is challenging. Seeking God’s wisdom through prayer, the study of His Word, and advice from wise spiritual counselors is crucial if I’m to avoid the “If only’s” later down the road of life. 

Some roads are labeled “Right” and “Wrong” in bold letters, but that doesn’t necessarily make the choice any easier. Our arch enemy loves to take us down roads he knows will destroy us spiritually and then watch us wallow in regret, shame, and depression later on. Not only does God provide the wisdom to make the right choice in these circumstances, but He also gives us the strength to say, “No,” and take the other path. 

Whatever choice you are faced with in life, God will give you the wisdom to make it if you take time to ask.

Prayer: Father, give us wisdom for the choices we have to make in life. May our choices reflect our love for and faith in You. 

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Doing Self-Examinations - Martin Wiles

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT

Examinations can be disturbing or self-assuring.

Most doctors suggest routine examinations. After all, the body begins to deteriorate as we age, and some things just naturally happen and are common among humans. Bones get more brittle. Eyesight deteriorates. Skin thins. Joints wear out. Certain types of cancer seem to show up by certain ages, so various scans and procedures are recommended. Fifty is often the dreaded number. 

During a typical examination, doctors do similar things: check the lungs, listen to the heart, test the reflexes, poke around on the stomach, feel the neck, check the pulse, measure the blood pressure, take blood samples, and schedule procedures. 

Abnormalities in any of these areas could signal more serious concerns. Some choose not to visit doctors and never suffer any health concerns. Others decide on regular check-ups and discover things that could have been life threatening had they been neglected. And if a person has had certain types of health issues, the doctor may suggest they execute periodic self-examinations. 

Paul makes two imperative statements: examine yourselves and test yourselves. Imperative sentences give commands or directions, or make strong suggestions. His concern deals with a life-threatening situation: whether or not one is in the faith. 

A good self-examination will determine whether or not I’ve made a decision to follow Jesus Christ. Am I in the faith? Have I asked Him to forgive my sins? Do I obey Him wholeheartedly? Is His mission mine?

Self-examination will also investigate how I feel when I sin. Does it bother me, or do I pass it off as just a human mistake—something not to be overly concerned about. Do I imagine God will merely overlook it?

When I self-examine, I should consider why I do what I do—my priorities. What motivates my good deeds and actions toward others? Is it selfishness? Am I pandering after recognition? Or do I serve because I love with a sacrificial love as God does?

Self-examination will also reveal how I feel about sin in general. Evidence of it saturates my everyday life. Media sources shove it in my face continuously. Have I built up immunity against it, or do wicked and immoral actions still shock and concern me?

Get in the habit of performing regular self-examinations under the guiding hand of God’s Spirit. You might be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by what you uncover.

Prayer: Father, prompt us to regularly examine ourselves to discover where we are in our faith walk with You.

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Spilled Out - Martin Wiles

All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. 2 Samuel 14:14 NLT

What’s spilled can be wiped up but not normally recovered. 

A number of us were enjoying ourselves at our annual church picnic and campout. I had joined a local couple and their family at their campsite and was helping them prepare supper. As we tried to fit all the condiments on a small picnic table, a two liter bottle of Coke tumbled off and rolled down the hill. Not thinking, I picked it up and unscrewed the top. Coke spewed everywhere. Not one ounce of it could be recovered.  

A wise woman once compared death to water being spilled on the ground. King David had a rift with one of his sons and refused to see him. His military commander sent a wise woman to tell the king a story which actually applied to his situation. In doing so, she used a simile to compare spilled water and death.

Death will be a reality for all except those living when Christ returns. It’s not an event I enjoy thinking about—even though the thought enters my mind more now than in the past. As I age, I know I’m closer to D day than I’ve been. Practical preparations should include life insurance policies and a will. 

However, these items will only ensure my family is taken care of and possibly that my heirs won’t argue over what I leave behind. They won’t affect my eternity—which is more important. 

Like spilled water, life is temporary. God spends His time trying to gather us to Himself since sin has separated us from Him. He’s not satisfied to wipe up our spills and toss the rag away. He wants more for us. Nor should we so carelessly toss others aside. 

Repentance of sins and faith in Christ are the only things that ultimately prepare us for death. Once this initial step is taken, a life of spiritual growth and learning to trust Christ with every aspect of our lives should follow. As we near the end of our lives, we’ll not fret or fear. Confidence that we belong to God will usher us through the death event. Like spilled water, we’ll melt into the presence of our loving Heavenly Father. 

When your time comes to go, will you be ready?

Prayer: Father, thank You that even though we must walk through the valley of death You will not forsake us. 

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Philosophy Jesus Style - Martin Wiles

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:50

Fundamentalist described my father. Mom I was never sure about. Occasionally, I would pick up vibes that said she disagreed with some of Dad’s philosophy. 

I knew Dad believed faith was the way to God, but the constant emphasis on rules seemed to interfere with what he was attempting to teach me about God. What seeped through was the “thou shalt’s” and the “thou shalt not’s.” When I finally began truly meditating on God’s Word rather than just reading it, I discovered there was more to my relationship with God than obeying a list.  

I doubt the sinful woman who approached Jesus was a church goer. She was considered a “sinner” and probably wouldn’t have been welcome. She wasn’t at this party either, but for some reason Simon the host didn’t throw her out. Perhaps her actions toward Jesus astonished the guests and him so much that they couldn’t speak. Maybe they let her carry out her actions so they could get more proof that Jesus wasn’t truly the Messiah. Either way, she stayed and cried on Jesus’ feet, wiped them with her hair, and anointed them with perfume. 

Jesus rewarded her actions with praise. He didn’t give her a list of things to do when she left if she wanted to be His disciple. He merely recognized her faith and told her to go in peace. She had discovered what the religious leaders thought they had—but hadn’t. Their service to God was like mine when I was young—obeying a list of commands. Jesus went deeper with the woman.

The philosophy of the religious elite of Jesus’ day was plain. One connected to God through numerous rituals and by obedience to hundreds of commands. The result was failure and a lack of peace. By allowing the sinful woman to perform her ritual, Jesus tried to demonstrate their error. His philosophy has to do with repentance and faith. Her actions portrayed her faith, and her faith—not rote obedience to a bunch of rules, saved her. She received what the religious snobs tried so hard but failed to obtain—a 
relationship. 

What philosophy of religion are you following? If it doesn’t include repentance and faith, it will fail you.

Prayer: Father, remind us that the way to You is through faith and repentance.

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