Purpose Driven - Martin Wiles

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 NIV

“I’m in the middle of the road with a flat tire. Can you tell Dad to come and help me?”

My daughter was under the gun. She had given her landlord notice that she was moving out by the end of the month. Although she took a few days off from work, she hadn’t finished as much as she anticipated. On her last day off, as she rushed back and forth to the storage shed, a previously patched tire decided to leave her stranded in the middle of the highway—with three children in tow.

My wife and I hurried to her aid—not knowing whether we could help. We both suffer from back injuries, and changing a tire isn’t as easy as it once was—or even possible. I managed to loosen the lug nuts but couldn’t figure out how to remove the jack (what happened to the good old days when everything was simple).

Frustrated, my daughter called a cousin who is a mechanic. Without effort, he removed the jack and changed the tire. When I commented on how easy he made the job look, he said, “Everyone has a purpose.” His was to help people with mechanical issues in their vehicles.

Paul reminds us that God has a purpose for us and works to fulfill it.

Discovering God’s purpose is essential for living the abundant life Jesus promises. God’s ultimate purpose is for everyone to know his Son as their Savior. He works to fulfill that purpose by sending his Spirit to convict people of their sins. He calls some into full-time mission work to take his message of love to those who haven’t heard. He calls others into full-time work to equip believers to do the same in their everyday worlds.

God wants us to know and experience his love, draw closer to him, and then make his love known to the world. We were created to have a relationship with our Creator.

We don’t have to be a career preacher or missionary to share God’s plan with others. Living out God’s love in our actions, attitudes, and words accomplishes his purpose. My cousin can do it as a mechanic. So can the attendant at the office store, the teller at the bank, and the CEO of a major organization. And so can you—wherever God places you.

Don’t wander through life wondering what your purpose is. Live a purpose-driven life now.

Father, help me to live with purpose by making your love known through my daily experiences. 

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Taking Advice from the Wrong Sources - Martin Wiles

Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Isaiah 8:19 NLT

To buy or not to buy, that was the question.

I was three years in on a four-year car mortgage when the transmission began slipping. These were the days when manufacturers built more sturdy outer shells for vehicles, but not engines. When the odometer reached 75,000 to 100,000 miles, it was time to trade. Mine was at 60,000. But the prices of cars had also risen over the last three years.

So I turned to my paternal grandfather. After all, he had grown up on the tail end of the Great Depression and was familiar with “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” He’d never owned a new car but had been particular when buying used ones.

“You can get your car fixed for the price of one car payment,” he said.

Sounded good, but I was getting the itch to trade cars anyway. A faulty transmission seemed like a good excuse.

“If you trade, you’re going to have four more years of payments,” he continued.”

I had thought of that too. At the time, someone could actually afford a four-year payment loan.

Although I consulted a reputable source, I didn’t follow his advice. I traded a good car that mechanics could have repaired for a modest price for four more years of higher payments. I regretted it later, but couldn’t undo my decision.

Isaiah warned his listeners against seeking advice from the wrong sources. Instead of going to a living God, they checked with mediums who supposedly consulted the dead for advice. Their actions were ludicrous—as were mine when I turned down sound advice.

Seeing signs that read “Spiritual Advisor” once was not that unusual. I’ve never been to one, but many have. Going there would be no different than Isaiah’s peers who consulted mediums. God is the only adequate and dependable spiritual advisor. While we can’t visit him in person or hear him audibly, we can know the mind of Christ.

God is our source for sound advice, and he gives the means to discover it through his Word, prayer, mature believers, and Christian counselors. Even some secular sources, when filtered through God’s Word, have sound information for making life decisions.

Make sure you consult the appropriate sources when seeking advice.

Father, guide me to the proper sources when I have decisions to make.

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A Lifetime God - Martin Wiles

I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. Isaiah 46:4 NLT

For fourteen years, I had driven pre-owned vehicles, but things were finally about to change.

In 2002, I bought a new mini SUV. Shortly after purchasing it, my daughter left for college, and the SUV left with her. Life circumstances changed for me shortly before she left, and I couldn’t afford to purchase another new vehicle. For the next fourteen years, my wife and I drove used vehicles. Fortunately, we had little trouble, but we hungered for a new vehicle that we didn’t have to worry about breaking down.

Then suddenly, God put us in a different situation that would allow us to make a modest purchase. We looked for an economical crossover with a good safety record and a low price tag and found the car my wife had dreamed about. The icing on the cake was the car’s warranty—ten years or 100,000 miles. And several more warranties that covered major parts hidden within that one broad spectrum. It was almost like having a lifetime warranty.

God used Isaiah the prophet to assure the nation of Israel that God would be their God throughout their lifetime, if they so desired. I think they wanted it, although they often didn’t act as if they did.

God has been a lifetime God for me. I attended church before I slurped my first breath of air and have been ever since. Even in my times of sinful rebellion, I still loved and worshiped God. 

As my lifetime-God, he never left me. I walked away from him for several years, but he remained ready to accept me back when I returned. Unconditional love he calls it. 

I discovered there is no force more powerful than God—including Satan. Jesus said no one could snatch us out of the Father's hands. We can choose to walk away, but no force can remove us.

Knowing God wants our company for a lifetime gives a sense of security—one of the basic life needs necessary to live fully and peacefully without emotional upsets. When we have the assurance that God is our lifetime God, we can live with confidence, serve him with confidence, and die with confidence.

With Christ as our Savior, we have a lifetime warranty. He will never abandon us.

Father, thank you for your love that lasts a lifetime and even into eternity.

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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.

The Great Exchange - Martin Wiles

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

Never had I gotten such a good deal.

One year into our payments for our new Kia Soul, the emails started. “Trade your car in. We’ll give you top dollar.” Although the car wasn’t as large as we needed, it got good gas mileage, my wife liked it, and we couldn’t afford the payment a larger vehicle would carry. So we ignored the emails and the postcards that came in the mail.

After three years of paying—and with continuing offers to give us top dollar on a trade-in—my wife noticed creaking sounds when she turned right or left and when she backed up. A couple of trips to the dealership resulted in a diagnosis: bad struts. Each time she took the car for repairs, a particular salesman met her at the door. “Don’t you want to trade that Soul in? I’ll give you top dollar.” She ignored him. Truthfully, our credit stunk because of things in the past beyond our control. My mother had signed for us to get what we had, but we weren’t about to ask her to do it again.

When the repair job didn’t stop the creaking, my mother asked, “Why don’t you trade it in?”

“You know we can’t afford to buy another car,” I said.

“I’ll sign for you again,” she replied.

Off to the Kia dealership, I sent my wife. “See if the salesman is as good as his word,” I told her.

Because of emails and texts, my wife didn’t have to meet with the salesman initially. He was a friendly sort of fellow. In fact, we had many mutual friends on Facebook. We gave him all the information he needed—and so did Mom. He asked what kind of payment we could stand, and we told him. He wanted to sell us a brand-new van, which my wife drooled over. After all, at the time, she transported two of our grandboys and the music teacher’s toddler every day. In the Soul, they were packed like sardines in the back seat. We had no idea he could put us in a new van for anywhere close to what we presently paid.

We went about our business as usual, taking time to join some friends at a local restaurant for supper. As we ate, a text came through: “Come on down. I have the paperwork ready.” Yeah, right, paperwork that’s gonna show me numbers I can’t afford, I thought. Even though the dealership closed in twenty minutes, he told us to come anyway.

As we pulled into the parking lot, the salesman pulled the van to the front door. We entered his office and sat. “Here’s what we have,” he said. I knew this was a waste of time—but I was surprised. For forty more dollars a month—within a range we could afford—we could drive this new van home. And we did. He remained true to his word. He offered us $2500 more than we owed on our car and took $10,000 off the MSRP of the van. I called Mom, and she came down and sealed the deal. We experienced a great exchange.

Paul had an even greater exchange in mind when he reminded his readers what God had done through Christ. Sin infected Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God, and, like an epidemic, it spread to every person. But God chose to send Jesus and let him pay the penalty for all those sins, thereby stopping the epidemic if we choose his offer of forgiveness. God offered a great exchange: our sin for Christ’s righteousness.

After the trade, I never had to look at that too-small Kia Soul anymore. Now, I could enjoy riding in a large Kia Sedona. A wonderful exchange, but nothing that compares to what God has done for us in Christ.

The sound of amazing grace is sweet. It saved a wretch like me—and will anyone who asks. Not by what we can do on our own, but by what God has done on our behalf. All we had to do was accept the salesman’s offer to ride off in something I could actually fit my six-foot-one frame in. And all God asks is that we accept his offer of forgiveness.

When we take God up on the trade, life changes. He sprinkles our hearts with the blood of his Son and frees us from a guilty conscience. We live each day knowing everything is right between us and him. He cleanses our sin record and gives us peace.

Don’t miss out on the greatest exchange ever.

Father, thank you for making a way to exchange my sins for your holiness. 

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What’s in a Word? Part 1 - Martin Wiles

Just say a simple, “Yes, I will,” or “No, I won’t.” Matthew 5:37 NLT

What’s in a word? Well, obviously, mine wasn’t enough. I needed something more.

My wife and I walked onto the used car parking lot, intent on purchasing a dependable vehicle. After deciding on the one we wanted and could afford, we sat down in the salesman’s office to discuss price, trade-in value, and monthly payment. Following our agreement, I shook his hand, promised to pay the payment each month, took the keys he handed me, and left in our new-to-us car.

Well . . . not exactly. I had to sign mounds of paperwork before the salesman handed me the keys and I could leave the lot. He may have taken my word, but the company giving me the loan wouldn’t. Humanity’s propensity to deceive made it necessary for me to sign numerous legal and binding forms.

Jesus states the ideal. Even though society makes us prop up our word with forms, our word should be enough. We shouldn’t have to guarantee its truth.

Words communicate—effectively or poorly. Pemineos whaxas pit jod pizzaxa um pit spociaxar cluch actually means a pizza company has a new pizza they want me to try, but I’d never know it by the words. When we communicate our words poorly, gibberish results, and no one is the better for having heard them. God’s love and Word need clear and concise communication.

Words are necessary. At least in most cases. Without prior experience with what pictures represent, a world filled with only pictures would mean nothing. Sharing God’s love requires using words others can understand.

Words can be plenty or few. Numerous Bible verses remind us it’s better to be a person of few words. Whenever we talk too much, we say something we shouldn’t. Sin seems to find its way onto the tongue of the blabbermouth’s mouth.

Words reflect listening skills. If we’re talking all the time, we can’t listen as well. To listen, we must be quiet and focus on the person speaking. And, after all, that’s what most hurting people want: a listening ear, not a mouth that runs off and over.

How can you ensure what you speak is worth listening to?

Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight. 

Tweetable: What do your words say about you? 

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Worth Trusting - Martin Wiles

All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. Psalm 111:7 NLT

For seven years, she’s been a faithful friend.

She’s not perfect mind you. My old Ford Explorer. She wasn’t perfect when my wife and I bought her. In fact, she had over 200,000 miles on her, which caused us to question the wisdom of purchasing her. 

The owner seemed like a trustworthy chap. He assured us he had serviced her regularly and driven her carefully. We took his word—and the vehicle.

Her inside wasn’t spotless. A few spots appeared here and there on her seats. Her back hatch had two cracks in the fiberglass—a flaw the owner assured us almost every Explorer in a particular manufacturing age had. The paint on the luggage rack peeled away in a few places, and the odometer reading only showed up every now and then.

In seven years, she’s only failed us three times. Once, when I tried to shift into reverse to back out of our driveway and the gearshift cracked in half. Again, when the battery died. And a third time when the security seal around the ignition malfunctioned. Other than those three episodes, she’s cranked every time I put the key in the ignition and taken us to and from our destinations.

Though she’s been close to perfect, she’s not. And I know the day will come when she’ll fail me for the last time. She’ll experience a mechanical malfunction too expensive to repair. I’ll trade her in or send her to the junkyard. But until then, I’ll keep trusting her and driving her.

Unlike my car, God, according to the psalmist, is completely trustworthy—as are His commands. Not only is He completely trustworthy, but He is also consistently trustworthy. I can’t even say this about my best friends. Even the ones I love the most will hurt me occasionally. But not God. He never lets me down, and never will. He is capable of what no one else is.

Obeying His commands results in the best life ever, not a miserable one as some imagine. He designed them for our good. When we obey them, He guides us onto the best paths, protects us as we walk them, comforts us when trials come our way, encourages us when we don’t have the strength to keep going, and forgives us when we mess up.

God is worthy of your trust. Are you trusting Him?

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Prayer: Father, we trust You with our lives because we know You control them out of Your unconditional and everlasting love.

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Clogged Up - Martin Wiles

But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command. 1 Samuel 13:14 NLT

The time had come. I’d either have to repair her or park her.

My old car with nearly 300,000 miles was puttering along. She idled fine, but when I came to a stop, I had to juice the gas to keep her running. Since I had no funds for repair, I kept driving her—until the day when she wouldn’t breathe any longer.

I carted her to the mechanic who diagnosed her as having a clogged fuel filter and a defective oxygen sensor. When either are defective, the engine runs rough—or not at all. Mine had approached the not at all stage.  

After replacing the defective parts, she ran like a charm. Now, I can approach stop signs and traffic lights without placing my foot on the accelerator while holding the brake with the other and at the same time worrying I’m going to accidentally plunge into the car ahead of me.

King Saul’s engine was clogged also—but the clog had nothing to do with fuel. He had a faulty part called disobedience. As king, he had no right to make sacrifices, but when the prophet Samuel tested his patience, he knowingly made sacrifices anyway. This act of disobedience disqualified him as king. God would search for someone with a heart that beat to the same tune as His.

I’ve endured those times when my life puttered along like my car engine. Starts and stops and hiccups and hang-ups. Like King Saul, sometimes my disobedience was the issue clogging my fuel line. At other times, God was testing my faith and refining my resolve to follow Him. In either case, not doing anything about the clog eventually led me to a standstill.

Sin always disrupts the flow of God’s blessings and initiates God’s discipline. Love will allow Him to do no less. Bad choices, misplaced priorities, and busyness can also interrupt the flow. Things that aren’t sinful, but things that get in the way of smooth idling.

Whatever clogs my life is eliminated by confession and repentance. Sounds easy enough, but it isn’t always. Hanging on to what I want is easier than letting go for what God wants. But abundance and peace only come when I do.

Ask God to show you what is clogging up your life and robbing you of His blessings.

Tweetable: What's clogging your relationship with God?

Prayer: Father, we ask You to remove whatever is clogging our engines and hindering us from running as You desire us to. 

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