"With God's Grace Our Worst Past
Becomes Our Best Future"
Becomes Our Best Future"
PLEASE WELCOME
MARTIN WILES
TO
ANYTHING GOES TUESDAYS
When announcement time came at the end of our worship service, he proudly proclaimed he had just celebrated his ninth birthday for the ninth time.
John’s birth weight registered just shy of two pounds. Not necessarily a thing to get overly concerned about in our world of modern medicine marvels, but still a situation that can pose danger in the present and health problems in the future. Wonderfully trained doctors and nurses staff our modern NICUs. Trouble is, these present-day marvels weren’t around when John’s mother birthed him.
I did the math. John had just turned 81, meaning his mom birthed him in 1939. His first bed was a shoebox, and his first crib one of the drawers in a set of chest of drawers. His mother placed a large piece of ice near him, and then let a fan blow the cool air across John’s tiny body. You see, the month was July, and they lived in Mississippi.
When John’s mother asked the doctor what to feed him, he said, “Just let him nurse from your breast for as long as he lives.” His words sounded like a death sentence for sure.
But John didn’t die. He grew up to be a healthy man who served in various local churches by working with the youth, leading mission trips, providing music, and leading worship. God had plans for him that his mother nor the doctor could imagine. And when God has a plan, birth weight poses no problem.
Just as God had a plan for Jeremiah and the nation of Israel, He has plans for us.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.
“They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).
Of course, we have a choice in those plans. God gives us free will. How His sovereignty aligns with that has confounded the greatest minds, but the Bible teaches both.
Like Jonah, we can choose to ignore God’s plan and go our own way. But God wouldn’t have His plan thwarted, so He let Jonah spend a few nights in the belly of a large fish to teach him a lesson about the dangers of ignoring God’s plan. Although God has never sent a large fish my way, He has steered me back to His path through various unpleasant measures.
I’ve always discovered—sometimes later rather than sooner—that following God’s plan is best. God’s will is done when I do, and I’m happier in the end. In those times when I’ve been unsure of what God’s plan entailed, prayer, meditation on His Word, and listening to the Spirit helped.
So, don’t sell God short. His plan is beyond our wildest dreams. It can take us to places we never thought we’d go—geographically and otherwise—and it might also include pain we never imagined we’d have to endure. Whatever the nature of the His plan, God will walk with us, hand in hand, and accomplish through us more than we could ever imagine.
ABOUT MARTIN WILES
Martin Wiles is the founder of Love Lines from God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com) and serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions, Senior Editor for Inspire a Fire, and Proof Editor for Courier Publishing. He has authored six books and has been published in numerous publications. His most recent book, A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Busy World, released in December 2019. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, author, and pastor. You can follow him at https://www.facebook.com/martin.n.michelle and at https://twitter.com/linesfromgod.
ABOUT A WHISPER IN THE WOODS
A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World takes the reader out of the noise that often accompanies living in this world and into the quiet escapades of wooded areas where the voice of God is more clearly heard. A Whisper in the Woods was birthed from the author’s numerous treks with his two children and his middle brother in mountainous areas on the eastern coast of the United States. Through these hiking and camping experiences, God taught the author valuable lessons that have seen him through many difficult life experiences. As you walk with him through the mountain valleys and over the high summits, you too will hear God whisper words of comfort to you.
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JONAH GOT SWALLOWED
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HARD FAITH
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ANGER CAN LEAD TO POSITIVE CHANGE
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THE GIFT
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HOW MANY CROSSES
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A KERNEL OF THOUGHT
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HOW WELL HAVE I LOOKED
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TRUSTING GOD
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GREEN PASTURES AND STILL WATERS
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HIDDEN TREASURE
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I Would Have Made a Very Good Pharisee
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THE ONE THING I HAVEN'T HOARDED
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UNDERTOW
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TRUST GOD IN THE FOG OF UNCERTAINTY
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KNOWN FOR WHAT
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GOSPEL FOCUSED IN THE FACE OF FEAR
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AN IMPOSSIBLE PRICE
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WHOLLY LOVED BY GOD
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GOOD NEWS IS COMING
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A HOPE AND A FUTURE
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CONFESS DON'T BURY
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THE EXTRAORDINARY IS APPARENT IN THE ORDINARY
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NOW HE'S ALONE
4/29/2020 1:00:00 AM by: SUSAN K. STEWART
HURTING WITH THE BROKEN
4/22/2020 1:00:00 AM by: SUSAN G. MATHIS
WHEN LIFE FALLS APART ... DON'T
4/15/2020 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE THANKFUL
4/8/2020 1:00:00 AM by: TRINA BRESSER MATOUS
THERE'S LOVE IN THOSE BURNT CASSEROLES
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LIVING BY LUCK
3/18/2020 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
THE TRUTH ABOUT PRAYERS: AN ATTRACTIVE AROMA TO GOD
3/11/2020 1:00:00 AM by: TRINA BRESSER MATOUS
THE PIT OF SELF-ASSURANCE
3/4/2020 1:00:00 AM by: LINDA WOOD RONDEAU
DON'T BE DISCOURAGED WITH YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
2/26/2020 1:00:00 AM by: KATHY AND LARRY MILLER
A DONUT KIND OF DAY
2/19/2020 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
Obedience: A Chance To Extend A Blessing
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NEW LEAF
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FORGIVENESS ISN'T EASY
1/29/2020 1:00:00 AM by: TAMERA LYNN KRAFT
God's Delight To Reason Together Makes For A Huge Gift
1/22/2020 1:00:00 AM by: TRINA BRESSER MATOUS
DECISION IN THE CROSSROAD
1/8/2020 1:00:00 AM by: MEREDITH SAGE KENDALL
HOPE FOR A NEW YEAR
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COUNTERFEIT DETECTORS
12/18/2019 1:00:00 AM by: DONNA SCHLACTER (aka LEENN BETTS)
A BABY FOR CHRISTMAS
12/11/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
STAYING FOCUSED
11/27/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
GOD'S DO-OVERS
11/20/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LINDA SHENTON MATCHETT
NEVER TIRED
11/13/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
IS IT FAITH OR TRUST
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THE BANE OF INDECISION
10/23/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LINDA WOOD RONDEAU
THE VALLEY OF LIFE: FROM PROMISE TO FULFILLMENT
10/16/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LINDA WOOD RONDEAU
EACH NEW SUNRISE
10/9/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
REFLECTIONS ON MOTHERHOOD
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PAY A LITTLE ATTENTION
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PENTAGON QUILTS:COMFORTERS
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IT IS NOT IN ME
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COCKROACHES AND LIGHT
8/21/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
SEE? GOOD.
8/14/2019 1:00:00 AM by: JULIE COSGROVE
EXPERIENCING GOD'S LOVE IN A BROKEN WORLD
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PLUG INTO GOD'S POWER
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DRIVING ON FLAT TIRES
7/22/2019 1:00:00 AM by: BARBARA BRITTON
WAITING FOR THE TEST
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THE LEAST OF THESE
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MY COMFORTER SAW IT COMING
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BLESSINGS IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD
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BOOKENDS
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UNDERGROUND
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THE POWER OF LOVE
5/29/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LISA SIMONDS
A CONVENIENT COMPASSION
5/15/2019 1:00:00 AM by: DONNA SCHLACHTER
TONGUE-TAMING 101
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WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVATION
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R and I
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MY SINAI SAGA
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Counterfeit Detectors
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LANDING HARD
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LOVING ONE ANOTHER
3/20/2019 1:00:00 AM by: JERRI HARRINGTON
TAKIN' IT TO THE LIMIT
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DON'T HIT THE FAN
3/6/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Julie Cosgrove
NOT OF THIS WORLD
2/27/2019 8:07:00 AM by: JUNE FOSTER
THE POWER OF "WITH"/OVERCOMING ANXIETY
2/20/2019 1:00:00 AM by: BARBARA BRITTON
HITTING YOUR SPIRITUAL GROOVE
2/13/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LINDA HANNA AND DEBORAH DULWORTH
STIRRED, NOT SHAKEN
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A CHURCH PLANTER'S WIFE
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FIG LEAVES RIPPING?
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A BEFORE I
1/9/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Julie Cosgrove
EVERYDAY CHOICES
1/2/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Gail Pallotta
YOU ARE THE APPLE OF HIS EYE
12/26/2018 1:00:00 AM by: Kathy Collard Miller
WHY WE SING JOY TO THE WORLD!
12/19/2018 1:00:00 AM by: Ada Brownell
Coming Home For Christmas
12/12/2018 1:00:00 AM by: MICHELLE DE BRUIN
WHY DO WE NEVER LEARN
12/5/2018 1:00:00 AM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
SAVED BY THE LAMB
11/28/2018 1:01:00 AM by: Julie Cosgrove
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
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HONESTLY SPEAKING
10/3/2018 3:22:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
Perceptual Blindness
10/1/2018 3:56:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
The God of the Mundane
8/30/2018 9:29:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
WHEN I WAS THREE
7/16/2018 11:52:00 AM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
THE PURSUIT OF PEACE
5/30/2018 2:39:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
