Tag Archives: Grace

Message In A Minute: He Is The Source

Our favorite local Mexican restaurant serves free meals on Christmas Eve.

They don’t advertise this at all.

On that day, when you finish eating, you are handed a bill like every other day. When you take the bill to the register so you can pay, the employee says “Merry Christmas”, then the ticket is discarded. Many of the locals know its coming and are very appreciative.

It’s a wonderful surprise for others.

We know the restaurant does this every Christmas Eve, so we go there and tip our waiter extremely well.

A couple years ago, we noticed another local pastor and his wife taking there bill up front. I assumed they were familiar with the procedure, so I made the not so witty joke “I paid for yours.” What I didn’t realize is the Pastor and his wife didn’t know about the reoccurring free Christmas meal.

Later, on social media, my wife and I discovered that we were credited with paying for the couple’s meal. They didn’t mention our names, but their post expressed gratitude towards “anonymous” people meeting our description. Since we weren’t directly named in the post, I thought I’d simply clear up the misunderstandIng the next time we saw the couple.

Since then, we forgot about the incident. As far as we know, we received credit for something we didn’t do. We were shown gratitude for a gift we didn’t give.

That’s no big deal in the grand scheme of things. It was a meal not a miracle.

In your life, don’t let there be a misunderstanding about the source of every good thing in your life. God is the source, He directly blesses or indirectly blesses using other people or circumstances. Express your appreciation to others for their kindness, but realize ultimate credit goes to God. Let Him know you are aware of His goodness.

It’s not that God will be angry about losing out on any credit. It’s more relational than that. It is about each of us learning to trust God in every area of our lives. It is about understanding the source of every good gift is God. That strengthens our faith.

Think about all the good gifts.

Life, from God.
Grace, from God.
Blessings, from God.
Forgiveness, from God.
People we love, from God.

Your strength, mental capacity, unique talents, work ethic, and fortitude are all God’s design.

You may or may not view life this way, but I encourage you to be sincerely open to this perspective.

Whether the blessing drops down from heaven, comes through your own hard work, is delivered through a kind person, or seems like it was all a coincidence. Trust that God is in control. He is the bestower of all that is good.

See God as the author of creation, the sustainer of life, and the giver of every good gift. Show gratitude to others if they played a part in the good gift. But know in your heart that God is the source of all blessings.

He is the spark of creation, the catalyst for life, the impetus of grace, and the inspiration for every act of good will.

The credit is His alone.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Closer Than A Brother

I’m a good friend, but not a great friend.

Being a natural introvert plays a large part in my lack of friendship greatness. I’m a loner to the core. If needed, I can be extroverted for short bursts of time, but I usually come crashing down after that.

I’ve battled depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia much of my life. Some seasons are better than others, and I have been fortunate to overcome many issues related to anxiety. But, I fall short in building friendships.

I’m sure I’ve frustrated and confounded my friends over the years.

It’s not that I lack deep affection and concern for my friends, in fact I care tremendously about them. But I’ve always felt like I relate through a cloud, like a fog surrounds me and I can’t relax or be totally comfortable. It’s almost always my issues that keep me from being closer with friends.

Other people relate so effortlessly and I envy that skill.

Maybe I overthink simple things, maybe I’m too worried about being accepted, maybe there’s a secret to relating I’ve yet to discover.

I’ve sincerely questioned why I can’t quite make it work.

Again, I think I’m a good friend, just not a great friend.

Often, in the past, I’ve been left out of activities, not invited, not included. But honestly, I know much of that comes from earlier times I’ve not included myself, refused an invitation, or left a social situation early because of my discomfort.

I’m not looking for pity, I’m just being as honest as I know how to be.

I value the friends I have and I am thankful for them, I thank God that these friends care about me, even with my quirks.

There is a scripture that means more than the world to me because I’ve struggled in this area. The scripture says “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.” That scripture gives me peace, hope, and assurance.

A relationship with God is too often talked about like a commodity. Something to be bargained for, earned, or attained. But the good news is, this relationship is simple, pure, and everlasting.

Many times, religion clutters this relationship. Other times past experiences may hold us back. It’s possible that fear of rejection restricts our acceptance of this ultimate relationship.

Take it from me, an absolute amateur when it comes to relationships.

The friend that’s sticks closer than a brother offers the most welcoming, faithful, and tenaciously devoted relationship you can ever experience.

You can build your life on it.

No matter your hang ups, issues, failures, or quirks.

Trust the friend that sticks closer than a brother.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Thirsty

One hot summer day in 1985 or so, I was at my Grandmother’s house.

I came in from playing outside and I was hot and thirsty. My grandmother insisted I eat something. She asked if I wanted a peanut butter sandwich. I assumed by that she meant a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But apparently she meant only peanut butter.

She brought me the sandwich, and despite her being an awesome cook in every other way. She hadn’t mastered the fine art of the sandwich. It had triple the amount of peanut butter I would’ve used and for some reason the bread was old and extremely dry.

I don’t mean the bread was a little dry, I mean it should’ve been thrown out the previous week and it tasted like the desert dry. She put the Sahara sandwich down in front of me, along with a glass of milk.

Growing up I didn’t like milk, and I particularly didn’t want it that day when I was overheated and parched. But my grandmother sat down beside me, and like a good grandson, I started to eat the moisture-less meal.

It took me a half an hour to choke down all that peanut butter and barren bread. The milk didn’t help at all. It was exactly the opposite of what I wanted at the time. I desired anything to quench my thirst and I got something that made it worse.

There is a thirst in all of us that is beyond physical. It’s more like a spiritual thirst. We long for relief, for renewing, for a saturation in our soul. We often look for a way to alleviate this thirst in relationships, substances, and experiences. But the thirst keeps coming back.

What the world offers for this soul thirst is like that sandwich and milk my Grandmother offered. No matter how well intentioned or presented, it doesn’t satisfy our soul. There is nothing in medicine, philosophy, or therapy that can permanently quench this soul thirst.

Jesus mentioned this kind of thirst, and He offered water so satisfying, we would never thirst again. He explained that this water was from a well that would never run dry. God understands this thirst we have.

We are spiritual beings, whether we acknowledge it or not.

Physically, we suffer without nutrition and movement. Emotionally, we ache without support and acceptance. Spiritually, we need connection and meaning.

In Christ you will find all the joy your heart craves, all the peace your mind desires, and complete satisfaction for your thirsty soul.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Connection

One summer, my dad and step-mom drove their RV (Recreational Vehicle) from Colorado to West Virginia for a visit.

They stayed at a local campground that my family happened to know very well.

This campground hosts many church events, and we’d been there dozens of times. It’s beautiful and has all the accommodations anyone would need. But it struggles with one modern convenience. The cellphone service is spotty and weak at best. Certain areas of the campground get no service at all.

While visiting with family in the RV, my daughter thought of something she desperately needed to check on her phone. She quietly slipped out of the RV and attempted to connect to the internet. While she was gone, everyone was talking and I took a few pictures.

Later, looking at one of the pictures, I noticed something funny.

In the picture, in between my brother and my niece, but outside the RV, you can see my daughter, reaching her phone towards heaven in an attempt to get connected. It is a great illustration of our societies deep dependency on connection.

She assured me later that she made contact with the World Wide Web and all was well.

The internet is an amazing thing, powerful, invisible, informative, and generally reliable. Our connecting devices, or the local cell towers are what commonly fail us if we can’t log on. We feel vulnerable without a strong connection.

Spiritually speaking, God is similar to, yet infinitely greater than the internet.

Powerful and mysterious beyond explanation. Invisible but evident in everything He created. And, He is the source of wisdom, inspiration, and truth itself.

We are made to connect with Him. He designed our very being, He is available at all times, from all places, but it’s up to us to connect.

Like a cell-phone that’s “roaming”, you may feel disconnected from your Heavenly Father. But, unlike the campground cell-phone coverage, the spiritual signal is always strong, always available, and always dependable.

Make sure you have strong connections with your loved ones. Do your part to encourage and support them. And, rely on those connections to help you through difficult times. We all need those relational connections.

The most important relational connection is between us and our creator.

The Bible calls God a strong tower to illustrate His dependability, strength, and security. I think it’s perfectly fine to think of Him, in modern terms, as the ultimate cell-phone tower.

Always sending His signal out for a secure connection with each of us

Like my daughter that evening, be determined to make the connection

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: People Over Politics

Every so often I get caught up in politics.

I know better, I can’t control it, it just happens.
It creeps up on me, and then it creeps me out.

I turn on the news and start absorbing the drama. Frustration quickly takes over. People from all perspectives quote only the statistics that support their view. At the same time, ignoring blatant facts disproving their own theories.

Finally I pull myself out of the mire and stay clean for months on end, until some current event drives me back to the same old shows, with the same old people, arguing the same old points.

I need help.

There is another thing that bothers me about the political realm. Christianity mixed with politics makes me uncomfortable. I’m not saying they should never overlap, but I’m sure that God’s grace is more powerful than our views. While I love my country, to me discipleship easily outweighs patriotism, and the flag (as much as I love it) ultimately bows to the cross.

I have my political views, you have yours. 
Let’s leave that alone.

But, I ask you to consider these next few thoughts.

Jesus most likely…

Made the conservatives upset because He spent a lot of time with the fringe of society.

Made the liberals uncomfortable because he raised the moral standard for everybody.

Made the libertarians uneasy because he gave up His rights for the good of others.

Made the moderates cringe every time He made a bold and clear stand.

Made the religious people angry because He broke the law and loved the outsiders.

Made the apathetic take notice by powerfully proclaiming His father loved everybody.

Made the powerful people uneasy because He said that love was the highest goal.

But most of all, His words pierced through all of their agendas.

His words will still do that today, if we are honest with ourselves.

Sometimes, we get too comfortable in our own ideas. Possibly, we define ourselves by our views too much. Often, our comfort zone of being right has become a barrier to serving those around us.

If we follow Jesus, we will be called to love, serve, and encourage all types of people from all walks of life, with many different views.

The more I think about it, if Jesus hasn’t made me uncomfortable recently, then I might not be following close enough.

If Jesus hasn’t made you uncomfortable recently, then you might not be following close enough.

If you are a Christ follower, make sure His message is preeminent over any earthly agenda.

Because, people are more important than politics.

-Tom Wise