Plausible Deniability

“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”
—Romans 2:1

Parenting is frustrating at times. You may think very young children are concrete thinkers. However, I am convinced one of the earliest concepts we learn as a child is the most abstract concept imaginable: plausible deniability. I believe it is almost innate to humanity.

There you are looking at your toddler covered from head to toe in chocolate. On the floor next to them is the remnant of a chocolate cake that has been devoured. So you ask them, “Did you eat the cake?” They stare at you as if you asked them if they were Satan himself, then respond with, “No” and a stare.

“Well, then,” you ask, “who ate the cake?” Shoulder shrug. Tears of hurt because you don’t believe them. That questioning look of “how could you accuse me”… plausible deniability. You don’t have to teach it. Every child does it a some point, and most adults perfect it!

You don’t have to teach a child that they don’t know everything. Yet, we are logical creatures and quickly figure out if I don’t know everything, then neither do you. Plausible deniability as a legal defense is built on this conundrum. We don’t have to prove we didn’t do something, we just have to prove you can’t prove that I did.

We’ve all been lied to by people we love. We have all lied to the people we love. And most of those lies hinged on plausible deniability. Not only is it a hallmark of our judicial system (you have to prove something “beyond a reasonable doubt”), it is interwoven into the fabric of our society.

Who hasn’t let a boss think something was true, even though it wasn’t, because it benefited ourselves? Yes, that is plausible deniability. If she finds out the truth, “Well, I never said anything, I just assumed you knew.”

How often do we watch movies and shows where there is risqué behavior, nudity, obscene content…and the list goes on…then railed against the movie industry for making such “trash”. Yet, we watched it. Often got a thrill from it. But also railed against it. “I shouldn’t have to put up with trash like that to watch a show,” we say, and then cue up another one.

We often walk with one hand in the world and the other in eternity. Then we act like the siblings fighting in the back seat of the car on a long trip. “Mom, he won’t stop touching me!” We sit there with our finger a hairsbreadth away from their nose and say, “I’m not touching them!”

This is not a judgment piece. It is a reality check. Plausible deniability is so much a part of our world we often fall into the trap of thinking God is no different than us. Maybe we can use it as a defense. Then, we wonder why our lives do not change or improve.

God gets it, and declares it to be wrong. In Romans 2:1, we are informed that we are “inexcusable”. Unlike our parents, God is omniscient. He knows everything. He watched us eat the cake. Lie to our loved ones. Deceive our boss. Enjoy the lusts of the flesh. He saw it all!

Praise be to God, He also took it all to the cross! He forgave us. And, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10;10)

At that point the court of inquiry changed. It was no longer a trial of our deeds. It became a path for our life. The focused was changed from what we have done, to what we are going to do. Plausible deniability ceased to be a shield behind which we can hide, because the focus was on what we are going to do, not what we have done. The standard is clear, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men…” (Colossians 3:23). It is proactive, not reactive.

I’m challenged this week to stop trying to justify my actions. Rather, I’m challenged to focus on what is to come and to do it heartily as unto the Lord. I ate the cake. I lied. I deceived. I followed the lust of the flesh. But what does that have to do with the choice before me now? It was all in Christ on the cross. Now, I only have a choice. Will I choose the Lord in this moment? Will I take the next step heartily as unto the Lord?

NOTE: I’m learning that when you are focused on each step being taken unto the Lord, the missteps you’ve taken in the past do not haunt you as much. Something to think about.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Hello, My Ragtime Friend

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”
— 1 Timothy 6:6

As I write, today is the 70th anniversary of the epic release of the Merrie Melodies “One Froggy Evening.” Hearing that on the radio this morning I was taken back to my childhood (reruns) of this memorable cartoon. Epic in nature as it stands as one of the top 5 all-time best cartoons, and it’s main character became a mascot for the The WB.

The cartoon stars Michigan J. Frog. Complete with top hat and cane, he sings ragtime, Tin Pan Alley hits and other songs from the late 19th to early 20th century. He was found hidden in a time capsule from 1892 by a construction worker on a demolition crew. He immediately breaks into song and dance with the hit, “Hello, My Baby.”

Watching the incredible sight of this frog dancing and singing, “Hello, my baby. Hello, my honey. Hello, my ragtime gal,” the construction worker is overwhelmed with thoughts of fortune with this precious find. He sneaks off with the frog and sets about to make his fortune. He eventually rents a theater to rake in the money. No one comes. He offers free admission. No one comes. He offers free beer, and the crowds rush in only to hear the frog croak.

Apparently, the frog will perform for no one except the construction worker. Now broke and insane, the construction worker sees a new building site and sneaks the frog into the time capsule at the cornerstone. Fast forward to 2056, and the building is being demolished. The frog is found by another construction worker. The frog performs and off goes the new construction worker dreaming of his coming fortune.

Don’t read too much into this as it is an analogy to a cartoon with a singing and dancing frog that is over 150 years old. Yet, I vividly remember seeing this cartoon. And the moral of the story is clear: When we are blessed with a precious gift and try to leverage it for worldly wealth, we lose both. Croak!

Paul, in his letter to Timothy, is advising him how to properly shepherd the church. He tells him (and us) in 1 Timothy 6:3-6, “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to the wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud… useless wrangling of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”

In Christ, we have found a precious treasure way beyond the abilities of a singing, dancing frog. Yet, how often do we seek to leverage that new found gift for worldly gain. I can not tell you how many times I have had people say, “I tried Christianity. It just doesn’t work for me!”

No! It doesn’t. Christianity was not meant to work for you! It is about Christ, not you. Christianity was meant to work IN YOU. It is about Christ working in your life, not a grand show of your life. There is no doubt Christ desires to work in and through your life with every step you take and every situation you face. However, Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”

As our verse today reads, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” Christianity is about eternity before it is about today. It is about spiritual wealth rather than wealth for the moment.

My ragtime friend, or should I say, my fellow ragamuffin; I do not discount the trials and tribulations of your life. Neither does the Lord. However contentment is found in understanding who you are in Christ and who He has made you to be in any circumstance.

The show is not for the world. It is for your contentment. As Zephaniah 3:17 states, “The Lord your God in your midst, / The Might One, will save; / He will rejoice over your with gladness, / He will quiet you with His love, / He will rejoice over you with singing.” God rejoices over you with singing!

Godliness is not a path to success in the world. Godliness is the applause to the song the Lord sings in your life. “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Do You Want To Be Made Well?

“Do you want to be made well?”
— John 5:6

Jesus approached the pool of Bethesda and saw a man crippled for 38 years lying there. He approached him and asked a startling question, “Do you want to be made well?” Even more startling is the man’s answer, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I’m coming, another steps down before me.” Notice he didn’t just say, “YES!”

His response was that of a victim. He was crippled for 38 years. The pool of Bethesda was said to have an angel who would periodically stir the waters and the first person to step into them when stirred would be healed. The man waited day by day, inches away from a cure he could not acquire. Yet, when asked if he wanted to be made well, he explained why he couldn’t.

His response was completely dictated by what he could and couldn’t do. It didn’t take into account what Jesus could do. He didn’t know who Jesus was, nor could he know what He could do.

I’ve always found this passage to be profound. It is often the nature of conversation when Christians are challenged to walk in victory, freedom and godliness. We don’t just say yes. We share the reasons that hold us back. We offer excuses as to why we can’t be THAT person right now, because of what we think we can or can’t do. We fail to realize we ARE THAT PERSON, because of what Jesus has done. We are the children of God clothed in righteousness.

We often act like the peasant in Søren Kierkegaard’s The Sickness Unto Death who came to the Capital loaded with a new found fortune “…and had made so much money that he could buy himself a pair of shoes and stockings and still had enough left over to get drunk on—it is related that as he was trying in his drunken state to find his way home he lay down in the middle of the highway and fell asleep. Then along came a wagon, and the driver shouted to him to move or he would run over his legs. Then the drunken peasant awoke, looked at his legs, and since by reason of the shoes and stockings he didn’t recognize them, he said to the driver, ‘Drive on, they are not my legs.’”

How often do we cut ourselves off at the knees because we fail to comprehend who we are in Christ? How acclimated we are to misery, woe, failings and grief that we choose to wallow in them rather than wake up to our new wardrobe. How much more comfortable it is to walk in the drunken stupor of the world, than to adjust our eyes to light unto our path.

Maybe you can’t relate. I, on the other hand, have spent far too many days wallowing in excuses as to why I can’t change, rather than embracing the change that Christ has worked in my life. It begs the question; do I want to be made well?

The man in Bethesda didn’t even know who had healed him. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” Much worse is the person who has been made well and yet continues to live in their weakness and degradation.

I certainly know who has healed me. Yet, I also struggle with the comfort of being a victim. It is hard to let go of the life, habits and image I’ve created (even when it is negative). Being able to lay the blame somewhere else. Blame the world, society, actions of others and countless other excuses as to why I can’t change. Still, the question remains, do I want to be made well?

We have been given a fortune beyond measure. We have acquired a new wardrobe. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) The only questioned that remains is will we continue in the drunkenness of the world unable to recognize the new creation we are? Or will we walk in Christ trusting Him to live through our lives—day by day, moment by moment?

We can not be made well by remaining who we are. We have to change. We have to pick up the mat we have laid down on and go home—to our Lord. Only He can work change in our life.

Do you want to be made well?

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

The Gift

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
— 2 Corinthians 9:15

One of my favorite stories of all time is the short story by O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), “The Gift of the Magi”. Set in the late 1800s, it tells of Della Young who discovers she has only $1.87 to buy her husband a Christmas present. He is the love of her life and his most prized possession is his pocket watch (a family heirloom). Her beautiful hair is said to outshine a queen’s jewels. She cuts it off and sells it to buy James a decorative chain to adorn his pocket watch. When it comes time to exchange gifts, James presents Della with a set of decorative combs for her hair he purchased from the sale of his watch. Thus, both gave up what they valued most to buy a gift for the other. Now both hold in hand a useless gift, but discover the greatest gift of all is a willingness to sacrifice for those you love.

What fascinates me most about this story is the author who artfully captured the greatest desire of humanity: being loved to the point of sacrifice. Especially since the author seemed to live a more selfish life. I can’t speak to his spiritual state, but his primary sacrifice was returning as a fugitive from Honduras to surrender to the U.S. authorities when he learned his wife was dying from tuberculosis. He cared for her till her death in 1897. Then, he began his 5 year prison sentence for embezzlement. He was a heavy drinker and died in 1910 of cirrhosis of the liver and other complications.

O. Henry was a master of capturing human emotion and empathy in word. He could guide thoughts to elation in his stories. So much so, that for more than 30 years after his death, people would regularly visit his grave and leave $1.87 (Della’s starting sum). However, his personal life was contrary to his scribbles, and scruples. It is a dire warning for those of us who dare to create.

Yet, it does little to undermine the truth of his work; the greatest gift is love unto sacrifice.

2 Corinthians 9:15 states, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” And what a gift it is. A gift of value I will never fully comprehend until the day I see Him face to face. He humbled Himself and came as a baby in swaddling clothes. Nursed by His mother. Fragile. Vulnerable.

He walked a lonely life of poverty, rejection, scorn and hatred. He was rejected in His own community. He was betrayed by His own followers. Questioned at every turn. Arrested as a common criminal.

He was beaten. Scourged. A crown of thorns was placed on His brow. He was humiliated. Dragged through the streets. Nailed to the cross as a common criminal. Even then the humiliation did not end. Until at last, He breathed His last.

Placed in a grave, He descended into the depths to conquer them. Rose on the third day and now sits on a heavenly throne.

He did it for you!

God gave His greatest gift for you. He did it to remove your sin, blemishes and debasement. He did it to free you from shame, guilt, regret and heartache. He did it to give you a new life. Make you a new creation. He did it so you could come alive to person He created you to be!

The gift has been presented. How will you respond?

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

It is not enough to know about the gift. It is not enough to be able to write about it in a way that moves others. It is not enough. It is only when we come to the point we are willing to sacrifice all in exchange that the gift has value. It is when we come to the point we are willing to give everything we are to Christ. We are willing to put everything we have into His hands. We are willing to let go of our pride, position, and person.

When we come to the point we are willing to say, “Everything I am, I give to You!” In that moment, He responds by giving us everything He is. He gives us life, forgiveness, righteousness, holiness, love, acceptance and makes us complete in Him.

Friend, I pray you have experienced this gift exchange. I pray you experience the reality of it today. I hope you understand, as great as the sacrifice seems to be, it is nothing in comparison to the gift you receive in exchange. For the gift the world, your family, spouse and friends need today is the person you were created to be in Christ.

“But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere the are the wisest. They are the magi.” —O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi”

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

NOTE: If you would like to talk to someone about receiving this gift, please connect with me.

[I highly recommend reading the short story. You can find an online version here.]

Bah Humbug: My Christmas Story

“‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”
— Matthew 1:23

I’m not big on Christmas. That is hard to say as a Christian, but it is true. I fall more into the “bah humbug” chorus line. So, if you are thinking this is going to be a Hallmark movie type story-line, well…let’s not give away the ending just yet, because I have no idea what it is.

After my parents divorced, Christmas break became a dread for me. Don’t get me wrong. Everyone did their best to make it the best. I enjoyed seeing my family, the presents and festivities. However, I also spent a lot of time traveling to split time between families. I missed events, festivities and basketball practices. I struggled with finding joy in the season because I always felt I was missing out. I couldn’t be two places at once, and something was always going on wherever I wasn’t.

Wendy and I married right out of high school and started a new family. Our first Christmas together was going to change everything. However, it was filled with anything but joy. We spent 13 days at the hospital following my brother’s wreck, and laid him to rest one week before our first Christmas together.

For most of my life now, when December 2 arrives (the date of my brother’s wreck) the “bah humbug spirit” hits me hard. I tend to withdraw somewhat. I try not to plan meetings on December 2, 15 and 18 (dates of his wreck, death and burial). I also tend to withdraw from my wife, children and my Lord. It is not intentional, but it happens every year.

It happened again this year. This week I shirked my habits. I neglected my normal daily devotions and Bible study. So, this morning I decided to catch up. I read through several days of devotionals all at once. I tend to read 3 most days (from an author I tend to agree with, one I disagree with and one I don’t know). It challenges me to think and process from different perspectives.

I was amazed this morning when all 3 hit on the same theme multiple times, and I adamantly disagreed with all of them. All of them talked about sin in our life and how it puts “paralyzing roadblocks between us and our Heavenly Father.” They talked about how God would remove His presence from our lives. One of them wrote, “He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering heart.”

WRONG! Nothing could be further from the truth.

There is absolutely no doubt I am wrong during this season of the year. My heart does become cold, and I do wander in my grief. I tend to neglect what I know is right. And some years I have expressed it as outright sin. Yet, my Lord NEVER withdrew from me. I withdrew, but He was always present, knocking at the door.

“For He Himself has said,” declares Hebrews 13:5, “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) On and on I could go.

Paul understood this truth and penned the words, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

I withdraw. I change my focus. I can’t see Him. I feel distant. I feel alone. But He has not moved or changed. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) That was written just three verses after “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (v.5)

My “bah humbug spirit” doesn’t change Christ. Nor does it change Christmas. It is only a change in me. It is me not being able to see the reason for the season in the moment: God is with me!

“'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:22)

Christmas celebrates the moment God came and walked among us as a man. However, that was not just a point in human history over 2,000 years ago. It is today, and in this very moment. It is the life of every believer. God is with us! He is with us on December 25 and July 25 and every moment in between. Christmas is not a season, it is the life of a Christian. And if I can’t see Him in my life, it is me who needs to change.

Maybe you are like my wife and deeply enjoy the holiday season! Awesome! Shout the reason for the season loud and proud. Or maybe your like me and struggle through the holiday season. If so, I’m sorry. But trust this, God is with you! He loves you and desires to work through your life for healing, to restore relationships and to guide you; His child.

The coming of Immanuel (God with us) was never meant to be a holiday! It was meant to be an everyday experience in the life of believers. God is with you! He loves you! He desires to live through you on Christmas and every single day of your life. Don’t give a day more importance than it deserves. The reason we celebrate is the same every day of the year: Immanuel (God with us). When you don’t experience that truth, it is you who needs to change.

Hallmark Ending: Joseph married Mary. They had an amazing son, a carpenter from a small town. Jesus Christ changes the world. He took a farm boy from Texico, NM (too tied up in his own life to notice what matters) and gave him a gift of unimaginable power. The farm boy would at times ignore Jesus and act like He wasn’t there. Crises would follow, but Jesus never left him. As the power is revealed to be a new life in Christ, the farm boy realizes little by little that life is not about himself. It is about Jesus. And while the farm boy might not live happily ever after, he actually might struggle on a regular basis, he does have joy and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus will complete the work begun in his life! For God is always with him. Merry Christmas! THE END

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.