“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.” (Hebrews 5:11-6:1-3 NIV)
When a child is first learning to swim, her parents take her into the shallow end of the pool with floaties on her arms. As she becomes more comfortable in the water, the floaties are removed and she learns to swim in the shallow end of the pool. As she gains confidence and ability, mom and dad let her venture into the deep end. It will usually take some time, but eventually she will become comfortable swimming in the deep end.
Maturing in our spiritual lives is a lot like learning to swim. The goal is learning the deeper things of God and being comfortable there. We all start out learning the basics—God loves us; Jesus died for our sins; we can only be saved through accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord; we need to leave our lifestyles of sin and live in ways honoring to the Lord. These are the basics, the shallow end of the spiritual life. But our goal should be to get comfortable in the deep end. There we find the deeper understandings of God’s Word, a deeper intimacy with Him through prayer, the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) emanating from our lives, and a life that is transformed from the inside out to look more and more like Jesus.
There are some kids who are content with staying in the shallow end of the pool, but most want to get rid of the floaties, learn how to swim, and start playing in the deep end. How is it that so many of us after we are born again become content to stay in the shallow end with our spiritual floaties on? God never intended it to be that way. He wants us to get to the deep end and enjoy being there.
The goal of every Christian is to be spiritual growth. Babies are destined to grow up and become adults. Anything less than that we view as a tragedy. It is no different in the spiritual realm. We are to grow and mature spiritually.
Today, ask the Lord to help you learn how to get to the deep end of the spiritual life and be comfortable there.
© Jim Musser 2014
"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Proverbs 30:5 NIV)
If you have ever gone bungee jumping, skydiving, or something else that involves risk of injury, you are familiar with the waiver of liability. The companies providing these opportunities insist you sign this waiver absolving them of any liability for your injuries if they were to occur. And of course we are familiar with the warnings on coffee cups (“This beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot…”) and on television commercials advertising trucks or cars (“Professional driver on closed course. Do not attempt.”). All are cautioning there is some risk and all are basically saying, “You were warned; don’t blame us if you get hurt.”
This verse is basically a warning about living a life apart from God—you are exposed to life and all its dangers. You may be hurt. In other words, don’t blame God if life doesn’t go so well for you. You were warned.
I have known people angry with God because life didn’t turn out the way they expected. They blame Him even though they never really sought to live for Him. Like the person who puts a cup of coffee between their legs while driving, they want to blame God when they act foolishly and reap the consequences.
God promises to be a shield against the dangers of life in a fallen world, if we take refuge in Him. (Not every physical danger or bad thing, mind you. Christians are hurt and die every day. But His blessings are upon us even in those circumstances.) But if we choose not to seek refuge in Him, He has also warned us of the consequences. Thus, don’t blame Him if you do not choose to live for Him and things go badly for you. You were warned.
© Jim Musser 2014
“At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, sir,’ she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” (John 8:2-11 NIV)
Rob Bell, popular author and former pastor of the Mars Hill Bible Church, said this last spring: “I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs – I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”
Bell’s views are being repeated and promoted in churches and blogs across the country and reflect the changing attitude toward sin. Sin is being viewed less as an affront to God and more as an incurable disease with which everyone is afflicted. Thus, don’t blame the victim. Our response to sin, as Bell and others tell us, should be love and affirmation. It sounds good and reasonable, until we look a little deeper.
In this story, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law fit perfectly the profile of the “haters” of today. They don’t love; they only condemn. They are hypocrites of the highest order. And Jesus rightly puts them in their place by making a simple statement: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” They walk away in shame and you can almost hear the applause of this generation and the collective shout of approval: “Way to go Jesus! Now that’s what we’re talkin’ about! No more hate; only love!”
If this were an unknown story, the expectation would follow that Jesus would affirm the woman and say nothing at all about the sin in her life. For isn’t that how love is being defined these days? We only affirm. We accept people for who they are and how they live. To correct is offensive and condemning. Of course, Jesus did exactly what people today say shouldn’t be done. He dared to tell the woman to leave her life of sin.
I believe Rob Bell and others have good intentions, but what I don’t think they realize is by preaching God’s love at the expense of an emphasis on sin they are rendering that love meaningless. What is so extraordinary about God’s love if sin is removed from the equation? What need of a Savior do we have if condemnation and death are not the consequence of sin? Would this story have even been recorded if sin (theirs and hers) were not mentioned?
Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is deadly and our destiny is in peril because of it. Sin is why Jesus came. To understand the fullness of His love, we must recognize the depth of our own sin. God’s love is never intended to “make us proud of who we are,” but to be a mirror into which we gaze and see how far we have fallen and how desperate we are for a Savior. It is not to lead to the acceptance of any sinful lifestyle or habit, but rather to the departure from it.
Today, contemplate this question: If loving God means affirming those engaging in habitual sin, what meaning does His love really have?
© Jim Musser 2014
“When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this person your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, “Friend, move up to a better place.” Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’” (Luke 14:7-11 NIV)
Like almost every writer who has ever written, I enjoy my work being read. In fact, I admit that almost every day I check my blog stats to see how many people have viewed it. When the view graph spikes, I confess it gives me a sense of excitement and, occasionally, I wonder if that spike will lead to having a large audience and perhaps even a book deal.
While it is okay to dream of bigger things for myself, there is also a danger in it, of which the Lord reminded me through this passage several weeks ago. So many people these days want to be recognized and perhaps even famous; thus the popularity of social media such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. People put themselves out there to be noticed; some hoping their next post will go viral. In many respects, they are like the people in Jesus’ parable—they are seeking special attention rather than allowing it to come to them naturally.
Like today, people in the 1st Century were easily seduced by status and power. The disciples of Jesus were no exception, as is seen clearly in their debate among themselves about who was the greatest among them (Mark 9:33-35). Though Jesus had the right to claim the highest honors and the most attention, He never did in His earthly life. As Paul so eloquently describes, He “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8) Jesus came, not to become the most famous human being to ever live, but to do His Father’s will. He humbled Himself, and fame and honor followed His obedience.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus sought to get this across to His disciples. It was a truth they found difficult to learn, and so it is with us today. What I have begun to realize is my desire for recognition is evidence of my lack of humility. I want the attention because deep down I think I deserve it. I am unwilling to sit in the back of the room; I want to grab that seat on the stage where everyone will recognize my abilities and applaud me.
So when I read this a few weeks ago, it was as though the host escorted me from the place of honor on stage, which I sought for myself, and led me to a seat in the back of the room. I was humbled and rightly so. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled.
Today, follow the example of Jesus. Don’t seek glory and honor for yourself. Be humble and content with living your life in obedience to Him. Your seat on the stage will become available in His time.
© Jim Musser 2014
“He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:2-4 NIV)
Joshua Bell is a world-class violinist at whose concerts people pay as much as $100 for a seat. Yet, on an early winter’s morning back in 2007, Bell couldn’t get more than a handful of people to listen to him play a 45-minute concert. Bell was asked by the Washington Post to play in a Washington, D.C. subway station during the morning rush hour to see if people, in the course of their daily routines, would take notice of his beautiful music if they didn’t know who he was.
So he arrived at the subway stop, took out his million-dollar Stradivarius, threw a couple bucks into the case for “seed” money, and began to play. He played six pieces by Bach. After the first, the man who was accustomed to standing ovations, received no applause. He awkwardly paused and then began his second piece. Of the hundreds passing by, only a few stopped to listen. Some dropped a dollar in his case as they passed by. One said later he never even heard the music because he was listening to his iPod.
The only ones who seemed to really pay attention were the children. Every child that passed by turned to look and some fought their parents to stop and listen. One three year-old continued to look back as his mother pulled him through the doors onto the street. None of the parents were willing to let their kids stop and listen.
By the end of the 45-minute concert, only two people were standing listening (one was a woman who recognized Bell from a concert she had attended earlier that week) and there was a total of $32 in his case.
Our busyness and the task-oriented culture in which we live often lead us to miss the beauty of what is right in front of us. Just this week, I sat in my living room at dusk working on my computer. As I looked outside, I noticed the faint shades of dark pink and gray—the remnants of a beautiful sunset. A sunset that occurred right outside my window, yet of which I had taken no notice.
There are a number of reasons we should remain like children. One of those is so we can continue to notice and be awed by the beauty of all God has created. Whether it be a concert violinist, a sunset, or any other thing of beauty, we should always be the first to stop and take notice. After all, beauty is one of God’s great gifts to us.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’
Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. If you love me, keep my commands.’” (John 14:6-15 NIV)
Every theistic religion focuses on reaching/pleasing God through human effort. It is all about the works you do. In the various forms of Christianity that exist and have existed down through the centuries, this has been manifested by emphases on faithful attendance at worship services, commitment to various rituals (such as the saying of the rosary or partaking of Communion every week), or withdrawal from society as demonstrations of one’s faithfulness to God. And Jesus’s words can seem to endorse such attitudes—“If you love me, keep my commands.”
Yet, the Pharisees are the Jewish equivalent of many Christians. They were very committed to keeping what they believed to be the commands of God. Yet, Jesus, in an earlier encounter with them, proclaimed they did not truly know God (John 8:19). In this passage and later when He speaks about being the Vine (John 15:1-8), Jesus makes clear the first requirement of pleasing God is to know Him. He IS the way; He IS the truth; He IS the life. No one gains access to the Father but THROUGH Him.
Typically, however, we humans are prone to get the proverbial cart before the horse. We think the way to please God is to do what we think He wants us to do. And usually that is some sort of good work. So we faithfully go to church thinking we are pleasing Him. Or we do our best to be a better person than others around us. Or we make sacrifices in our lives to demonstrate our worthiness to Him.
These attempts are not necessarily wrong, but if they are done as a way to earn God’s love rather than as a result of His love, then we miss an important truth: God’s love cannot be earned, but only received. And it is received, not through a single prayer, but through knowing Jesus, as one would a spouse or close friend. It would never do for me just to do good things for my wife; she wants me to spend time with her talking and getting to know her on a more deep and intimate level. It is the same with Jesus. He doesn’t just want us to do things for Him; He wants us to know Him.
Today, recognize that following Jesus is first and foremost a journey of getting to know Him. When you do, you will want to obey Him, not out of obligation, but out of love, which is always the most satisfying motivation.
© Jim Musser 2014
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:8-12 NIV)
It was Christmas Day and my wife and I were in Destin, Florida enjoying a week away from the cold and snow of our home in Boone, North Carolina. We were eating a lunch at one of the few restaurants open that day. Sitting at our table on the edge of Destin Harbor, the Lord had put it on my heart to leave a large tip for our waiter. That sense was there long before we arrived at the restaurant, which was fortunate for the waiter because his service was average at best. He wasn’t particularly friendly or attentive.
As I laid my 50% gratuity on the table out of obedience, a realization dawned on me about the Lord’s grace and mercy. Our waiter, based on his service, did not deserve the tip I gave him; yet, I had great joy in being gracious toward him. In fact, more so than I think I would have if he had provided excellent service.
As I reflected on this the rest of the week, I understood why the Lord led me to tip so generously. It gave me a first-hand experience of showing grace and mercy when it is not earned or deserved. In that waiter, who didn’t give his best or treat us as well as we should have been, I saw myself. I often treat the Lord and those He loves in a similar manner. Yet time and time again, He joyfully shows me grace and mercy; He doesn’t treat me as my sins deserve.
As I look upon my life, I have been incredibly blessed. Yet, as Paul did (I Timothy 1:15), I see myself as the chief among sinners. My life is anything but a résumé of righteousness. I am the waiter that doesn’t give his best, but keeps being given generous tips. At lunch that day, the Lord reminded me of this.
We never saw our waiter’s reaction and, in reality, that was unimportant. The truth of which I was reminded in my obedience was the reward: I often give poor service to my Lord, but He joyfully continues to leave me great tips.
Today, may this be a lesson we put into practice with those around us.
© Jim Musser 2014
