“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’" (I Corinthians 15:33 NIV)
Relationships with people are vital. We are by nature social beings. God created us to be in relationships. But not all relationships are beneficial, even if they are between professing Christians.
The quality test of any relationship is this: Does it help to further and deepen your relationship with the Lord or does it lead you away from Him? I call the latter a toxic relationship.
Think for moment about the relationships you have, the ones from which you draw security and a sense of significance. These may be either romantic or merely friendships. Do they enhance your relationship with the Lord or do they distract you from Him? Do they lead you deeper into spiritual maturity or do they hold you back?
We live in a culture that continually promotes romance and friendship. You can’t miss that if you spend an hour watching TV. Much of our significance and purpose is found in our relationships. The question we need to ask, however, is where these relationships are leading us spiritually?
Relationships in the Christian context have but one purpose—to glorify God. There may be some in which we are getting little back from the person spiritually, but we are glorifying the Lord by trying to pour His love into that person. We are to be His light in the world, thus we must build relationships with people to do that. However, our other relationships, be they romantic or friendships, should be helping lead us into a deeper relationship with the Lord.
Sadly, I see a lot of relationships that are toxic. Romantic ones that are based merely on attraction and having fun, but with no true spiritual dimension. Friendships that are based on mutual interests and hanging out, but with no real purpose of spurring one another on to greater spiritual depth. The end result is either spiritual decline or a stunting in growth and maturity.
It has always been true that bad company has a corrupting influence on us, even if our company happens to be fellow believers. If these believers are not really growing, are not truly interested in the things of God or making them a priority, then they are potentially toxic to your spiritual life.
Today, think about the relationships you are in currently. Do they encourage you spiritually? Do they help spur you on to deeper maturity? Or are they holding you back? Nothing is more important than your relationship with the Lord and no other relationship is worth holding onto if it negatively impacts that one.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)
Maewyn Succat was born into a wealthy English family late in the 4th Century. When he was 16-years-old, Irish raiders attacked his family’s estate and kidnapped him. They carried him back to Ireland where he was sold into slavery. Maewyn was forced to work as a shepherd of sheep and his master was a high priest in Druidism, a pagan religion.
During his six years of enslavement, Maewyn had dreams and visions from the Lord, convincing him to surrender his life to Him. In one dream, the Lord told him it was time to leave Ireland and return to England. Soon after, he escaped his captors, convinced some sailors to take him aboard their ship, and after an arduous journey of three days at sea and another month traversing 200 miles on land, he finally returned to his homeland.
As a result of his conversion, Maewyn sought to gain a religious education and training for the priesthood, and so moved to Auxerre, France. Upon entry into the priesthood, Maewyn took the name Patrick. In the midst of his training, Patrick had another dream. In this one, the Lord told him to go back to the land of his enslavement to take the Gospel—back to Ireland. And so he did.
In A.D. 431, Pope St. Celestine I consecrated Patrick as “Bishop to the Irish” and sent him to proclaim the “Good News of the Gospel” to the pagans. And in the power of the Holy Spirit, Patrick spent the remainder of his life, around 40 years, loving the Irish and showing them a better way, a life devoted not to worthless idolatry but to serving the living God. Historians credit him as the impetus for the transformation of a whole culture from pagan to Christian.
Saint Patrick, as he has been known for centuries, lived out the command of Jesus to go and make disciples. On the day of his namesake, when most of the focus is on wearing green, parades, and drinking beer, let us remember the man whose love for the Lord took him back to the land where he was enslaved to set his captors free. Now that is something to celebrate and perhaps, in some smaller measure, to emulate in our own lives.
© Jim Musser 2014
(Author's Note: Next week is Spring Break, so, along with the students, I will be taking a break from writing. See you back here on March 17th! Jim)
“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. ‘Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,’ bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” (Hebrews 3:1-6 NIV)
As my wife and I returned from Charlotte last night, I had to fix my eyes and attention on the road immediately in front of me. As we drove up into the mountains, the rain changed into heavy snow. It took my full concentration to stay on the road as the snow covered over the white and yellow lines, as well as the tracks of the cars preceding us. Any lapse of attention could easily have led us into the ditch, as did happen to several cars we passed along the way.
The biblical writers use the word “fix” several times and the context each time is the presence of dangerous distractions. In this passage, the danger is the popular belief that angels should be worshipped. In Deuteronomy 11, it is similar—the looming temptation to turn from God to worshipping false gods. In Proverbs 4, Solomon warns against forsaking wisdom and turning to the path of evildoers. And in II Corinthians 4, Paul encourages believers to hold fast to their faith in the midst of severe persecution.
If we have chosen to follow the narrow road that leads to life (Matthew 7:14), then we should know it is a road along which we will face many obstacles and distractions intended to drive us into the ditch of despair, doubt, and hopelessness. Only the ability to fix our attention on Jesus in the midst of these will keep us safely on the road.
Today, heed the warnings of the biblical writers to the dangers of being distracted from the Lord by what comes at you in life. There will be many temptations and distractions meant to lead you off the road to Eternity. Recognize the danger and give your full attention to Jesus, Who will guide you safely along your way toward home.
© Jim Musser 2014
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV)
I recently saw a job posting for a senior pastor position. One of the main responsibilities was this: “Ensuring pastoral care needs within the church body are met and demonstrating a love and interest in people through actions and consistent follow-up with those in need.” This sounds like the typical expectation for a pastor by a congregation. We hire you to do the work.
In my years of ministry, I have spoken at many churches and often it has been when the pastor has been away. It doesn’t take long to learn how dependent a church is on their pastor. I remember one time, soon after I arrived at a church to speak, the elders gathering around me nervously asking if I would be willing to also lead the prayer time, give the Communion meditation, and pray after the offering was received. The responsibility was theirs, but they were eager to pass it on to someone else.
This is an extreme example, but the thinking behind it is all too typical of how churches view the role of the pastor. He is hired to do the bulk of the ministry—preaching, teaching, evangelism, visiting and comforting the sick, and increasing the attendance. Job descriptions like the one I saw are the rule rather than the exception. And it is one of the main reasons so many churches are ineffective in having a true impact on their members and on the communities in which they are located. Instead of pastors being hired to train believers for ministry, they are hired to do the ministry.
The effect of this is to deprive believers of the opportunity to mature in their faith. For Paul is very clear that the equipping of the saints for ministry directly leads to spiritual maturity and unity. The idea that church leaders are to do all of the ministry is very foreign to the New Testament Church. Instead, the expectation is that all believers are to be involved in ministering to others. There are no spectators cheering on their team. Everyone is on the field.
And, of course, this makes perfect sense. Parents train up their children by giving them increasing responsibilities as they mature. A child for whom the parents do everything will likely become a very immature and ineffective adult. It the same for the church. If we are to become spiritually mature and effective in the work of the Lord, then we need to be properly equipped. That is the role of our pastors and other spiritual leaders.
Think about this: As a parent, would you allow your child to expect you to do everything for them? If not, then why is it acceptable for spiritual children to expect those in authority over them to do all the work of ministry while they happily cheer them on?
Today, recognize ministry is not to be hired out, but to be done by all according to the gifts they have been given. The role of your pastor is to equip you, not do everything for you. The sooner we all learn that, the more effective we will be as God’s servants.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:2-6 NIV)
I hate religion. This may sound extreme and, to some, offensive, but I think I have good reason. Religion poses as something godly when it really is something far apart from God. It is a system, regardless if it is Christian, Jewish, Islamic, etc., that poses as the way to God and a way to please Him. It is a system filled with rules that, if obeyed, claims to draw followers closer to God.
I hate religion because it is a lie and a tool of the Enemy to pacify those who have some longing beyond themselves. Paul hated it, too. That is why he was so upset with the Christians in Galatia. They had embraced the Gospel and its central message that no one is righteous and, therefore, salvation can only come through God’s grace. Now some people were telling them grace wasn’t enough. They had to go further and be circumcised, which was a long held Jewish tradition, symbolizing God’s covenant with His people.
Paul had been raised with this belief. Yet when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), he realized the religious system in which he had been raised and to which he had committed his life was leading him away from God, not closer to Him.
The great danger of religion is it gives us a false sense of security. We go to church; we read the Bible; we’re a good person, or at least we think so. We believe we’re in good with God, just as Paul did. In reality, however, we’re far away from Him. Why? Because a relationship with God is not based on what we do, but on what He has done. We cannot earn God’s favor by what we do.
A relationship with God can only be possible when we recognize our own inability to establish it. It can only come when we surrender our will to Him and accept His grace.
Today, be very wary of any religious system. Being religious doesn’t get you or keep you in a relationship with God. Only God’s grace and your faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8-9) can do that.
© Jim Musser 2014
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:11-14 NIV)
When I read this passage, I am reminded of when Jesus spoke to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) and to the woman at the well (John 4:1-30). Both women experienced condemnation, likely for much of their adult lives. The former was obviously set up by the religious leaders because her lifestyle made her an easy target. The latter appeared at Jacob’s well at an odd hour most likely because the women of her village despised her promiscuous life and shunned her.
These women were shown no mercy and their lives revealed as much. Sin upon sin had piled up and the sense of resignation had long been in place. They were sinners without hope. Like wheels spinning in the mud, they just kept sinking deeper into their sin.
At first glance, it seems odd that grace can teach us to say “no” to sin. One would think, rather, it would be the severe consequences. Isn’t that what we’ve been taught? You avoid doing wrong because you don’t want to get into trouble. We put people in prison to teach them a lesson, to encourage them to say “no” the next time. Yet, while it does work sometimes, the recidivism rate of former convicts is consistently high.
What is at work, I think, is when the sins pile up and there is no hope, people stop trying to be better. They just accept the labels put upon them and continue to live down to them. Yet, when grace is shown—forgiveness is given—a light pierces the darkness and with it comes hope. That hope can break the endless cycle and what can emerge is a new life, unshackled by the burden of a pile of sin.
Thus, grace can teach us to say “no” to sin because with it comes the strength of hope. The adulterous woman was freed from the burdens of her past, as, too, was the woman who had five failed marriages and was living with another man. The Lord’s grace had set them free!
If sin is piling up in your life and the guilt from it is overwhelming you, know the Lord’s grace is available to you. He does not condemn; rather He forgives if we humble ourselves before Him.
Today, let His grace remove the sin that is weighing so heavy upon you. It can give you a fresh start and give you the strength to say “no” to that which has been ruling your life.
© Jim Musser 2014
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips. Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.’” (Isaiah 49:22-23 NIV)
We tend to have a lot of expectations of life. We have been told by our parents, teachers, politicians, and celebrities that we “can achieve anything we want in life,” if we only work hard at doing it. Marriage is often portrayed as something that is idyllic and comes easily if two people are deeply in love. And there are pastors out there proclaiming God wants the faithful to be rich and happy. All of these messages create expectations of a life that goes the way we want it. The truth, however, is it never does.
We live in a fallen world, a world that is broken by sin. The reality of this world is a lot of disappointment. The Lord was speaking through Isaiah to a people disheartened by life. Their history, to that point, had been marked by much suffering, heartache, and sorrow, most of which they had brought upon themselves by not trusting in the Lord.
The Israelites had had expectations of what life would be like after they left Egypt. They were quickly disappointed (Exodus 16:1-3). And throughout the Old Testament this disappointment is repeated over and over. Consistently, their expectations of life fell short. As a result, they often turned away from the Lord and became bitter.
At the very outset, the Lord warned them to have no other gods besides Him or to worship any idols (Exodus 20:3-6). But in their disappointment, they quickly and often violated these two commands. As a result, disappointment followed disappointment. By the time Isaiah came onto the scene, the Israelites were a despondent and disillusioned people. And what the Lord told them remains applicable to us today: “Those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
In order to avoid becoming bitter about life, our hope must be in the Lord. Inevitably, there will be many disappointments during our lives. If our response is to turn from God, then we ensure disappointment will follow disappointment.
Today, know the Lord has your best interests in mind. When life hands you what you don’t expect, remember His promise made through Isaiah. Ultimately, you won’t be disappointed if you remain faithful to Him.
© Jim Musser 2014
