“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.” (John 16:1-4 NIV)
Most of us can remember exactly where we were 13 years ago today. 9/11 is forever etched in our minds much like for our parents and grandparents is November 22nd (the assassination of President John F. Kennedy) and December 7th (Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor). These were events that changed our lives and perceptions of the world.
Until 9/11, Islamic terrorism was, for the most part, something that was distant from our daily experience, something we may have heard about from newspapers or television news. That Tuesday morning in 2001, however, it became very close and personal. Seeing video of the planes blowing through the Twin Towers and watching in horror as they collapsed a short time later killing thousands of people, awoke us to the reality that there are people in the world who hate us for what we stand for and believe. And perhaps the most shocking, these people were convinced that by murdering our citizens they were rendering a service to God.
Thirteen years later, we have been shocked again by the brutal beheadings of two American journalists (and hundreds of other Syrians and Iraqis) by ISIS, another Islamic terrorist group. They, too, claim they are under a mandate of God to cleanse the earth of “infidels.”
Truthfully, we shouldn’t be shocked or surprised because Jesus warned of this very thing 20 centuries ago. He said there would be people who believe killing Christians was the will of God. The Jewish leaders pressured Pilate to kill Jesus because they thought He was a blasphemer. Church leaders killed men such as John Huss, and William Tyndale, believers falsely accused of heresy. And there are many modern day examples in India, Pakistan, and the Middle East of Christians being persecuted and killed because Muslims and Hindus consider them blasphemers and infidels.
They hated Jesus because they never knew the Father. The same remains true today. To many, those who follow Jesus deserve persecution and death.
Today, as our nation remembers the tragic events of 9/11, know there are many in the world who believe we are infidels and blasphemers because we follow Jesus. They think we deserve to die and that our deaths would please God. This may sound shocking, but the Lord warned us of this long ago. He wanted us to be prepared and to remain strong in the hope we have in Him.
© Jim Musser 2014
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" (Luke 17:3-5 NIV)
I like to watch college basketball, in particular the Kansas Jayhawks, but I really love watching the NCAA tournament every March. The lose one and your done set-up adds so much excitement to the games. Every game is a must win and players are forced to play their best each and every game if they want to remain in the running to win the National Championship. It makes for exciting basketball!
The one and done concept is great for sports, but in the Church, not so much. Yet, too often I have seen people take that approach in relationships. If you offend them in any way, just once, then they’re done with you. They move on and put it behind them, but they leave you behind as well. I once had a woman in a church where I served as an elder refuse to speak to me. When I approached her after weeks of this treatment and asked her what was wrong, she said I had offended her by something I had said. She was not willing to attempt reconciliation; she was done with me.
Forgiveness and reconciliation is the hard path in life. This explains the astonishment of the disciples at Jesus’ command to continue to forgive a person who sins against you. It is hard enough to forgive once and be reconciled. Imagine seven times or seventy times seven!
Following Jesus is to take the hard path, to take a path far different than most of those around us. With regard to relationships, Jesus tells us to give up the one and done concept of handling conflict. If your Christian brother or sister offends you, you are to go to them and work it out. What a difference it would make if we would actually practice that.
As a campus minister, occasionally students are offended by what I say or by how other students in our ministry treat them. Instead of dealing with it, they just leave. They’re done and they move on to another ministry. And students begin involvement in our ministry because they leave another ministry for the same reason.
The question becomes, do we really take seriously Jesus’ command to repair broken relationships? Sadly, I don’t think so. If we did, then I think we’d have far less church and campus ministry hopping, we’d have far less gossiping and backbiting, and it would become obvious that we put as much value on relationships between Jesus followers as He does.
Are there people in your life who have offended you and you decided it was one and done? Have you moved on and left them behind? Jesus puts a high value on people and relationships. They are not to be easily discarded. He desires you to forgive and to be reconciled. Jesus walked that hard path. Are you willing to follow in His footsteps?
© 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)
Is it just me, or do you sometimes cringe as well when viewing social media and seeing so much blatant self-promotion. It often feels like an escalating arms race to see who can show they have the best life possible. From having the greatest husband or wife, the most adorable kids, to the most gratifying or significant job or the latest book deal. In this age, we are rarely shy about putting our lives and accomplishments out there for all to see.
I recently saw a story on 60 Minutes about a man who, before the start of World War II, was responsible for saving the lives of hundreds of children from certain imprisonment and death by the Nazis. For 50 years, he never said anything about it. He told the interviewer that he had done what he could to help and then got busy moving on in his life. Obviously, he wasn’t interested or concerned that people learn of his efforts. He just went about living his life. But like those in Jesus’ parable who did not seek special attention, he was later given great honor for the extraordinary efforts he made to save the lives of innocent children.
I wonder if we have passed the point in our generation of tweets and posts of refraining from promoting ourselves and our accomplishments and waiting for the acknowledgements to come to us unsolicited. Can we just go about living our lives without drawing attention to most everything we do? I am not sure, but it is evident from what Jesus says that there is danger in self-exultation. There is the danger of thinking we are better than we actually are (II Corinthians 10:12). There is danger in receiving our reward in the here and now (likes and comments) and missing out on more permanent rewards later. (Matthew 6:1-4). What we need to recognize is the self-promotion so common now should be looked at more carefully and in the light of God’s Word.
Today, consider your need to self-promote and the dangers that lie there. Perhaps it is better to go about living your life in a humble fashion, allowing the accolades to come unsolicited and in their proper time.
© Jim Musser 2014
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (I Timothy 1:12-17 NIV)
Have you ever noticed when you attend worship services and the congregation is singing, how many people there are whom look bored, lips barely moving, if at all? Perhaps you have been one of those. I know I have in times past. It’s as if our hearts become hardened to the greatness of God and His wonderful love for us. It just doesn’t get us excited. Perhaps it’s because we heard it so often that, instead of being Good News, it’s old news.
I see this often in college students. Many have grown up going to church and being involved in the children’s ministry and youth groups. They have literally heard about God, Jesus, and salvation all of their lives.
It is natural that we tire of things after awhile. The fact is most things become boring eventually by repetition. The employees at any fast food restaurant soon tire of the food because they usually eat it every day. That brand new car we were so excited about soon becomes just our means to get around because we’ve driven it so much. The new apartment or house that we couldn’t wait to move into in time becomes just a place to live.
This doesn’t mean we necessarily lose appreciation for things; they just become less exciting over time. This is life and not always necessarily bad, particularly when it involves food or material things, but relationships are a different matter. Boredom is deadly to them. Marriages and friendships rarely can survive if the participants find each other boring. The same can be said of our relationship with the Lord. If we are bored with Him, we will struggle with growing in our relationship with Him. Marriages can require date nights, weekend retreats, or even counseling to get them back on track. Friends may have to sit down and re-define their expectations or just part ways. But the way to put the excitement back into our relationship with the Lord is to acknowledge the depth of our sinfulness and the breadth of His mercy.
Notice how Paul, having reflected on his life and how the Lord showed him mercy, ended his comments with a doxology. “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” This was preceded by a heart-felt confession—“I am the worst of sinners.” Because Paul saw the depth of his own sinfulness, his excitement overflowed at the recognition of the Lord’s mercy toward him.
Today, if you are finding it difficult to get excited about who God is and what He has done for you, take some time to reflect on who you really are and the depth of your sinfulness. And then remember His love for you—a woeful sinner—took Him to the Cross. Then, like Paul, your heart can be filled with awe and excitement at the sheer breadth of the Lord’s mercy. And the old news can become good again.
© Jim Musser 2014
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:24-29 NIV)
TGIF! This is what most of us are thinking. Thank God it’s Friday! We are looking forward to a weekend of no work, no school, sleeping in, and, perhaps a college or NFL football game. Most of us live for the weekend. Even on Monday or Tuesday, people start talking about their plans for the weekend.
When he wrote this passage, I don’t think the Psalmist was talking about a Friday or Saturday, though those tend to be the days in which we find the most gladness. He was talking about every day, because every day is given to us by the Lord. It’s not that it is wrong to rejoice about the coming weekend; but many of us have the tendency to live for the weekend. In doing so, we miss what the Lord has to offer us on Monday, or Tuesday, or any other weekday.
Life in the Lord is to be lived every day. Indeed, we can thank God it’s Friday, but we also can thank Him that it’s Monday or Wednesday because He has made that day for us as well, filled with both blessings and opportunities to do His work.
Today, thank God for Friday and rejoice in it. But come Monday, do the same. For every day is a day the Lord has made.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping. For you, God, tested us;
you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.” (Psalm 66:8-12 NIV)
At the start of every school year there are freshmen who struggle with being away from home for the first time and adjusting to the vast differences of college life compared to what they have previously known. It is a problem for universities across the country because it affects their retention rates. Freshmen are much more likely to drop out of school or transfer to a school closer to home than any other students.
Starting college away from home is the beginning of a refining process for young men and women that will lead them to become adults. But with it comes the temptation to chuck the process and return to the familiar, to the comforts of home.
In reality, it is not just 18-year-old freshmen for whom the prospect of profound change tempts them to return the comfortable and the familiar. That is true for nearly all of us. We tend to be hesitant toward or even resist change in our lives. A young man hesitates to propose to his girlfriend; a college senior puts off job hunting and contemplates grad school as her next step; an abused spouse remains because the familiar is at least known; a man is forced into retirement because he has hung on in fear of what the future holds.
For most of us who have lived awhile, the truth is growth increases when we are placed in uncomfortable situations, either of our own choosing or by the circumstances of life. When I look back on my life, the greatest growth has come from the uncomfortable and difficult times, and, thankfully, most of them were situations from which I could not run, such as the illnesses and deaths of my parents when I was in my early 20’s, and my first wife’s abandonment in my 40’s. There were also times where I chose the uncomfortable and the unfamiliar, such as going to Eastern Europe for a six-week missionary internship after college, and taking a position with a struggling ministry in a place where I knew no one. God used all of these to refine me as a man and as a disciple. None were easy; all of them challenged me to my very core. But I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences because I can see how the Lord has used them in my life to grow me into the person He created me to be.
Many have the view that God’s greatest desire is for them to be comfortable and enjoy life. But this view denies God’s use of the refining process to mold us into the people He created us to be. We are fallen beings as we are; He wants to remake us. And the only way to do that is to refine us, which includes experiencing uncomfortable and sometimes painful circumstances.
Today, know God desires what is ultimately best for you. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable spot in life, know this is part of His refinement process. Don’t run from it or resist it. Instead, embrace it and allow Him to use it for your good.
© Jim Musser 2014
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)
Do I dare say God dramatically understates the obvious? Occasionally we do engage in fantasy where we believe we understand God or even think for Him. But the reality is we can’t even come close to understanding Him. He is so far beyond us that it is impossible for us to fully comprehend Him.
Think about this: The earth is populated by over seven billion people, each totally unique, not one exactly the same. God knows each one of them, their thoughts, their actions, even the number of hairs on each of their heads (Matthew 10:30)! That’s seven billion! And the earth and its population is just a tiny part of the universe. The size of the universe is estimated to be in the billions of light years. And light travels an estimated five trillion miles in one year! And within confines of the universe scientists estimate there are at least 10 sextillion stars and God knows each of them by name. (Psalm 147:4)
God is just too big to wrap our minds around. What we see and understand are merely glimpses. Yet, those glimpses are enough to draw two conclusions. The first is we are not at the center of existence. In comparison to God and creation, we are very, very small. In no way should we ever be under the illusion that life revolves around us.
The second conclusion we reach is that though we each are a very tiny part of existence, we are created by God’s hand and loved by Him in a unique way. And He knows us intimately. He knows our joys and our hurts. He knows our dreams and our fears.
Sometimes we think of ourselves being at the center of everything. We feel so much bigger than we really are. And other times we feel completely lost in this big world, feeling we have no real significance. Neither is true. We know this when we begin to gain an understanding of who God is.
Today, ponder the immensity of God. Your head may spin, but it will help you gain a more accurate perspective on who God is and who you are.
© Jim Musser 2014
