“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5)
At a time when Michael W. Smith’s “Friends Are Friends Forever” was the theme song at many high school graduation ceremonies, I attended a concert by the late Rich Mullins. I remember him saying that he hated the song because friendships are often just for a season and not forever. He thought the song sappy and unrealistic. If only Rich were still with us.
We live in time where, particularly among teens and twenty-somethings, friendship often comes close to idolatry. I recently read a Facebook post lauding a friend as “one who completes me.” From all that I read in the Scriptures, it is only God who can complete us, and make us who we were meant to be.
Idolatry, by biblical definition, is anything we worship or value above the Lord. And I have seen many, am seeing many, who embrace the idolatry of friendship. Their identity and their self-worth are found in their friendships. The priorities and opinions of friends are the most important to them. Pleasing their friends is a greater priority than pleasing God.
During my years in ministry, I have watched students who are seeking the Lord be sidetracked by their devotion to friends. They may continue to talk the talk, but it is clear where their priorities lie. They withdraw from other relationships and refuse to make any effort to develop new ones. Their worlds revolve around a very small group of people, perhaps just one or two. Like players at a poker table, they are “all in.”
But as in poker, going “all in” with certain friendships carries risks. You may lose in a very big way and the odds are you will.
What Rich Mullins realized and what we need to understand is friendships never remain the same over time. Life happens. Marriage. Kids. Careers. Changes in location. And friendships will have to adapt or die. Sometimes, the changes are just too dramatic for them to last. I can hear the screams coming, “No, never! Not our friendship!” Those are the cries of idolaters. When you are determined that nothing come between you and your friend(s), not marriage, not your children, not even God, you, my friend, are caught in the grip of idolatry.
And idolatry always comes at a steep price. It never tolerates competition, so when life does happen or when a friend recognizes there is too much devotion to the other friend and not enough to God, friendships end bitterly. What was meant to be a wonderful gift is crushed by holding onto it too tightly. And one or both friends are left with the realization of time and energy misplaced and wasted.
Today, realize friendships are a wonderful gift from the Lord, but they are never, ever to replace Him as your source of meaning and purpose in life. When they do, they have become idols and both your friendship and your relationship with God are at risk.
© Jim Musser 2014
“I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.” (Psalm 142:1-2 NIV)
Complaining seems to be a normal practice for people. We complain about most everything—school, work, the government, the weather, our kids, other people’s kids, other people. And to whom do we complain? Likely, to other people.
The Scriptures are very clear as to the Lord’s displeasure with this type of complaining (Numbers 14). So, naturally, we would tend to conclude it is wrong to complain to God. Yet, here we have David speaking of complaining to the Lord without any hint of remorse. Are we to conclude, then, that it’s okay to complain to God, just not to others? I think so.
When we are unhappy with our lives, or some aspect of them, and complain to others, we are dishonoring the Lord who created our lives. Complaints about life are essentially complaints about Him. So complaining to others about life is like complaining to others about the Lord.
How do you feel when others complain about you behind your back? Wouldn’t you rather have them come directly to you with their complaints? Now does it not become much clearer why the Lord is okay with David complaining to Him?
While we may have a hard time dealing with people upset with us, God is big enough to handle our complaints. He is not going to strike us down because we dare complain. Rather, He will listen and then gently respond.
Earlier this week, as I drove around town, I was complaining to God about a situation in my life. He did not force me off the road into a ditch or strike me blind. He listened and then gently brought to mind how actually this situation benefits me in terms of eternity. In other words, He let me vent and then we had a conversation—just like a child and a grown-up.
Likely, if we practice this approach, we will complain less because we will quickly see how ridiculous it is to complain about a lot of these things. But when we feel we have a legitimate complaint, we know the Lord is open to hearing it and we can go to Him and vent.
Today, know the Lord is open to hearing what is troubling you. He would much rather hear you complain to Him than to other people.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. These were his instructions: ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.’ They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them…
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’
So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” (Mark 6:6b-13, 30-34 NIV)
Sometimes our bodies and minds cry out for rest and solitude, and just when we think we are going to find it, something or someone demands our time. We think we are going to get a weekend off, but a professor or boss gives us more work to do. Or perhaps we plan on going to bed early and a friend needs to talk—now.
The disciples had just returned from a demanding time of ministry away from Jesus and returned to find themselves in the midst of more ministry. So Jesus attempted to lead them away for some R and R, but they couldn’t get away from the people. And Jesus saw their need and began once again to minister to them.
There is a lesson here that may be surprising. Sometimes I think we live in a culture addicted to both work and to leisure. We bounce from the one to the other. When we work, nothing gets in our way and we can push ourselves to exhaustion, and when we relax, we don’t want to be bothered. We just want to veg out with no demands on us. But life rarely works well that way. It’s not all or nothing.
Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) The disciples were weary, but they were with Jesus. And Jesus, in the midst of their weariness, gave them the strength to continue to do ministry when it was needed. The lesson is that they were with Jesus. That is the difference. They allowed Him to lead them. At that time, He saw fit to give them more work to do and the strength to do it. At other times, He led them away and others’ needs did not interrupt their rest.
Today, recognize you can find true rest only in being with Jesus. You can trust Him to lead you. If that is rest without interruption, then enjoy it. If not, then know He will give you the strength to do what is required.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:17-21 NIV)
In every political season, there are those who seek to divide political parties, candidates, and supporters into the good and evil categories. Each seeks to portray the other side as wrong or evil. But it seems there is a lot of that going on far beyond politics. This past weekend, Christians protested in Houston against gays, many wearing t-shirts saying they have the right to refuse service to LGBT’s. In recent years, Christians have also protested against Muslims building mosques in their cities or neighborhoods. And for decades there have been protests in front of abortion clinics by believers committed to the sanctity of life.
But in all of these protests, there is little, if any, weeping. They are usually more characterized by anger. Of course, that is usually how we respond to people we perceive to be our enemies. We get in their faces (or from a distance) and remind them and others how bad and wrong they are.
But Paul’s comments to the Philippian believers raises an interesting question: If we truly believe that the stands our enemies take have eternal implications and consequences for not only the culture, but for themselves as well, why is there no weeping for their lostness? Tears filled Paul’s eyes as he acknowledged the many “enemies of the cross of Christ.” And when Jesus was standing overlooking Jerusalem, He was filled with anguish at the lostness and rebellious of the people dwelling in that city (Matthew 23:37). It is not hard to imagine tears were in His eyes.
Yes, Jesus did get angry on occasion, but His anger was directed at the religious leaders, not the pagans. And the same is true of Paul. He reserved his wrath for the Jewish opposition and fellow Christians who were behaving in ungodly ways. Both loved and had compassion for their enemies. They recognized their lostness and the fate awaiting them if they did not repent. Instead of anger, there were tears.
Could that be what is missing from the various fronts of the cultural wars upon which we find ourselves? Instead of being angry at the homosexuals, the abortion doctors, Muslims, the Bill Mahers of the world, should we be not be weeping for their lostness? Should we not be filled with compassion and praying that the blind might see?
Today, if you find yourself angry with those who are enemies of God, those who advocate beliefs and lifestyles contrary to the Scriptures, recognize the compassion of Jesus and Paul towards those who were lost. Instead of anger, we see tears.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16 NIV)
We live in increasingly hostile times where religion is concerned. Most recently, radical Islam has really stoked a backlash against religion. People, like Bill Maher and other outspoken critics, point to all the problems in the world arising from religion. They cite the Crusades, the Salem witch trials, the Westboro Baptist Church (the late Fred Phelps), and the current spread of ISIS as evidence the world would be better off without religion.
While this may still be the minority view, there is a growing sense that we would be better off if we kept our faith to ourselves or at least restricted to among like-minded people. The message is, “if you must have faith, just don’t push it on us.” But many of us have experienced what “push it on us” really means. It means, “don’t display it or talk about it in front of me.” Thus, there can be a dampening effect on expressing our love for Jesus. It is easier and less awkward if we just keep it to ourselves.
But look at what the Hebrew writer says. We are to continually offer God “a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” “Openly” is the key word here. Our praise of God, of Jesus, is not to be limited to behind closed doors or merely among like-minded believers. No, it is to be out there for all to hear and see. And given the context provided by the verses coming before this, we should expect harassment and ridicule, just as Jesus did.
Now I don’t think the Hebrew writer has in mind for his readers to go out and scream the name of Jesus in public places, or to stand on the street corner holding signs or reading Scripture aloud. Rather, I think he means for us to be natural with our praise. It shouldn’t ever be fake. Our praise should come from what we actually think and feel. Like when we fall in love, we cannot help talking about that person. Some people might get tired of hearing it, but we never grow weary of expressing our love for him or her.
The second part of this, and equally important, is that our praise be backed up by our deeds. I can talk much about how I love my wife, but what will really impress people (and her) is if the way I treat her actually reflects what comes from my lips. If we are openly praising the Lord while living an exemplary life, the latter gives legitimacy to the former.
Today, consider how you might openly praise the Lord. Perhaps it could be with friends or co-workers, the bank teller, a professor, or the convenience store clerk. Remember, there should be no shame in praising the One we love, regardless of what others may think.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (II Corinthians 3:12-18 NIV)
Yesterday, after nearly a year of searching, my wife and I finally reached an agreement on a contract to buy a house. We sold our previous house a year ago and have been looking for a house at a great price. In our neck of the woods, that means a fixer-upper. The house we’re buying fits that description. It is the ugliest house in the little neighborhood in which it resides. It needs updating on the inside and completely new landscaping on the outside. And it needs lots of painting; basically every square inch (meter) of wall space has to be painted. It will be so much work; yet I lay in bed tonight and could not go to sleep. My mind was racing, not from stress, but from excitement of getting started on the transformation.
So here I am at 1:30 AM writing because I am wide awake. Transformation has always excited me. Every home I have ever owned has gotten a makeover of some sort. Sometimes it was just paint, but often it was major with redoing bathrooms or kitchens, or adding decks or porches. My wife will tell you that going through home transformations with me can be unpleasant at times as I can get frustrated with the difficulty of the job or the amount of time it takes me to complete it, or because I’m just completely exhausted at the end of the day. But transformation is usually never a cakewalk. Ups and downs are part of the process.
The same is true with personal transformations. I love those, too, particularly when they are spiritual in nature. There is nothing more exciting for me than to watch students come into our ministry at a certain point spiritually and during the next four to five years become men and women hardly recognizable compared to who they were when they arrived. I have seen students enter college acting as if they had their spiritual lives in order and later humble themselves, admit they had never truly followed Jesus, and be transformed into true disciples of Him. I have seen students embittered by the hand life had dealt them, come to embrace the Lord who can work all things together for the good, and be set free from depths of bitterness. I have seen students who came to campus fully intent on experiencing every pleasure college life had to offer to later discover a different way of living whose reward is joy and a life fulfilled.
None of these kind of transformations come easily and not often quickly. Getting there can be difficult and not without some, even a lot of, pain and discomfort. Mostly, they are made up of many small steps of change, that singularly may not seem significant, but added together produce great and positive changes. Transformation is a process, not an event.
For the follower of Jesus, it also does not have an end point in this life. Paul says we “are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory.” It does not begin and end in college, after a week of church camp, after saying a prayer and being baptized, after graduating from seminary, or after being in church for 25 years. If we are not continually being transformed, our resemblance to the Lord growing more and more striking, then something is amiss.
The current owner of our future home seems to have had no interest in transformation. He moved into the house 15 years ago and did nothing to it, particularly to correct flaws that were there from the beginning. The house did not maintain its fresh look, but deteriorated over time. Houses cannot maintain or transform themselves; they need owners to do that. It is the same with us. Maintenance and transformation of our spiritual lives has to be done by the Lord, but in our case, we have to let Him.
Today, examine your life. What transformation has taken place during the last month, six months, a year, or the last five years? If there is none, then go to the Lord and ask Him to show you what is the reason for that. The truth is the process of transformation, becoming more and more like Jesus, should be an ever-present part of your life until the day you die.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:1-2 NIV)
Religious faith is a concept about which many have difficulty getting their minds around. Believing in an unseen god, hoping in certain promises proclaimed to be true millennia ago, and trusting after so long that it could still possibly be true is just too big a mountain for many to climb. They don’t see the rationale; they don’t see the point in believing in stuff science can’t prove.
Yet, those same people display faith in their lives all the time. Every time they climb aboard a subway, get on an airplane, or hop into their cars, they are demonstrating faith. As they begin their days, they hope to be where they plan to be, and, if you ask them, they will most assuredly state their expectation of arriving there safely. If there is doubt, it is overwhelmed by confidence. They have faith in the vehicles transporting them and in the skills of those operating them. None of it can be proved at the outset, but they have confidence nonetheless. And no one thinks it strange.
You also see faith exhibited routinely by sports fans. At the start of every season, fans are hopeful that this will be the year their team wins it all, and this is particularly true of fans of teams who play particularly well. I just watched one of the most exciting postseasons in Major League Baseball, with the Kansas City Royals seeking to win the World Series (apologies to my international readers for an obvious American habit of using “world champions” when in reality, the only teams involved are American or Canadian). Throughout the postseason games, Royals fans truly believed their team could win it all. They had hope and confidence. The same was true with fans of all the playoff teams. And no one thought it strange.
The reality is people from all walks of life demonstrate faith every day. They trust when they get into the shower and turn the handle that water will come pouring down. They can’t prove it will, but they trust it will. And when they pour the milk over their morning cereal, they have confidence it is not poisonous to ingest. And when they grab lunch at a local restaurant, they trust the cooks in the kitchen are preparing their food in a healthy manner and they won’t soon after be suffering from food poisoning. They walk with assurance through a crosswalk, often on their phones, that traffic will remain at a halt until they are through to the other side.
None of the things in life that we often take for granted or passionately believe in can be proved absolutely. There is always faith involved, hoping for and having assurance in things we cannot see or prove. So, while religious faith may seem “out there” by many, the truth is we all live by faith. Every day. And what increases our faith are the outcomes. They give us confidence and assuredness to continue “walking in faith.” The question is: if we can have faith in such mundane things in life such as subways and sports teams, what is so strange about having faith in the Creator of the universe, for which we can demonstrate positive outcomes as well?
Today, recognize the world demonstrates faith every day as it goes about its business. There is nothing strange about having faith. If people question your faith in God, then ask them why they have faith in their lives. It could lead to a fascinating discussion and an opportunity to give the reasons for the hope within you (I Peter 3:15).
© Jim Musser 2014
