“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39 NIV)
America has fallen in love with its soldiers and veterans, or so it seems. At almost every professional sports event, soldiers and veterans are honored in some way. Yesterday, ESPN aired a five-minute clip of dozens of surprise visits of military fathers and mothers to their families at home. In airports, soldiers in uniform often have strangers approach them to thank them for their service.
I laud the positive attention. It is so much better than what soldiers returning from Viet Nam faced. But doesn’t seem a little over the top? Is it possible we’re trying a little too hard to show our appreciation? And, if so, why is that? Could it be out of a sense of both relief and guilt? Relief that it is not us or those we love risking their lives for the sake of the nation? Or guilt from not wanting to take those risks and let others do it instead?
I ask these questions because of what I see in our culture. We dearly hold onto life and most are adverse to taking any risks or allowing others to take risks that may result in injury or death. So many laud those who volunteer for military service, while at the same time discouraging those they love from doing the same or even contemplating such service for themselves. The fear of risk is palatable.
I see the same fear in the Church. We often laud missionaries who serve in faraway lands, perhaps in dangerous circumstances, but would we ever consider such a work ourselves or encourage our children to take such a path? From what I have experienced, the answer is no. It is even difficult to get people to sign up for a short excursion into a mission field, let alone to make a career of it.
Jesus said to go into all of the world to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), but there are so few willing to go, particularly to dangerous locations, or who will allow their adult children to go. They think it too dangerous and they would prefer having their children and grandchildren safe and close.
This is why the Church in America needs to hear these words of Jesus. If we insist on holding onto our lives or the lives of those we love, we risk being on the wrong side of Eternity. “Whoever loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Do you love your parents so much that even if the Lord is calling you to a different place far away, you will not go? Do you love your son or daughter so much, that even if the Lord is calling them to live far away, even to risk their lives for His sake, you will fight to have your way instead of His? And do you love your life so much that you will hold onto it rather than risk danger or being uncomfortable if the Lord were to command you to take a different path?
These questions may seem extreme, but they must be posed because they come from the Lord. What does it mean to take up one’s cross other than to be willing to risk one’s life, to be uncomfortable, and perhaps to suffer as a result? Many of us have turned the cross into a shiny ornament, something to wear around our necks or display in the front of our church buildings. We forget that it was an instrument of suffering and execution and that we as followers of Jesus are supposed to pick it up and carry it.
Today, as we honor those men and women who were willing to put their lives at risk for the sake of our country, consider whether you are willing to put your life at risk, or allow those you love to do so, for the sake of obeying the Lord. Do you love Him more than all that is precious to you?
© Jim Musser 2014
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” (James 4:13-15 NIV)
Over the weekend, I was working on our finances. Having switched to a new software program, I was attempting to get everything current, adding some transactions and deleting others. Suddenly, I noticed our checking account was gone! Ten years of transactions and tax information vanished in a moment. Because I was working with a new computer and a new program, I hadn’t yet backed up anything. Feelings of dread washed over me as I vainly attempted to undo whatever I had done. Nothing worked. I spent the next several hours in shock as I contemplated the consequences. What of all the hours I had put in over the years? What if we were audited by the IRS? What proof would we have of our deductions?
As my wife and I drove to another town, I prayed for the Lord to intervene and rescue us from this disaster. And then I remembered I still had the old program disk in storage! That glimmer of hope carried me through the rest of the day. The next morning, I went to our storage unit, praying that, among all of the boxes, I could find the one containing the disk. I opened the unit and spotted what I thought was the box it would be in. Within a couple minutes, I had that precious disk in my hand. Returning home, I installed the old program on my old computer and then retrieved the financial files off our external hard drive. Within a few minutes, our finances were back in order and I was breathing again!
I discovered a lesson in this. Just as my financial data vanished in a flash, and its disappearance was totally unexpected, so, too, can our lives or the lives of those close to us. We, as James describes, “are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” And when death occurs to those we love, we are overwhelmed. Shell-shocked. All seems to be lost. Or we cringe in fear at the thought of our own lives coming to an end.
But when it appears and feels all is lost, there comes a glimmer of hope: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26) Something to cling to as our hearts quake with fear and dread. The life that was lost will be restored! In Jesus, nothing is lost forever. Separation is temporary.
In this hope comes freedom. We do not have to be enslaved by fear of the death of someone we love or by our own. We do not have to be imprisoned by overwhelming grief. Though life vanishes, it does not cease to exist. Like my financial data, it is backed up, not on some computer disk or the cloud, but in Heaven by the blood of Jesus.
Today, know that your life and the lives of those you love are but a mist that won’t last all that long. But there is no need to be enslaved by fear or dread. The promise of Jesus can sustain us. We may vanish from this life, but we are saved and will continue to live in Eternity.
© Jim Musser 2014
“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
