“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” (Isaiah 61:7-9 NIV)
I have come to hate the color pink. I can’t say I was ever greatly fond of it, but now I hate it. Let me explain. My wife and I purchased a house late last year in which every wall, door, window frame, and trim is the same color—light pink. The backstory of this I am dying to know! Our main objective for the past few months, and realistically, for the next year or so, is to paint over all the pink.
Yesterday, I was doing just that, painting two doors and a window frame, from pink to beautiful white. My wife asked me as I was in the midst of my work if I was enjoying myself. Yes and no, I said. I like eliminating the pink and am delighted to see the transformation, but there is so much of it. A couple of doors and a window frame down, but seemingly a mile of trim and many more walls and doors to go. The further we go, the higher the mountain appears.
Last night, as I was lying in bed, I wondered if God ever feels that way. He sees a world full of sin, and even as He makes the sins of those who humble themselves before Him “white as snow,” there remains still so much more. For every person who comes to Him for cleansing, there are a thousand, even ten thousand, more who do not. Their sin is still sticking to the walls of this world and it is ugly. And I think my pink walls are overwhelming!
Although I know the Lord is not overwhelmed by the sin of this world, I think it is still good to realize how big the problem is and how He approaches it. I wish that somehow our house could, in one day, be transformed—poof, all the pink gone! But I know that is magical thinking. More realistically, we bought the paint and, little by little, we are eliminating the pink from the trim in one room, or on a wall or door.
In the same way, the Lord bought the paint (the blood of Jesus) a long time ago and He is patiently making His way through the world eliminating the ugly sin one person at a time. The world may still be ugly, but, day-by-day, He is making progress. It may seem frustratingly slow to us, but Love is patient and unwavering. He never gives up.
Today, if you are frustrated by the look of this world, know the Lord is making His way through it, covering over the sin of those who trust in Him. It may be taking a long time, but know progress is being made. Just look closer, perhaps in a mirror, and see what He has already done.
© Jim Musser 2015
“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 is tempting in life to think people should get what they deserve, particularly when their actions deeply hurt us. An abusive father? I’ll never speak to him again! A friend that betrays you? It’s over between us! A girlfriend or boyfriend who abandons you for someone else. I will never forgive! It seems right; it feels right. And they deserve it!
As followers of Jesus, however, there is a different model for us. The Lord, because of His love and compassion, does not treat us as our sins deserve. There is no question we are sinners; we have wronged God many, many times. Yet, He chooses to treat us differently, not as our sins deserve. This is the hard part of love—treating people not as their actions deserve, but with the compassion and mercy that is an integral component of love.
And the truth is, God calls us to love everyone, including our enemies and those who have deeply hurt us. He calls us to treat others in the same way He treats us.
Today, think about the treatment you deserve from the Lord for the way you have acted toward Him. Are you grateful that He does not treat you as your sins deserve? Then apply that same love to those in your life who have hurt you. They don’t deserve it, but, then, neither do you.
© Jim Musser 2015
“Jesus continued: ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
‘When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.” So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
‘But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate.
‘Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. “Your brother has come,” he replied, “and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.”
‘The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”
‘”My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:11-32 NIV)
This is my favorite of all Jesus’ parables; so much so that I included the entire story because I didn’t want to leave out any part of it!
I was thinking the other day about how, as we get older, we see life more clearly. Most of us, in turn, want to pass along this insight to the generation coming behind us, whether they be our children, or young people we know. We know what it’s like to be their age and see the potential pitfalls in the choices they are facing. We want to tell them so they can avoid the mistakes we made.
Yet, the reality we face is many times they will ignore our counsel. They will go do what they decide to do. And like one with an aerial view of a narrow mountain road on which two vehicles are coming around a blind curve, we can see the inevitable crash coming.
Then when they come back to us, bruised and battered, we have a choice to make: We can remind them of our counsel, or we can just wrap our arms around them and comfort them in the midst of their hurt and shame. Of course, the typical, and may I add the natural, response is to say, “I told you so.” We were right all along and the desire of our flesh is to be acknowledged as being right. So we say it, “I told you so,” or something to that effect.
Isn’t that what the younger son expected? Isn’t that what we expect from those above us, or dear to us whom we have deeply disappointed by our choices? Isn’t that why it is so hard to face them, even in humility? We dread hearing “I told you so!”
In this story, the desperate son admits his stupidity of choice, demands nothing, and asks his father only to be taken back as his lowly servant. But my sense is he still expects to hear, “I told you so!” Instead, what he gets is a bear hug, a kiss, and a party. The joy of his return overwhelms any sense of self-righteousness on the part of the father. He’s just glad to have his son back.
Jesus tells this parable to illustrate how God’s love is different from what we would normally expect and experience (i.e., from the elder brother). Although He gives us wise counsel and knows the consequences that await when we fail to follow it, when we come to our senses and return to Him, we need not fear hearing that dreaded phrase. For the joy of our return to Him far outweighs the sin of our disobedience.
Today, if you are in the midst of the consequences of your disobedience, know that if you humbly return to the Lord, what awaits you is not more shame, but One who will be overjoyed by your return to Him. How can you be sure of this? Jesus told you so.
© Jim Musser 2015
“When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.” (Deuteronomy 30:1-4 NIV)
To the general public, and probably to many Christians as well, the Old Testament has an image problem. It represents the “wrathful, judgmental” God, whereas the New Testament tells the story of the “loving, forgiving” God. Jesus is always favored over the “God of the Old Testament,” and most Christians spend their time reading the New Testament, but little time in the Old, with perhaps the exception of Psalms and Proverbs.
But as I have been reading through the Old Testament again during my devotional times, I am reminded once more that there is truly only one God of the Bible, not two. Yes, there is a lot of talk about following the Lord’s commands and the dire results for failure, but if we look closely, there is also a lot of grace and mercy—as in this passage.
Moses has spent the last two chapters recounting the blessings for obeying God and the consequences of not. Some of the consequences are quite harsh, scary, in fact. Yet, in this chapter lies hope. It is evident the Lord knows the Israelites are going to disobey Him and they will reap the consequences; however, that is not the end of the story. Moses speaks of God’s mercy on those willing to turn back to Him when desperation sets in. In other words, grace and repentance—two very common words/themes in the New Testament—are on full display.
We are attracted to the New Testament because of these themes, but we often assume they don’t exist in the Old Testament—thus, creating a false belief that there are two Gods. As the Hebrew writer says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV) There is only one God and He is both a God of justice and a God of grace. And we see these characteristics throughout the Bible.
Today, know the God of the Old and New Testaments is the same. Even if you have strayed far away from Him and His commands, He longs for you to return and will be gracious and kind toward you when you do. He has always been this way and He will never change.
© Jim Musser 2015
“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1 NIV)
My wife makes fun of me sometimes while I’m driving because, occasionally (yes, only occasionally), I will look at something to my left and let the car drift to the right. I have never run off the road, but it does serve as a reminder of how easy it is to become distracted and the danger that lurks when my attention is diverted from the road.
The same is true for us spiritually. Distraction is one of the primary weapons the devil uses to draw us away from the Lord. He seeks to focus our attention on other things so we will lose focus on where we are and what we are suppose to be doing. Then we begin to drift away.
And like the scenery that catches my attention, the distractions are not usually bad in and of themselves. School, work, relationships are all good things. And there is nothing inherently wrong with Facebook, computer games, or spectator sports. Yet all of these, and many more, can serve to distract us, to divert our attention from the Lord if we are not paying attention. And the results can be dangerous. One moment we can be looking one way and the next we’re upside down in a ditch.
God’s desire for us is growing in intimacy with Him, to build on the relationship that started when we chose to follow Him as our Savior and Lord. In order for that to happen, our primary attention needs to be focused on Him. The other things in our lives may have a place, but we cannot allow them to become our main focus.
Today, consider what distracts you from your relationship with the Lord. Whatever it is, you need to put it in its proper place. While you are going down the road of life, your attention needs to be fully on Lord. Otherwise, you may suddenly find yourself in the spiritual ditch.
© Jim Musser 2015
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.” (Proverbs 12:1 NIV)
I’ve always considered myself to be a “straight shooter,” and I have always appreciated people who are honest and don’t beat around the proverbial bush. The writer of this proverb doesn’t hold back. If you hate to be corrected, you are stupid.
In that case, there are millions of stupid people running around our nation. It seems one of the worst offenses one can commit is to dare attempt to correct someone else. Whether it be in the realm of politics, education, parenting, religion, sports, etc., don’t dare tell people they are wrong, or that perhaps there is another point of view to consider. Likely, you will be on the wrong end of their wrath.
I remember a time when I was serving as an elder in a church where we were dealing with the aftermath of our pastor’s infidelity. The eldership was handling the issue, but many in the congregation wanted to have a vote on whether he should go or stay. I stood up at a congregational meeting and said the church was not a democracy and that the devil was in our midst attempting to stir up division. Some vehemently disagreed and let me know it, accusing me of, among several things, of being on a power trip. One member later wrote me an excoriating letter, taking me to task on my insinuation that some in the congregation were being influenced by the devil. Although I supported my viewpoint with Scripture, they held fast to their opinions and later voted against the elders’ recommendations, which led to a split of the church.
Correction is unpleasant, as the Hebrew writer notes (Hebrews 12:11), but we all need it from time to time and are better for it. Yet, we live in a culture where we feel entitled to believe and do whatever we want. And, of course, that has a direct impact on our relationship with God. If we feel the right to believe and do as we see fit, then the authority of the Scriptures (of which one purpose is to correct us—II Timothy 3:16), is extraordinarily weakened. As a result, many don’t experience that “harvest of righteousness and peace” in their lives. They remain stagnant spiritually because they refuse to be corrected, either in their thinking or their behavior.
Today, recognize that following Jesus means having our thinking and behavior subject to correction. None of us is perfect, except Him. If we want to follow Him and yet aren’t willing to be corrected by Him, well, we’re just stupid.
© Jim Musser 2015
“Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.” (Psalm 25:7 NIV)
One of the most excruciating things about entering adulthood is recalling the very dumb, stupid, and often hurtful things you did when you were young. Some of us have done more than others, but none are immune to the foolishness of youth, including David.
This prayer is a prayer for unconditional love. When we truly love someone, we tend to forget his or her offenses against us over time. They recede into the background, replaced by fresher, more pleasant memories, which are reinforced by our default image of the person. Like when we first fall in love with someone, the things he or she does wrong are easily forgotten because they are overwhelmed by the feelings of love.
Unconditional love is like that. Above all, the person is the focus of our love, over-shadowing everything else. So David prays the Lord will not remember his sins and rebellious ways, but will remember him. Don’t focus on my sins; focus on me. And isn’t that what we want?
I don’t want to have my sins continually held over my head nor do I want to be defined by them. But that is what will happen if I am not loved unconditionally. Others will do it and we will even do it to ourselves. Our identity becomes entwined forever with past actions. This is bondage of the highest order and only unconditional love can set us free.
David knew this and so he cries out to the Lord to be remembered for who he is—a child of God—not for what he has done. And when this prayer is prayed honestly and with humility, the Lord responds with grace and mercy because He, too, wants to focus on us rather than on our sin.
Today, regardless of what you have done in the past, no matter how stupid or hurtful, know the Lord doesn’t want to define you by that. He desires to focus on you His child rather than on the rebellious things you have done. That is the essence of unconditional love and it is yours to have through God’s love and mercy.
© Jim Musser 2015
