“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)
The self-made man or woman is an American icon. In general, Americans don’t look too fondly upon those who make it in life relying on handouts or the kindness of others. We are more than willing to help people who have fallen on hard times, but we expect people to earn their way if they are able to do so.
It is this mindset that makes the gospel such a hard sell. Many can acknowledge Jesus died for their sins, but then they also believe they must be a good person to earn His favor. Many can proclaim God’s grace, but then despise those who they view as treating them in the wrong way.
The gospel is a radical concept, and truth be told, it is often hard for us implement in our everyday lives. To a people steeped in a tradition of picking yourself up by your own bootstraps, it is something often very hard to grasp. This is why many people are attracted to legalistic or religious forms of faith. It meets their inclinations and desires to earn their way.
But at the heart of the gospel is freedom. God freely, without obligation, gave His love to us. Thus, He wants our response to be free and without a sense of obligation. In other words, we love and obey Him because we love Him and not because we have a need to earn His favor.
Today, recognize you cannot earn God’s love. He has already freely given it to you though you’ve done nothing to deserve it. All He wants you to do is to freely accept it and freely love Him in return.
© Jim Musser 2016
“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’
‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (John 2:1-11 NIV)
When my wife and I were looking to buy a new house, we looked at hundreds online, did countless drive-bys, toured several dozen homes, and made two offers. Nothing worked out. And as we look back, we are so glad it didn’t. That is because we consider the house we did eventually buy as the best house for us. It is big enough and close enough to campus to allow us to host student events, it is in a wonderful neighborhood, and it is now appraised for far more than what we paid for it.
But in the middle of the search process, our frustration grew. We were always praying for the right house, but with our increasing weariness, we more inclined to settle. I am thankful we kept praying because I believe God understood our fatigue and discouragement and did not allow us to experience the consequences of a bad decision. The houses on which we made offers paled in comparison to the one in which we now live. No way we could have used those homes for ministry the way we are using our home.
Life-altering decisions, like buying a home, choosing a spouse, or a career can produce a lot of anxiety and often that anxiety propels us into making poor decisions. As a single man in my late 30’s, I made a very poor decision in marrying my first wife. Rather than covered in prayer, that decision was made out of desperation, from fear that life was passing me by and in hopelessness that I might never get married. And I paid a very high price. The second time around was different. Ever seeking the Lord, several relationships failed to materialize into anything serious until I met Marianna. And she turned out to be the best for me. I can’t imagine a better woman to be my wife!
When I read this story, what jumps out at me are the comments from the master of the banquet, who tastes the wine and declares it “the best.” When Jesus was sought out to resolve the wine shortage dilemma, He could have done what the master obviously expected—provided cheap wine because few would have even noticed. Rather, He provided exquisitely tasting wine, which no doubt today would have won top awards for its quality.
What this tells me about Jesus is He doesn’t skimp when it comes to His children. He wants us to have the best. But what I also know is He will allow us to experience much less if we are determined to have our way. That is why in making life-altering decisions, it is so important always to seek His will in the midst of the process. If we truly desire to follow Him, then He will not allow our decisions to end badly.
So, today, if you are in the midst of making some important decisions, cover those decisions in prayer. Ask for the Lord’s will and not just your own. Trust that the Lord is good and wants what’s best for you. Be confident that if you are truly seeking Him, He won’t shortchange you. Like the wine He provided for the wedding guests, it will always be the best.
© Jim Musser 2016
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)
Spring is usually a volatile time weather-wise and the proof of that is the weather forecast for the next few days. While we’ve had sunny weather in the 50’s most of this week, this weekend’s forecast is for snow and freezing temperatures, followed by temps in the 60’s to begin the new week. During the spring, it seems like we can get weather from all four seasons in a matter of days. It's always changing.
I am thinking about the weather this morning because I have had several conversations with students lately about linking our emotions to our relationship with the Lord. Human emotions remind me of early spring weather. The only thing predictable about them is their changing nature. One day we can feel great and the next we can feel lousy. The problem is when we tie these ever-changing emotions to how we view the Lord and our relationship with Him.
When I was a college student, I would go on retreats or spring break trips and come back feeling so good about the Lord. “Me and Him, we’re really tight,” I would think. Until a day or two later. Then I would be struggling with the pressures of school or some relationship, and my feelings would change. I didn’t feel so excited about the Lord at that moment. I remember this going on for several years until I realized it was not the way I wanted to live. I realized the problem was allowing my emotions to influence my perceptions of God and my relationship with Him. There was no stability because my emotions were all over the place. It was then this verse opened my eyes.
The Lord never changes. He is stable and consistent. Instead of using my emotions as my gauge for how I was doing spiritually, I needed to shift my focus to Him. Instead of relying on lingering feelings of guilt after I sinned, I needed to focus on His Word, which says if I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Instead of trusting my feelings of abandonment by God, I needed instead to trust His Word, which promises He will never leave me or forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5)
It is a lesson that has served me well over the years. My walk with the Lord is no longer a roller coaster of ups and downs. I have learned to trust more in the Lord and less in my feelings.
Today, recognize that your feelings, like the weather of early spring, are constantly changing and unpredictable. If you use them as your spiritual guide, you are in for a wild ride. Rather, place your trust in the Lord. He never changes.
© Jim Musser 2016
“That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” (Ephesians 4:20-28 NIV)
I grew up in a time when going to church was something every respectable family did. It was seen as good for business, good for one’s reputation, good for society. So my family went to church. As a child of the 60’s and a teenager of the 70’s, when all authority and social constructs were being questioned, I couldn’t help but see the hypocrisy of so many in church, including my own parents.
Like most people, I understood the promise of the church—to be people who love God and love each other, to be different than the rest who claimed no allegiance to God. And, as did they, I saw there was little difference between those who went to church and those who didn’t, except where they chose to spend their time on Sunday mornings. My parents never prayed, never read the Bible, and treated each other poorly. What I saw was church had little impact on their lives.
It is for this reason so many are skeptical of Christianity and the church. They see so many who claim to love God, but who live much the same way as everyone else. This is precisely what Paul was warning against. Following after Jesus is far different than being religious, where you seek to incorporate religious teaching and practice into your life. To go the way of Jesus is to discard one’s old life and to take up a new one. To follow after Jesus is to surrender one’s own will and submit to His. When we do this, transformation is inevitable.
I learned that during my first year in college. My parents learned that from me. We all were changed and transformed when we submitted our lives to Jesus. This is the only way out of the hypocrisy of the church.
Today, know there is no accommodating your old way of living into a life of following Jesus. Discarding it and fully submitting to Jesus is the only way you will experience transformation. And it is the one sure way to end the hypocrisy people see in the church.
© Jim Musser 2016
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:21-22 NIV)
When I first moved to North Carolina, I brought mini-van with me that had a lot of miles and mounting problems. I hesitated to get rid of it because I already had car payments on another vehicle. When the water pump went out, I decided it was still worth hanging onto. Big mistake. Just a few weeks later, the radiator blew out. I decided to repair it and then sell it. I could have done better just junking it.
My approach to sin in my younger years sometimes mirrored the way I hung onto my mini-van: Even though it didn’t work well and the costs mounted, I convinced myself it worked well enough to stick with it. I often see that same flaw in the students with whom I work. They just can’t seem to let go of certain sins because, while not working very well for them, they’re determined to stick with it just a little longer. And, like me, they end up paying the price.
A month ago, I was told my truck had blown a head gasket, the second one in its life. I paid dearly for the first repair, but I learned my lesson with my mini-van—I was done paying the price and would not be burned again.
We often have to learn lessons the hard way. In a recent conversation with a student, he told me he often dismissed what I taught about dating relationships when he was a freshman, but now several years later is seeing the truth in what I said based on his own experience. Often, this is how we approach the Word of God—we hear it but then we go ahead and do what we want. Yet, as James points out, there is a reason for us to pay attention and to obey—doing so will save us.
The temptation we face is attempting to maintain our sinful ways because we think they can still work for us. But the truth is we will get burned by them. The longer we hang on, the greater the cost. This is why James is very blunt—get rid all the moral filth and evil in your life and humbly accept the truth that life will be better following God’s will than your own.
Today, if you are trying to maintain a life (or an aspect of it) that is broken, recognize it’s time to get rid of it because it is only going to cost you more if you keep holding onto it. Rid yourself of it and humbly accept what the Lord wants you to do. It will save not only your life, but also a lot of pain and heartache along the way.
© Jim Musser 2016
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:15-25 NIV)
Sometimes we can underestimate the power of sin in our lives and its lingering grip on us. I remember being a new believer and thinking my days of anger and cursing were behind me. Then one day, with my parents and my girlfriend present, I boiled over with frustration and went into an obscenity-laced tirade. Like many new believers, I had this impression that once I accepted Jesus, then everything would change. I was shocked and humbled. Like Paul, I had to admit that what I did not want to do, I kept on doing.
When we turn our lives over to Jesus, He indeed forgives our sins and they are no longer counted against us; but we still continue to sin. The rebelliousness that we inherited stubbornly remains in us and the enemy will not cease to attempt to exploit it. Like a trainer working with a wild animal, we must always be alert to the danger of being attacked, no matter how safe we feel at the moment.
The other mistake I made was not to see my need for the Lord’s strength every day, every hour, every moment. I was coasting on my conversion experience and felt strong, but it was an illusion because I was relying on my own emotional high and confusing it with spiritual strength. I can imagine the enemy, that roaring lion (I Peter 5:8), licking his chops.
Countless times I have seen students come back from mission trips and conferences, or out of the waters of baptism full of excitement and confidence, only to be mercilessly attacked and fall because their confidence was based on their own emotional high of the moment. Paul gives us a winning strategy in our struggle with sin. Who will rescue us from the jaws of our enemy? Jesus Christ our Lord! Emotional highs after our conversion or an exciting experience are great and should be enjoyed, but they should never be seen as providing us with any protection from sin. Only Jesus can do that.
Today, recognize your need for the Lord’s strength and protection. No matter how strong and confident you may feel, apart from Him you are easy prey.
© Jim Musser 2016
“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15 NIV)
By this definition, I have been a fool numerous times over the course of my life. Fortunately for my ego, so have you. We are convinced we are right and we go through with whatever we’ve decided, even if others are advising against it.
When I was a college freshman and a new follower of Jesus, I broke up with my girlfriend of nearly two years. She did not understand my conversion and was not seeking to follow the Lord. It was a wise decision. However, a few months later, I began having second thoughts and entertained the idea of getting back together with her. As I talked with some trusted friends, they all advised against it. But it seemed right to me. I still had feelings for her. Perhaps I could convince her more easily to follow Jesus if I were back in a relationship with her. So we got back together. Big mistake, as everyone knew but me. I didn’t persuade her to follow Jesus and the relationship drug me down spiritually. Fortunately, she found someone else a few months later and broke up with me.
When I look back on that situation, clearly I was a fool, but in the moment, I had no clue. If I had only trusted the advice of others whom I did consider more wise than I, it would have turned out differently and better. Therein lies the rub. We tend to default to our own judgment when we think it will attain us what we want. I wanted my girlfriend back; listening to the advice I was getting would have meant giving up that desire. So I didn’t listen.
Life comes with many decisions. It is good to have wise people in our lives to whom we can turn to for advice. One is definitely on the road to foolishness if he is the sole guide of his life. We all need people wiser and with more life experience than us in our lives to help us navigate the many decisions and situations we will face. But then we need to listen to the advice we are given rather than merely following after our hearts’ desires.
Today, seek to develop relationships with people who have greater wisdom and more life experience than you do. By getting their advice and following it, you will avoid the way of the fool.
© Jim Musser 2016
