“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” (Romans 15:5-9 NIV)
The past several days have been like so many others in our nation, except now they are much closer to home. A man in Charlotte, two hours from where I live, was shot and killed by police. A day earlier, police killed another man in Tulsa, Oklahoma as well. What followed, as has happened in other cities, were protests and, in the case of Charlotte, riots.
People across the country are upset by the way many African-Americans are being treated by police, while others are upset by what they consider unfair criticism of the police who, they say, have a very difficult and dangerous job, in dealing with often a hostile public. While I have opinions on this, the focus of this space is on Jesus, His Word, and its authority in our lives. So what does He have to say regarding this volatile issue?
It is very simple, really, as Paul states in this passage. We should have the same attitude toward others, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status, as Jesus has towards us. He values each of us and shows mercy to us all. In other words, He accepts us as we are and loves us and we should do the same.
But simplicity is always complicated where sin is involved. Things, as the British love to say, get muddled. For each of these shootings, there are always different perspectives, reasons given, and excuses made. Justice, regardless of one’s view, is rarely believed to have been served. And so it will continue to be unless Jesus is seen as, and allowed to be, the solution.
Perhaps many of you see this as too simplistic, but the Word says it is Jesus, and only Jesus, who will set all things right, who will restore them to what they were originally created to be (Revelation 21:3-5). If He is not the answer in Charlotte, in Tulsa, in Baton Rouge, and cities filled with tension across our country, then who or what is?
Today, consider how you view and treat other people. Do you have the same attitude toward them as Jesus has, as He has toward you—one of acceptance and mercy? If anything is to change in our country and in our communities, it has to begin with Jesus. Nothing will truly change without Him.
© Jim Musser 2016
“Then a voice came from the throne, saying: ‘Praise our God, all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!’ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’” (Revelation 19:5-9 NIV)
Working with college students, my wife and I receive a lot of wedding invitations, and I am often invited by couples to officiate their wedding ceremonies. While invitations to celebrity weddings or those of the social or political elite may be highly coveted for purely selfish motives, most reflect long-standing relationships with the bride and/or groom. Invitations to weddings, then, are not extended lightly or without thought. And sometimes the process of culling a potential guest list is excruciating as a couple attempts to meet the demands of their budget and venue. Do you invite her great-aunt Sally? What about his great-uncle Joe?
What it will usually boil down to is the closeness of the relationship. If you have 250 seats and have selected 240 on your potential guest list of 300, the last ten people you select will likely be determined by the closeness of your relationship with them.
This beautiful passage in Revelation depicts the uniting of God and the Church (all the followers of Jesus) in a glorious wedding celebration. And the angel of the Lord declares, “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And the invitation is delivered only to those who have had a relationship with the Groom. Unlike a lot of weddings, Aunt Sally is not going to be invited on the fact she is related to the bride’s side of the family. Uncle Joe the same. To get invited to this wedding, you must know the Groom and have a relationship with Him. But His guest list is not limited by venue size or budget. In fact, the whole world can come—on that one condition: they must have a relationship with the Groom.
Today, know how blessed you are if an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb is awaiting you. But don’t assume if you know or are related to some of the wedding party, that will score you an invitation. It might work that way for a lot of weddings, but not this one. For this one, you have to have a relationship with the Groom.
© Jim Musser 2016
“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’ Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’ The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’
Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’” (John 21:15-19 NIV)
The Lord’s questioning of Peter was meant to redeem his previous denials that he even knew Jesus. But it is what He said afterward to which I want to draw attention. He gives Peter a sense of what lies ahead for him—imprisonment and death. And then the Lord says, like a platoon leader preparing his soldiers for deadly battle to build up their courage, “Follow me!” And Peter did, ultimately giving up his life for Jesus.
I wrote yesterday about how our culture hypes events and merchandise to get people excited to line up for them, and how many are looking for the same kind of excitement when they are looking for motivation to follow Jesus. For that reason, I wrote, many people find it difficult because what Jesus offers us is the call to take up our cross and follow Him. It is the path of self-denial and sacrifice. That path is hard to hype and is why few will find it. Sadly, however, many in the Church indeed try to hype it in hopes of making it attractive. But it is a mistake and here is why.
I often receive mailings and messages touting an upcoming conference, typically geared toward youth, and they always proclaim how my life (or those of students) will be changed by attending. Typically, they promote a catchy theme, and a well-known speaker (“he has spoken around the world and is the author of many books”) or band. I also see the same on social media regarding Christian gatherings—hype upon hype of how this or that event will be life-changing.
I don’t know about you, but in my life I have literally attended hundreds of conferences, retreats, and concerts, and I can only name one that truly changed my life, meaning its purpose and direction. It was the Urbana missions conference, the gathering of mostly students every three years sponsored by Inter-Varsity. The rest, for the most part, have been encouraging, enjoyable, and often challenging, but not life-changing.
Where I have experienced the most life-change, rather, is through the experiences I have had in my daily life, and, quite frankly, many of them have been difficult and often extremely painful, such as the deaths of my parents when I was a young adult, my first wife’s unfaithfulness and her abandonment of our marriage, and being forced out of a ministry I dearly loved. Others have been immense blessings such as deep friendships and a second chance at marriage. Many have taken me out of my personal comfort zone, stretched in ways that caused me to depend more and more upon the Lord. I am the changed man I am today because of God working through the ordinary, and often mundane, things of life.
We live in a world of hype and, unfortunately many Christians think that is what God needs to help Him change people. On the contrary, the Creator of the universe needs no hype. Rather, what He needs are people, like Peter, who are willing to follow Him day in and day out no matter what the cost because they love and trust Him. This is truly how lives are changed.
Today, if you want your life to change or those of others, know it will likely not be a conference or a concert that does it. Rather, it will be an intentional decision to obey the Lord’s command, “Follow me!” and then doing it out of love for Him and trust in Him no matter what lies ahead. Based on my life’s experience, that’s worth lining up for!
© Jim Musser 2016
“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
‘Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, “This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.”
‘Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.’” (Luke 14:25-33 NIV)
Locally, they were lining up this past weekend. The Miami Hurricanes came to our small town to play our Mountaineers. Anticipation had been building for weeks. On Friday night, students started camping out in hopes of getting the best seats possible. And on Saturday morning, the line grew exponentially. It was the same at Apple and phone stores across the country as the new iPhone 7 was released. People lined up and waited for hours for the opportunity to purchase the latest version of the iconic phone.
When people really want something, they’ll line up for it—either out of excitement or desperation. In our country, for the most part it is the former. We line up for big games, concerts, and giveaways. In other parts of the world, it’s often out of desperation. People in Venezuela line up for food and other necessities because of countrywide shortages. Refugees line up for food, medical care, and for passage to another country.
Seeing people line up this weekend led me to thinking about the challenges of getting people to sacrifice to line up for Jesus. There are always lots of excuses. I’m too busy. I have too much homework. My first priority is my family. And the list can go on and on. The reality, however, is we always make time for that which is truly important to us, or for which we have a desperate need.
In His teaching to the crowd of followers, those who found Jesus intriguing and interesting, He lays out what is needed to follow Him. Unlike what we are often led to believe today, it is not emotional excitement, but rather thoughtful intent. Much of our society is moved by emotion. That is why games, phones, concerts are so hyped. The consensus is the sellers and advertisers must create a buzz. “Big,” “must-see,” “event of the year,” “best ever,” are just some of the adjectives used to get us excited.
But what is exciting about picking up a cross and giving up everything to follow Jesus? There is little immediate satisfaction in that! And that is why I think it is so hard for many to truly follow Jesus. What it requires is intent born out of desperation. I need a Savior because I am hopelessly lost. As long as we have to be motivated by excitement, we will struggle to follow Jesus where He wants to lead us.
And if you doubt that, then think about how easy it is for people to get excited and sacrifice to stand in line for a mere game, an electronic device, or to hear some band, but can’t really get excited enough to sacrifice time and effort for the King of kings and Lord of lords. It’s not wrong to get excited about different things. The problem lies with allowing our lives to be directed solely by emotion. Jesus will always be on the short end of that one.
Today, what motivates you to live for Jesus? Is it emotional excitement? Do you have to get “fired up” for Jesus to do much for Him? If so, then recognize it will never be enough because following Jesus has always been more about intent and need rather than levels of excitement. Lining up to follow Jesus is a rational decision of one who knows his deep need and recognizes He is the only One who can meet it.
© Jim Musser 2016
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (I Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)
I have been thinking about love lately, not the romantic kind that people have long mistaken to be what this passage is talking about, not the “feeling” kind of love that is conjured up by engagement and wedding announcements, but the “loving” kind of love, where love is actually practiced and not merely felt.
Yesterday was a perfect example for me. I had written an email to someone regarding some financial issues that were causing me a lot of stress. I had questions and I was confident she had some answers, but I was not expecting an immediate response. These were just some things for her to think about in looking ahead to a more serious discussion. Several hours later, my phone rang and this woman’s name was on the screen. She sensed my anxiety from the email and took time out of her schedule to immediately answer my questions. This was an act of love on her part—she was being kind.
Later in the day, after returning home, I had lingering irritation from something that had happened earlier. That irritation spilled out onto my wife while we were working together to fix dinner. Instead of responding in kind, she loved me—she was patient.
When I look at this passage, I am humbled. Loving is really hard and, so often, I am not very good at it. When I put my name in the place of love, it is clear how far short I fall of God, who is love (Romans 3:23; I John 4:8). It shows me how much I need the Lord to help me to love the people around me. It is not natural, nor is it easy. I am always thankful for examples like the ones I have cited above.
Jesus told His disciples that people would recognize them as His followers by the way they loved each other (John 13:35). This is so much easier said than done, so much easier taught than practiced, so much easier assumed than actually lived out. Often, I think we overestimate our ability to love on our own. To love is a divine ability that does not come natural to us. We need help, lots of it.
Today, put your name in the place of love in this passage. See how you fare. I am guessing it will be a humbling exercise as it was for me. The reality for you and me is we need divine help to truly love. Now would be a good time to ask for it.
© Jim Musser 2016
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (John 15:4-6 NIV)
If you search on Amazon for “self-help” books, there are nearly 50,000 titles. Books about how to help oneself overcome any number of problems have been around for centuries, but have only increased over time as more and more people turn to others rather than God for help.
The great lie of all lies that was told back in Eden (Genesis 3:4-5) continues to deceive us to this day: We don’t need God; we can do for ourselves. All we have to do, according to the self-help formula, is to have the right knowledge and discipline to become the person we want to be. Want to overcome an addiction to food, sex, or alcohol? Then follow this plan. Want to stop the self-defeating thinking and behavior that are getting you nowhere? So and so has just the plan for you to overcome your problem.
Self-reliance seems to be hardwired into us. We just naturally want to do things for ourselves just like our ancient ancestors. However, the words of Jesus could not be more clear: Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Leaving Him out of the equation of our lives will not achieve for us what we truly desire.
Every day I see many students trying to do life on their own. They may claim to follow Jesus, but their self-reliance pulls them in the opposite direction. They are consumed with worry about school, relationships, and the future. They fight a losing battle with lust and porn. Their self-worth is tied to what others think of them. I find they want to do better, but usually on their own. The same could be said for an equal number of post-college adults.
Usually, we really do want to overcome our struggles and the bad habits we have. The problem is with our hardwiring. Our strong bent is to try to do it apart from the Lord. And, as the Lord clearly says, that will always fail.
Today, consider what you struggle with. Whatever it is, if you truly want to overcome it, then give up on the repeated attempts to do it on your own apart from the Lord. It won’t work. It never has.
© Jim Musser 2016
“About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ (He did not know what he was saying.)
“While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.’ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.” (Luke 9:28-36 NIV)
If you have ever been to Washington, D.C., you know it is a city of monuments and memorials. The most famous probably are the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, but there are dozens of others including the Viet Nam Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. These monuments and memorials are to honor the great figures and events in American history. And that is what we do when we want to honor or memorialize someone of significance. We build a monument.
So we can understand Peter’s urge to build something in recognition of what he had just witnessed—the glorious appearance of two of Judaism’s greatest heroes, Moses and Elijah side by side with Jesus. So why then does Luke include the parenthetical statement, “He did not know what he was saying,”? Honestly, probably none of the disciples questioned it at that moment. Only when God the Father spoke out of the cloud did his suggestion then become ridiculous.
By wanting to build monuments for all three, Peter was equating Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Without thinking, he was creating a Jewish Trinity, equal, but distinct. There was only one problem. Moses and Elijah were mere men, while Jesus was the Son of God. The Father quickly reminded Peter and the other disciples of this fact and the idea of building monuments was quickly dropped.
How easy it is for us to put people or experiences on equal level with Jesus, and allow them to have equal influence or authority in our lives. I have seen people put friends right up there with Jesus, or a girlfriend or boyfriend. I have seen some allow a certain experience, like a mission trip or a summer camp, to become their guide for life. Yet, we always need to be reminded of the words of the Father, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
Today, recognize there are a lot of good things in life, including great relationships and experiences, but none deserve a place equal to Jesus. He is Lord and you need to listen always to Him above all others.
© Jim Musser 2016
