“Jesus replied: ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.”
‘But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, “I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.”
‘Another said, “I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.”
‘Still another said, “I just got married, so I can’t come.”
‘The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”
”Sir,” the servant said, “what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.”
‘Then the master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.”’” (Luke 14:16-24 NIV)
I was talking recently to a student leader who was discouraged that her attempts to help other students grow deeper spiritually were being rebuffed. Deeper, challenging questions were met with blank stares and silence, or shallow answers. I told her this was the hard part of ministering to people.
As Jesus’ points out in His parable, not everyone is ready or willing to seize the opportunity given them to go deeper with the Lord. Sadly, it is an opportunity missed, but a fact of life. We can easily get caught up with what is right in front of us and miss what matters most. That may be school, work, a relationship, or just our desire to be comfortable rather than stretched.
For those of us who are trying to pour what the Lord has given us into others, we learn from this parable the futility of continuing to pursue those who are not interested in what opportunities we are offering them. Instead of wasting our time and energy on people with all kinds of excuses of why they can’t make time to grow spiritually, we are to focus on those who are eager and hungry to go deeper. This is not to say we give up on the others. We can continue to pray for them, but our energy should be focused on those eager to seize the opportunity to grow.
Today, recognize the opportunities to grow that the Lord may be offering you. They can easily be lost in the midst of the busyness and attractions of life, but they are opportunities not to be missed. And if you are one seeking to be used by the Lord to minister to others, don’t spend a lot of time pursuing people who have little interest in growing. Instead, look for those who want to seize the opportunity to go deeper with the Lord.
© Jim Musser 2016
“So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, ‘What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.’ His brothers agreed.
So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, ‘The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?’
Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, ‘We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.’
He recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.’ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.’ So his father wept for him. Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.” (Genesis 37:23-36 NIV)
Often, life is unfair. Perhaps it shouldn’t be that way, but it is because we don’t live in a perfect world, rather a fallen one. When unfairness occurs, we want to scream and protest. There are many who go so far as to blame God and become embittered toward Him. I recall early in my ministry counseling a student whose ex-girlfriend began dating his best friend. He was inconsolable. “It was so unfair!” he claimed. He remained bitter, blamed God, and eventually left the narrow path that leads to life.
What this young man missed, and so many do, is that God is in complete control. Nothing happens without either His permission or direction. Reading just this part of Joseph’s story, one could easily conclude how unfair life was for Joseph. And it didn’t get better for a long time. He was enslaved and then falsely accused of sexual assault by his owner’s wife and imprisoned. He was indeed treated very unfairly. But what we don’t see at this point in the story is the Lord’s plan to use this unfairness to accomplish something great in Joseph’s life. The whole story is one of the most beautiful in all of Scripture, topped only by the worst case of unfairness known in history—the execution of Jesus.
God used Joseph to save Egypt and his family, and He used Jesus to save us all. But it wasn’t really fair to either, was it? Joseph suffered much and Jesus suffered even more. There is often among us that God being for us and not against us means that things will always go well for us. It is, however, an undeniable fact that God often uses unfairness in life to accomplish something greater and far better. And it is by faith that we must walk in the midst of it to avoid resentment and bitterness.
I can attest to this in my own life. My parents suffered before their deaths when I was young, but they became followers of Jesus as a result. My first wife abandoned our marriage, which eventually led me to being asked to resign from a ministry position I had held for more than 20 years; but the result was a refreshing new ministry and a wonderful second marriage. God proved to be faithful in what seemed to me so unfair. He had greater plans that I just couldn’t see in the midst of those moments. Only long afterwards did my vision clear so I could see His steady hands had been surrounding those unfortunate events the whole time.
Today, know whatever unfairness you may be experiencing, or have experienced, in life, the Lord is in control and has plans to use these things for a greater good. You may not see that yet, but in time you will if you walk in faith.
© Jim Musser 2016
“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’ (Luke 8:22-25 NIV)
Much of the country is fixated on Hurricane Matthew, which is currently making its way up the east coast of Florida. Headlines during the past week have focused on the extreme intensity of this storm and the need for those in its path to make preparations.
I was talking yesterday with one of our staff about someone who used to be involved with our campus ministry. This person has had a more difficult road in life than they would have anticipated just a few short years ago. I shared that I believe this is one of the purposes of our ministry—to prepare students to face the storms of life that they will eventually experience.
College life is indeed filled with many pressures, whether they involve school, relationships, or the future, but what every college graduate knows is these pressures are just the “outer bands” in the storm that is life in a fallen world. Whether they realize it or not, today’s students will face much greater troubles and stress in the years to come. They will, with few exceptions, look back on their college lives with a longing for the “good ol’ days.”
The reality for us all is that over the span of our lives there will be many storms. Divorce, chronic illness, a miscarriage, caring for aging parents, the loss of a job, are just a few of the many potential “troubles” Jesus predicted we would experience in life. The question we must all ask is: are we prepared for them?
The disciples, while on the lake, were not when the storm unleashed its fury. They panicked and failed to see the Source of their safety. They were tested and failed. I see similar things on campus. Followers of Jesus find themselves in the midst of a storm and panic. Instead of being focused on Jesus, their eyes are fixed on the waves and the wind. As with the disciples, it is a small test. Bigger ones are coming.
The hope we can find in the story of the disciples is when the biggest storms appeared later in their lives, they held fast to the Lord. They were prepared because the focus of their lives turned from themselves to Jesus. No longer did everything revolve around them but around the Lord and serving Him.
Today, recognize the preparation needed to face the inevitable storms of your life is to focus more and more on Jesus. He is the one who has overcome the world, and He is the one who can calm any storm in which you find yourself.
© Jim Musser 2016
“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said.
‘Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.’
Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ The other guests began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’ Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” (Luke 7:36-50 NIV)
Recently, I was looking online at life insurance policies. My current policy ends in a few months and I’m looking for a new policy to replace it. On one site, I was asked to take a health quiz, with questions such as: Are you a smoker or have you ever smoked? What is your driving record? Do you have family members who have ever had, or died as a result of, heart disease or cancer? After I answered the questions, the results were that I was merely in “fair’ health.
The reality is I am probably in the best health I’ve been in my whole life. I work out three times a week, my cholesterol is as low as it’s been in over a decade, and my blood pressure is as well. Yet, because of my health history and that of my family, this particular insurance company’s evaluation of my health is one of skepticism as it relates to my future.
The story of the “sinful woman” is just one of many the Gospels tell of people whose futures have already been predetermined by a skeptical society. Promiscuous women, crippled men, corrupt officials, and people with incurable diseases and afflictions were all viewed as having no prospects of a better life. They were defined by either what they had done or by the afflictions from which they suffered. The tax collector. The adulteress. The prostitute. The leper. The man born blind. And in those labels was found no hope.
But Jesus changed that. The tax collector was given a new vocation. The adulteress and the prostitute were forgiven. The leper and the blind man were healed. While society attached labels of hopelessness to these men and women, Jesus saw beyond the pessimistic outlook to who they really were and who they could become.
In my work on campus, I see many students accepting the labels given to them by themselves or others. They consider themselves “losers,” “worthless,” “depressed,” “anxious,” “stupid,” “ugly,” or a number of others by which they define themselves.
Just as Jesus did in His days on earth, He sees beyond these labels and defines no one by them. What He sees, rather, are individuals in need of healing and transformation, both of which He can bring. He is not put off by the present nor the past.
Today, consider the labels by which you define yourself. Are they the result of what people have told you or of what you have done? If so, know these are no obstacles for Jesus. He is in the business of removal and restoration—removing labels and transforming people into what they were created to be. What He has done for millions, He wants to do for you as well.
© Jim Musser 2016
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:42-51 NIV)
Several years ago my wife and I celebrated our anniversary at a very nice local restaurant. Since it specialized in game meats, I decided to try the wild boar chop or, as our server described it, “pork with an attitude.” When it was delivered to the table, I immediately noticed a lot of fat on the edge of the chop. As I cut into it, I discovered one end was literally nothing but fat. I am typically not one to complain, but I knew this was not a good piece of meat. So I told our server and she said she would consult the chef. She returned to say, somewhat embarrassingly, that the chef was aware of the fattiness of the chop, but had decided to serve it anyway. She apologized and told me a new piece of meat was being prepared. My assumption is the chef, or his assistant, thought he could get away with serving that low quality chop. Perhaps he thought I wouldn’t notice or just wouldn’t complain.
I wonder if that is not how we approach sin sometimes. We think we will be able to get away with it because we think no one is watching or that, somehow, it will be ignored. If so, we take God far too lightly. And this is the point of Jesus’ parable. If we, as the Lord’s servants, are given a responsibility, He expects us to fulfill it. Just because He is not physically present, doesn’t mean we are going to get away with being negligent or downright disobedient.
To be given a responsibility and then intentionally not carry through with it is a sign of disrespect to the one in charge. There will always eventually be consequences for that. I have no doubt my complaint last right reached the restaurant manager and the chef got an earful.
Today, remember disobedience to the Lord is a sign of disrespect. He is not a hard taskmaster, but He does demand respect.
© Jim Musser 2016
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)
The photo has been replicated thousands of times by locals, students, and tourists. People perch themselves on a rock extending out over the beautiful Appalachian Mountains in a place known as Rough Ridge. After seeing it in pictures so many times, finally last weekend I put myself in the same spot. Comments about the photo included, “Are you nuts?” “Not sure I'd be sitting there!” “Yikes!” and my favorite, “Let's do work on longevity, okay?”
It looks scary, doesn’t it? But looks can be deceiving. Honestly, as I approached the edge, I didn’t know what to expect. But the rock was solid. I sat down a half a foot away from the edge and slid into position with my legs dangling over the rock. What surprised me was how safe and secure I actually felt. Even though my legs were hanging over the edge, the “seat” actually pitched back from the edge so my center of gravity was a foot back and moving away rather than towards the valley below. So while my wife breathed a sigh of relief when I moved back from the edge, I felt I could have sat there for hours without a care in the world.
As I looked at the comments on my photo, it brought to mind how many people think faith in God is nuts and living it out even more so. In my many years working with college students, I have seen this played out time and time again: parents thinking their kids are unhinged to earn a college degree and then “throw it away” to pursue campus ministry or a life in missions where they will have no certainty of income; students thinking it’s crazy to waste time and money serving others on a spring break or summer mission trip when one could be earning money or having a lot of fun; students’ relatives fretting about the dangers of traveling to another country to serve when “there are so many needs right here at home.”
Like people viewed my sitting on the edge of that rock as crazy or dangerous, so, too, do people often see faith in a similar way. But what they often see as reckless is far from the reality. Unlike what many think, walking by faith is not blind. Rather it is based on the accumulated evidence that the Lord is trustworthy. The Hebrew writer follows his statement about faith with a list of many who had lived by faith, such as Noah, Abraham, and Moses. The confidence of which he writes is not based upon blind belief, but rather on the evidence of those who had lived by faith and found the Lord trustworthy.
I realized long ago everyone lives by faith, perhaps not in God, but in many other things. When we apply the brakes of our car, we are doing so in faith; when we flip a light switch in the dark, we do so in faith; when we eat a meal prepared for us by someone else, we do it in faith. It is faith because we cannot guarantee the outcome. We cannot say definitively the brakes will work, the lights will come on, or the food is not poisoned, but we still have faith. Why? Because the evidence is strong that what we hope for is going to happen. That strong evidence gives us confidence in the outcome even though we cannot prove it. I climbed out on the edge of that rock because the overwhelming evidence suggested it was safe. Thousands of people had done it before me and no one to my knowledge had ever fallen off. The evidence was further confirmed as I saw others do it right before I did. And then I experienced it for myself and gained even more confidence because it was indeed safe.
Walking with the Lord, contrary to popular opinion, does not require blind faith. There is plenty of evidence that He is trustworthy in whatever He promises or asks of us. It may look and feel scary, even nuts, but the reality is far different. Living by faith in the Lord is very secure. Just ask those who have done it.
© Jim Musser 2016
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:13-22 NIV)
It was a “feel good” story that I couldn’t resist sharing on my Facebook page last week. Police officers in a California town had given a bicycle to a young black man who had been walking several miles each way to work every day so he could save up for college. With the news, and my newsfeed, filled with tragic stories of black men killed by police, this story helps us to see that an alternative narrative is possible.
I have no idea if any of these police officers are followers of Jesus, but I do know this is a glimpse of what “breaking down the wall of hostility” looks like. These officers, though of a different race or ethnic group, treated the young man as an equal, one deserving respect and kindness.
We tend to think our country is the only society dealing with race and discrimination issues, but, in reality, it occurs in every society and has since the Fall. In the 1st Century, Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) were hostile toward one another. The Jews viewed the Gentiles as sinners and unworthy of God’s blessings and mercy. The Gentiles viewed the Jews as belonging to a weird sect of people who only believed in one God, which was viewed as very ludicrous thinking in a polytheistic culture. At worst, they hated each other; at best, they viewed each other with suspicion and distrust.
Even after Jesus rose from the dead, His followers struggled with the idea that God’s grace was given to the Gentiles. Read here of their reaction to the Holy Spirit coming upon Cornelius’ household. Even Peter struggled with his own prejudice long after Jesus ascended into heaven. Read here how Paul called him out when he refused to eat with Gentiles for fear of upsetting Jewish believers.
Whether we want to admit it or not, prejudice is in our fallen DNA. We’re bent toward it. It is difficult to relate to those who are different from us, and often, to justify it, we consider ourselves superior. Our prejudice isn’t always limited to race or ethnicity; it can be toward others in a different economic class, social class, political affiliation, religion or church denomination, or even fans of a different sports team. And, as I wrote several weeks ago, Jesus is the only way to overcome our prejudices.
As He says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” The fact is we are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Sin, in other words, makes us all equal, regardless of our skin color, ethnicity, etc. So we all have a shared problem that has only one solution—Jesus.
What Paul is saying here is the prejudices we inherently have can cease when we acknowledge our mutual sin and our mutual need for a Savior. In other words, we are all in the same sinking boat and we are all dependent on the same Source for our rescue.
Today, consider honestly the prejudices you hold. Confess them to the Lord and humbly acknowledge that, as a sinner, you are no better than those toward whom you have considered yourself in some way superior. They are your equals, and, if they are followers of Jesus, your brothers or sisters as well.
© Jim Musser 2016
