“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25 NIV)
Fall is in full swing and in this part of the country, that means apple orchards and pumpkin patches are buzzing with activity. The long labor of the farmers during spring and summer is coming to fruition with the fall harvest. That is the nature of farming—one plants and later one reaps. There is a spiritual lesson in this as well.
There is much agricultural metaphor used in the Scriptures. Jesus used numerous parables involving terms farmers would easily understand: sowing, reaping, weeds, thorns, and fruit. It would seem there are many parallels between the agricultural and the spiritual. And one that stands out very clearly is this concept of sowing and reaping. There is a direct correlation between what is planted and what is harvested. In speaking about false prophets, Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them,” and then adds this rhetorical question: “Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16) The spiritual truth here is by the fruit of people’s lives you can tell what is planted in them.
So, when Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, these are expected results of having the Holy Spirit planted in us (Ephesians 1:13). As followers of Jesus, then, we must examine whether or not this fruit is apparent in our lives. It should be, if we truly have committed our lives to Jesus. If not, then something is wrong. An apple tree that doesn’t bear good apples is a sick tree and needs attention. In the same way, if our lives are not consistently marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, then we are inhibiting the Spirit’s work in us (I Thessalonians 5:19). We cannot escape the fact our lives should reap the fruit of the Spirit if indeed He is planted within us.
Today, examine your life and look for the fruit of the Spirit. Is it growing and flourishing in your day-to-day life? Or does it barely show? If it is the latter, then something is wrong because the seed of the Holy Spirit always produces His fruit. The challenge for you is to find out what in your life is inhibiting its growth. And the best way to do that is to ask the Lord to show what you are doing to inhibit the Spirit's work in your life.
© Jim Musser 2014
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47 NIV)
It probably began on my first trip to the African continent—getting a taste of really good coffee. Kenya AA, if my memory is correct. I have loved coffee since I was a young teenager. I remember staying up late on weekends, after my parents had gone to bed, and sneaking into the kitchen to make instant coffee. I did it secretly because our doctor had told my mom it was bad for me to drink coffee at my age.
As I grew into an adult, I drank lots of coffee, and all of it either Folgers or Maxwell House, the most popular blends sold in America. And, as I learned later in life, it was very weak coffee, but everyone drank it that way because that was the way it was served in restaurants and homes. No one knew there might be better coffee out there or a better way to brew it.
But then I visited Kenya and got a taste of a better coffee. And through the years, I tasted various coffees from Rwanda, Haiti, and Honduras, and developed a taste for better and stronger coffee, to the point where I now can hardly stand the poor, weak coffee of my youth, which is still served in many places across our nation. Years ago, I became acutely aware of the difference between good, strong coffee and the poor, weak kind, and I decided I would never be satisfied with the latter again.
I have also found the same thing at work when it comes to the fellowship of believers. Many are satisfied with the fellowship of Sunday mornings around coffee and donuts or bagels, and talking about yesterday’s game, the weather, or the latest world news. That is what they know and they have never tasted anything different. But there is a fellowship that is so much deeper and more satisfying than what most of us are experiencing. It is the fellowship experienced by those early believers in the 1st Century. It is centered on sharing together in the Lord’s Word, in His goodness, in prayer, and in living life together, loving one another as Christ has loved us.
Once you have experienced this, you know the difference. Many churches offer “fellowship dinners” and “fellowship hours,” and they may promote many activities as means to “good fellowship,” but an honest assessment of these is that most serve up poor and weak fellowship, nothing even close to that of the New Testament church. And, if you have experienced the latter kind, you can immediately tell the difference.
Unlike coffee, it is harder to find that rich and strong fellowship. In fact, it is rare. In our ministry, we are trying to change that. Every week, students gather in small groups to eat a meal together and discuss the Scriptures, its application to life, and to pray together. This is rich and strong fellowship and we want them to develop a taste for it, to the point of not being satisfied with the vast offerings out there of the other kind.
Today, consider the fellowship that the early believers experienced. Are you experiencing anything close to resembling it? If not, then seek it out with like-minded believers who are weary of the weak version served up by so many churches. Like good, strong coffee, once you’ve tasted it, you won’t want to return to the poor, weak kind.
© Jim Musser 2014
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV)
Yesterday, I quoted out of Colossians 1, where Paul describes the centrality of Jesus to all of life and creation. Everything, as Paul so eloquently describes, was created through Him and for Him. But, as the Scriptures tell us repeatedly, the Lord’s ultimate creation—human beings—rejected His superiority over them and decided to live for themselves and by their own rules and convictions.
In the face of such rejection, it would be natural to think, from our perspective, that the Creator would not tolerate such rejection and exact brutal punishment. Yet, instead of coming in vengeance, He came in humility to live among us and live like us in order to create a path to reconciliation for all who desired it.
But He also did something else. By living among us in the flesh, Jesus experienced life as we do. He experienced all the trials, temptations, and joys of life in this world. He understands us and our struggles. So not only did He pave the way for us to be reconciled to God and live in Eternity, He also is present to help us now while we make our way through life in this world.
Today, recognize, just as that old hymn reminds us, what a friend we have in Jesus! He knows what you are going through. He understands the difficulties of your life. And He is ready and willing to help you through them. All you have to do is ask.
© Jim Musser 2014
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:15-20 NIV)
We can make life about a lot of things—school, friends, romance, children, grandchildren, career, hobbies, charitable causes—but it truly is, and always has been, about one Person—Jesus. “All things have been created through him and for him.” Many search for the meaning of life; there it is in one sentence. It’s about Jesus.
Of course, there is much opposition to this thought. For much of the world, religion is an anathema and they look at Jesus as just one of several of history’s idyllic teachers. They believe, perhaps, that life can be improved by following some of His teachings, but He is left on the edges of life, far from the center of it. Even to many who acknowledge Christianity as the true religion and Jesus as the Son of God, too much focus on Jesus is an uncomfortable thing. I grew up in a church where the emphasis was placed much more on doing good than following Jesus as the Creator and Lord of life. The reality is that most people are more comfortable with Jesus at the fringes of life or out of the picture altogether.
But if we are to believe this passage, as well as all others in the Scriptures, is inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16-17), then we must recognize that life comes from Jesus and is to be lived for Him. He can’t just be part of our lives, being there just when we think we need Him. His role is not as our servant, but as our Lord.
The Lord indeed gave us life for our enjoyment (I Timothy 6:17), so there is nothing wrong with having friends, being married, having children, having a career and hobbies. Those are good things, but they must always be kept in perspective. Jesus is the provider of all those things and wants us to enjoy them, but, more importantly, He does not want His gifts to distract us from Him. For the giver is always more important than the gift.
Today, consider the meaning and purpose of your life. Is it centered on Jesus, or have you become distracted by the many things He has given you to enjoy? If it is the latter, know that life is ultimately about Jesus and it is only in and through Him that it will have true meaning.
© Jim Musser 2014
“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:4-10 NIV)
What is it you fear? A massive amount of homework and how it appears impossible to complete it? What you are going to do after graduation? Losing your job or failing to find one? Never finding that special guy or girl to marry?
Whatever your fears, the Lord is the place to take them. Fear can shackle us, preventing us from experiencing the abundant, freedom-giving life the Lord desires for us. Fear produces stress and anxiety that robs us of everyday joy and peace. Many of us today find ourselves in bondage to fear.
The Lord desires us to live in freedom from fear by bringing our fears to Him and letting go of them. We can trust Him to protect us, provide for us, and deliver us, regardless of that which we fear. But only if we are willing to seek Him.
The temptation is to hold onto our fears and deal with them alone or share them with others. But we can only be delivered from them by the Lord.
Today, know the Lord is your refuge. Run to Him with your fears. He wants to set you free.
© Jim Musser 2014
"Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’
‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.’
‘Which ones?’ he inquired.
Jesus replied, ‘“You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,” and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.”’
‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’
Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (Matthew 19:16-22 NIV)
A life and its direction are comprised of the individual decisions one makes. Of course, some decisions are vastly more important and consequential than others, but that isn’t always apparent at the time. As we mature spiritually, we realize many of the decisions we have to make are opportunities from the Lord to go deeper with Him, but to the immature that may not be so obvious.
In campus ministry, I witness often students eschewing opportunities the Lord is giving them to obey Him, to trust Him, or to be richly blessed by Him, while others embrace them. It can be a decision to go on a retreat or mission trip, to join a small group, to give up friendships that are dragging them down, or, like the rich man, to sacrifice life as they know it to follow Jesus. Most of these, except the last one, do not appear to be life-changing decisions, but they certainly can be.
Last week, a student told me she wasn’t going on our retreat because her grandparents were coming to visit. Then, at the last minute, they changed their plans. This student could have stayed on campus for the weekend since she hadn’t planned to go with us anyway. But, instead, she called me and asked if she could still go. Over the weekend, she realized she had not fully committed her life to Jesus and was baptized. Her decision to call me will always be a pivotal decision in her life, though at the time I am sure it did not seem that important.
God is one who continually pursues us, whether we are deeply committed to Him, merely curious about Him, or completely dismissive of Him. He wants none of us to perish into an eternity without His presence (II Peter 3:9), and He also wants us to know Him on a deeper level (Hebrews 8:10-12). So, throughout our lives He will present us with opportunities to live with Him and to know Him. And we will make the decisions that decide the outcome.
Today, be on the lookout for the opportunities the Lord gives you to know Him and to go deeper with Him. And know, as with the rich young man, what you decide could have a major impact on your life.
© Jim Musser 2014
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24 NIV)
I have had to do this several times in my life. I remember early in my walk with Jesus being prompted by the Holy Spirit to go and reconcile with my high school girlfriend’s parents. I didn’t like them very much and my attitude toward them was very negative. And they didn’t like me very much, either. It was one of the hardest things I had ever done and very humbling. But they were open to talking and we did work things out.
I’ve also become aware of individuals who were angry with me and gone to them, but unlike the parents of my old girlfriend, they were unwilling to reconcile with me. Although I attempted to do what Jesus commanded, I was rebuffed. The interesting thing to me was the rejections were couched in love. “I still love you,” “I pray for you.” Perhaps they weren’t interested in letting go of their anger, or maybe their relationship with me just wasn’t important enough to them to go through the awkwardness and humility of reconciling with me. Whatever the reason, they didn’t consider reconciliation important enough to seek it.
Sadly, this is a trend among Christians. Rather than seeking reconciliation with brothers or sisters with whom we are angry or with those angry at us, we just leave the broken relationships behind and move on. We get mad at the pastor of our church and head to another church. Some people in the church or ministry offend us and we leave. And rarely is there a thought of reconciliation, even when those who offended us seek us out to do so.
What is truly sad about this is at the heart of the Good News is reconciliation—between us and our Heavenly Father through Jesus. And Paul says as Jesus-followers, we have a ministry of reconciliation—helping others become reconciled with the Father (II Corinthians 5:18-20). How then can this ministry have any real power if we refuse to be reconciled with one another?
There are many reasons people reject Jesus, but I think one of the main ones is the way they see believers treating one another. The anger and animosity they see between believers leads them to believe Christianity is just another empty promise. One way we can change that is to take seriously the Scriptures’ teaching on reconciliation.
Today, are you estranged from a brother or a sister? Regardless of who is at fault, God desires you to be reconciled because that is the message He conveys through the Gospel. Are you willing for your life to convey that message as well?
© Jim Musser 2014
