“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24 NIV)
We live in a “move on, move forward, ready to leave it behind” culture. If a star athlete or a politician is caught up in some type of controversy or illegality, the typical response is, “I’m ready to move on;” “I’m ready to move forward from here.” In other words, the person usually is saying he is ready to get out of this uncomfortable situation as fast as possible. The Christian culture is becoming no different.
People in churches become upset about something or someone, complain about it to others, but when needing to actually reconcile the situation, the common response is, “I’m ready to move on.” And they often do, to another church.
What’s interesting about this command of Jesus is it is very hard to follow in a move on, move forward, ready to leave it behind culture. Because when you do realize someone has something against you or is angry with you and you seek them out, you are likely to hear, “I don’t want to discuss it. I’m ready to move on.” Nothing has been settled. There is no reconciliation. The conflict is merely brushed aside, but certainly not forgotten.
Paul tells us that, as followers of Jesus, we have a “ministry of reconciliation,” bringing people back into a right relationship with God. (II Corinthians 5:18) That is the theme of the whole Bible—God seeking to be reconciled to His people. It makes sense then that Jesus would place a huge emphasis on believers being reconciled with each other, to the point of putting the burden on the one who is not angry to seek out reconciliation with the person who is.
If we are called to be a part of God’s work of reconciling people to Him, then doesn’t it make sense we should be more adept at reconciliation with fellow believers? Instead of moving on, we should be going back to the person toward whom we have hard feelings and be reconciled. There is a time to move on, but it is definitely not before making every attempt to restore a relationship that has been broken.
Today, if you have something against a fellow believer, or know of someone who is upset with you, then make it a priority to go to that person and talk through the issue. You may instead want to move on, but it is clear from Jesus that is not an option for those who follow Him.
© Jim Musser 2016
“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” (Psalm 94:18-19 NIV)
When you are walking along a narrow mountain trail or climbing a rock wall, the greatest fear is that your foot will slip and you plunge hundreds of feet. Years ago, I was hiking in Colorado and was attempting to climb onto a rock ledge, but it was a little icy and my feet started to slip. For a few moments, I froze in fear. I didn’t fall, but I still remember the brief feelings of terror. A few years ago, a student recounted the story of a friend who lost his footing on a trail and fell literally head over heels more than 1000 feet down a rocky slope. Miraculously, he survived and recovered. But hundreds of people fall to their deaths each year because they lose their footing while hiking or climbing.
So the Psalmist’s metaphor conveys a dire situation, one in which he is overwhelmed with fear. This Psalm has been a comfort to me at times when I have been overwhelmed by life. “My foot is slipping,” is the perfect description of those times when life is too much. Yet the words that immediately follow, “your unfailing love, Lord, supported me,” are the exact words needed to bring calm and comfort to a fearful heart.
Life comes at us very hard sometimes and it is easy to feel like our feet are slipping beneath us; yet when that happens, we need to realize that we are not alone in our situation. The Lord is there with us. In the midst of our fear, He will console us and will not let us fall.
Today, if you feel like your foot is slipping, know the Lord is right there to comfort you and to keep you from falling.
© Jim Musser 2016
“All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (I Peter 5b-7 NIV)
I can’t count the number of times I have quoted to stressed-out students the last part of this passage. And I have often grabbed their attention by telling them worrying is a sin. I have found it a necessity in a culture consumed by worry and anxiety, where it is considered a normal part of life.
Yet, while reading this passage recently, something struck me that I had never before realized—that being in a state of anxiety or worry is the result of pride. Before you dismiss this out of hand, look at the context of this passage. Leading up to verse 7 is Peter’s call to humility, both before one another and before God. And the result in doing both is finding God’s favor.
In trying to explain worrying, I have often told students it is the attempt to control something (test results, job prospects, a romantic prospect, etc.) over which, in reality, we have no control. We worry because it gives us some sense, albeit false, of control. But I have never connected it to pride, until recently.
The biblical understanding of pride is one where humans insist on being in control, thinking of themselves as the authors of their lives, and doing what they please. God is left out of the equation (Psalm 10:4). The opposite of pride is humility, the act of putting God back into the equation.
So when we think why we worry and are anxious, is it not because we take God out of the equation? We instead wrest control of the situation because we can’t trust God with it. We are too proud to release our grip on it.
The challenge is we rarely think of worry and anxiety in this way, as I did not. Rather, we think of it as normative to the human experience, perhaps even a sin with which we struggle, but if we begin to look at it in terms of our pride, maybe that can change our perspective when we begin to worry or become anxious. To we as followers of Jesus, to remove God from the equation of our lives should be the last thing we ever want to do.
Today, if you struggle with worry and anxiety, humble yourself before the Lord, confess your bent toward self-reliance, and give back control of your daily life to the Lord. Only then will you be free of the burdens that weigh you down. While they are too much for you to bear, He can easily carry them and He wants to.
© Jim Musser 2016
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
‘What is written in the Law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’
He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ (Luke 10:25-29 NIV)
I once had a student e-mail me asking if going to bars was wrong. She wrote that other Christians had been critical of her, but she didn’t see anything wrong with it. And then she added, “Jesus hung out with people who drank.” With that, she joined the expert in the law and so many others who seek to justify their behavior by adapting a biblical truth to fit their own desires.
The student wanted to go out to the bars, not because she sought to minister to “sinners” like Jesus (Luke 5:30-32), but because she wanted to be like her friends and do what they did without guilt. So by citing what Jesus did, she sought to justify her behavior, just as the expert of the law did. He was steeped in legalism, and so after answering Jesus’ question with the two greatest commandments, he wanted Jesus to break down His meaning of “neighbor” because when we parse the meanings of words, it is easier to find loopholes by which we hope to justify behavior that deep down we know is wrong. With His parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus eliminated the loophole he was looking for.
Justification comes easily to us. In our hearts, we so often want to do what we want to do, so we seek to find ways to justify doing it. I know a woman who wants to do what she wants right now and is justifying herself by saying God wants her to live in freedom. He indeed does call us to freedom (Galatians 5:1), but she is conveniently avoiding the biblical fact this freedom has limits (Galatians 5:13; I Corinthians 10:23) because she wants to live without restraint or obligation.
We also employ justification when we are caught in sin, by seeking to minimize it in some way. I struggle when sometimes disagreeing with my wife. My response sometimes is too harsh, but I have a tendency to justify myself by blaming her for how she says something. People caught viewing porn will often say, “It’s not really a problem for me like it is for other people." I have had unmarried couples who have spent the night with each other tell me “nothing really happened.”
Another common justification in response to knowing we should do something when in fact we just don’t want to do it is, “ I’m too busy.” We find plenty of time to do the things we want to do, but when it comes to things that in our hearts we don’t want to do, this becomes a convenient way to justify not doing it.
Today, think about in what ways you attempt to justify sinful behavior. It’s not that you don’t do it, but, instead, what are you going to do about it?
© Jim Musser 2016
“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thessalonians 1:3 NIV)
This semester at our large group meetings we are focusing on Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. As I told the students this week, I think it is a timely letter for us as followers of Jesus. Increasingly, our culture is less for us and more against us. Particularly on university campuses, we are seen as a hindrance in their push for tolerance and diversity. We are often stereotyped as “haters” and viewed with suspicion by many. So there is much to learn from the believers who lived in Thessalonica at a time when discrimination and persecution were rampant towards Christians. Both the Romans and the Jews considered followers of Jesus a threat.
But what we learn from Paul’s letter is the faith of the Thessalonian believers was steady in the midst of many trials and they became known throughout the region for the lives they lived (vss 7-8) , so much so that Paul calls them a model for all believers in how to live for Jesus.
So what was it about the lives of these believers that made them so outstanding and resilient in how they lived for Jesus in the face of so much resistance? First, Paul says the work, or fruit, of their lives was produced by faith. Many times we try to make things happen out of our own strength. We’re going to go out and convince people to follow Jesus with our great arguments and persuasive skills. Or we’re going to go do “great things” for God and change the world. Or, we’re going to create some exciting new project or ministry to demonstrate the love of God. Many of these things can be good, but often they are not done in faith but rather out of our own strength. In essence, we are trying to do things on God’s behalf instead of allowing Him to do things through us. The Thessalonians didn’t make this mistake. They trusted God to do the work through them.
Secondly, they labored for the love of the Lord rather than out of obligation or for their own glory. So many people do good things because they feel obligated to do them, either from guilt or a desire to earn favor with God, or for what attention it will bring them. The former leads to burnout and is not sustainable over the long haul, while the latter has no eternal value (Matthew 6:2-4)
Finally, the believers in Thessalonica didn’t put their hope in present circumstances or worldly things. Rather, their hope was in an Eternity with Jesus. Life in a fallen world has many ups and downs and, eventually, it comes to an end for each of us. The Thessalonian believers recognized this and so put their hope in something far more solid and lasting. Thus, when things were bad for them, which was often, their faith remained steady and their relationship with the Lord continued to grow.
What about you? How does your faith and life compare to that of the Thessalonian believers? If they are a model for all believers, as Paul says, then we each would benefit from studying and following their example. Today, consider how you are living out your faith in comparison to the Thessalonians. They were able to thrive even in the tough times. Will your faith enable you to do so as well?
© Jim Musser 2016
“The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD. Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the LORD has not sent them, they say, ‘The LORD declares,’ and expect him to fulfill their words. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, ‘The LORD declares,’ though I have not spoken?’” (Ezekiel 13:1-7 NIV)
A few years ago, I read a book by a popular author that proclaimed the Heavenly gates will be open to all even if they reject Jesus in this life. According to the book, they will have eternity to change their minds and enter into Paradise. What soothing words to a world that wants to live as they please.
I was reminded of this book as I read recently this passage from the prophet Ezekiel. He lived in a time where Israel was about to be severely punished for turning away from God and to idols of her own making. Yet, there were prophets, claiming to speak for God, that were saying nothing bad was going to happen. Everything, they said, was going to be all right. The Lord, speaking through Ezekiel, declared them false prophets proclaiming visions out of their own imaginations. They were telling the people what they hoped was the truth and what they knew they wanted to hear. Sound familiar?
The world is full of people claiming to speak for God telling us that He wants us to be rich, that there are many ways to Him as long as we are sincere, and that Hell is not a permanent destination for those rejecting Him. They tell us things that come from their own imaginations, not from God.
And like the Israelites, many of us are taken in and seduced by these false prophets. Who wouldn’t want to hear that God endorses gaining wealth to spend lavishly on ourselves? Who wouldn’t want to know that as long as you are sincere in what you believe, you are fine. And who wouldn’t want to believe we can live however we want in this life and receive an eternity full of second chances in the next life?
The problem is that these prophets do not speak for God. He speaks for Himself in His Word, and a thorough reading of it reveals what He truly says. False prophets gain popularity and a following because people don’t know the Word; thus they are vulnerable to following what they think sounds good to them.
Today, know the best way to avoid being seduced by the false prophets of our age is to know the Word of God. For what we don’t know is left to our imaginations and that can be a dangerous place to be.
© Jim Musser 2016
“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?’
“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 7:44-51 NIV)
Chances are you were in a church service yesterday where a church leader referred to the building in which you were sitting as “God’s house.” If not, no doubt you have heard often the church building called this. It is a misconception that has been around for a long time.
It may sound rather picky to focus on such a distinction, but it has had major ramifications for the Church, just as it did in Stephen’s day, when the Church began. The focus of the Jews was on the Temple. Everything revolved around it. And that continued even after Jesus, the Messiah, came into the world, even after the curtain of the Holy of Holies was ripped down the middle upon His death (Matthew 27:51), and even after the Holy Spirit was poured out onto the apostles and onto those who believed their message (Acts 2:1-4). They wanted to hang onto the Temple; God wanted them to hang onto Him.
The great temptation for we humans is to cling to that which we have made and to fit God into it. Stephen is saying here that the Lord of the universe is far too big and awesome to be contained by bricks and mortar. In trying to reduce God to fit into what we have made, we actually resist what the Lord is trying to do. And that is to become a personal God.
When the curtain of the Holy of Holies was torn in two, it symbolized that people, not just the High Priest, could access God’s Presence, and not just once a year, but continually. In fact, as Paul writes in I Corinthians 3:16, those who believe in Jesus become the temple of God, the place where He resides. The temple is no longer one of bricks and mortar, but of flesh and blood. Thus, the charge of Stephen against the Sanhedrin (a Jewish tribunal) that they always resist the Holy Spirit makes more sense. They wanted to keep God contained and access to Him limited. And instead of God going with them, they wanted to leave Him behind in the place they built for Him. We are tempted to do the same thing as well.
Today, recognize that God’s house is not a church building, but you, if indeed you are a follower of Jesus. And when you enter that church building on Sunday mornings, instead of entering into God’s presence, you are entering into His neighborhood, which consists of hundreds of houses where in each the Lord resides.
© Jim Musser 2016
