Daily Butter 4/13: Not about me

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (4/13/12):

 

If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.

(2 Corinthians 1:6 HCSB)

 

I often think of the phase “It’s not about me” as a reminder that it’s about Him and for His glory and (as Dave Brannon reminded us in today’s ODB) ultimately through His power, a different point jumped out at me. As Paul noted to the believers in Corinth, he and his travelling companions endured for the sake of their brothers and sisters. Not only do we endure to reach the prize (Rom 8:16-18; Phil 3:12-14), but as an example to fellow believers that they may see His strength, grace and peace through our endurance.

 

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 4/2: Child labor

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (4/2/12):

 

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

(Romans 8:15 HCSB)

 

This verse reminded me of a couple things. First being chores as a child (“Do I HAVE to?”) with the fear of the consequences of not doing what was expected. It was fear, yet I knew that the one enforcing those consequences did so out of love. This yields a fresh understanding of what “the fear of the Lord” means to one of His children: It is not motivation by a slave’s fear of his/her master’s retribution, but greater fear of breaking my Father’s heart by disappointing Him.

 

The second was a recent reminder from my Old Testament readings.  I’m no scholar of Greek, but the above verse is one reason I don’t like that the translators of the Holman Christian Standard Bible chose to translate Paul’s beginning to Romans “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,…” rather than the way New American Standard Bible translators chose: ”Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, …“. But I suppose slavery is a concept that we understand pretty well, while it must be explained that bond-servants are bound to their master by choice – willing slaves I suppose. It is not forced slavery of obligation to a demanding owner, but committed loving service by part of the family given out of gratitude to one who bought them with a price AND has given them freedom:

 

If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year. … But if your slave says to you, ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and is well off with you, take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way.

(Deuteronomy 15:12,16-17 HCSB)

 

Father,

I am especially mindful in this season of the price that You gave for me. And to think that You paid that price so that I might have freedom is so far above my comprehesion. Therefore it is with eternal gratitude that I yield you my service. It would have been enough to have the joy of being Your servant after so great a gift, yet You have called me Your child. What amazing love! What amazing grace!

 

Only through Your grace,

- Andy Jentes

"Daily" Butter 4/1

Only the Daily part is an April Fools ;-)

 

In the Our Daily Bread for this Palm Sunday 2012, it was something different that prompted today’s thought. Rather than a different take from the “Read” spotlight passage, it was a reminder from the writing of Julie Ackerman Link about the promise of the Good Shepherd (teamed up with feeling something has been missing and the reminder of a dear friend that I hadn’t written anything like these thoughts in quite some time) that prompted the break in silence.

 

She wrote: ”Not all change is pleasant, but when we’re being led to a better place by Someone who loves us, we don’t need to fear it.”

 

She mentioned that we don’t dread change when it is pretty clear to us that the situation after the change will be an improvement and as one colleague moves into a new job situation, I continue to wrestle with a thought that change is what is going to be required. Without laying everything out for all to see, I would ask for your prayers as I have  been wrestling with the age-old struggle of what I want to do and what does He want me to do inevitably get filtered down into what will I do. I struggle knowing my faith and trust in Him is not measuring up to the supreme example of Christ’s selflessness to us in the Garden prayer (pardon the paraphrase) “I REALLY don’t want to do this, but if You say this is the only way, so it shall be done.”

 

But in the words of the great seatbelt traffic sign: “What’s holding YOU back?” I’m not sure whether it is uncertainty as to His leading, weak faith in this morning’s reminder to truly  believe that I need not fear when following the Good Shepherd or (as I have accused others) manufacturing manmade excuses to make something blurry that He has tried to make clear. Pardon my rambles, but please pray for me that I might see clearly and act wisely to take the path of His leading regardless of the terrain.

 

“Come!” He said.

  And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

  Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

(Matthew 14:29-31 HCSB)

 

 

Andy Jentes