Daily Butter 10/31: Enlightenment

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/31/11):

 

   He came as a witness

    to testify about the light,

    so that all might believe through him.

    He was not the light,

    but he came to testify about the light.

The true light, who gives light to everyone,

    was coming into the world.

  He was in the world,

    and the world was created through Him,

    yet the world did not recognize Him.

(John 1:7-10 HCSB)

 

On this day which some of my brothers in Christ will vehemently preach is a dark day which we as children of light should have absolutely nothing to do with, is a great time to remember the light. We look out into the world at all the evil darkness and wonder why God is punishing us. How a God who is good and loving could allow such darkness? I don’t know, but I have a guess:

 

Just as John was not the light, I am not God and I do not have a mind capable of more than scratching the surface of what His thoughts might be. While my insights have no authority, they have challenged me to seek Him more and if putting them into words and sharing them prompts others to do the same, praise be to the Lord. And that gives away my answer. By faith I believe that all of creation exists for the sole purpose of bringing glory to the Creator. Just as the virtuoso in the rail station that C. P. Hia wrote about in today’s ODB was not recognized in those surroundings, the true brilliance of His glory needs to shine in the darkness to be recognized. Darkness exists to draw our attention to the Light.

 

While most Jews of that time were hoping and praying for the Messiah to come in power bringing the promised peace and freedom, here He comes as a baby in a shed. God sent a crazy man in the wilderness speaking the truth in a way that drew men to him to be baptized should have prepared them to be looking unexpected places. Yet it was in the midst of darkness in an unfamiliar town because of the decree of that government that the Lord came heralded to the third-shift shepherds.

 

All this to say that I might not be the Light, and I may be just another crazy man spouting interesting (or not so interesting) things, but this third-shifter has seen the Light, chooses to let this little light of mine shine, and will not stop pointing out the source of that light within me is Jesus Christ.

 

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness can never extinguish it.

(John 1:5  NLT)

 

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter (10/30): Mini-Me

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/30/11):

    "Our father is Abraham!" they replied.

    "If you were Abraham's children," Jesus told them, "you would do what Abraham did. …You're doing what your father does."

    "We weren't born of sexual immorality," they said. "We have one Father—God."

(John 8:39, 41 HCSB)

Sons are like their fathers to some degree or another; always have been and always will be. If you’re not adopted into His family, you’re still a part of this world. Like it or not, more of the training of our children is “caught” the “taught.” While I understand the principle, I continue to fail in the implementation. Keeping my 3-1/2 year-old son at the dinner table is nearly impossible without inhumane restraints (which have been tempting but never attempted). With my schedule as chaotic as it is, we rarely get to sit down together at the table for a family meal. Even then, I find myself remembering something that seems it has to get done before I forget again so that I get up before my plate is empty. It is wrong of me to expect my son to abide by a rule that I am not modeling for him. I know this is tremendously frustrating to my wife, and yet knowing is not enough. The unfortunate part of living in this world is that we still have fallen bodies filled with imperfections that battle with our new nature and those “good intentions.”  It’s not an excuse, for the call to holiness remains the same as does the Spirit within me to empower me to do what is necessary. But David is like his daddy and we both need to make greater effort to battle the short attention span and the wanderlust, and I should be leading the way.

Lord, I wanna be just like You
´Cause he wants to be just like me
I wanna be a holy example
For his innocent eyes to see
Help me be a living Bible, Lord
That my little boy can read
I wanna be just like You
´Cause he wants to be like me

(Phillips, Craig & Dean –

    - “I Want to Be Just Like You”)

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/28: Childlike

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/28/11):

 

    Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself
    like a little weaned child with its mother;
    I am like a little child.

    (Psalm 131:2  HCSB)

 

Throughout Scripture we are challenged, to have a childlike quality to our faith. The insight’s of David H Roper in today’s ODB were a great reminder. To view things as a child is not only to understand there are some things we are not “big enough” to handle (v1) but also to understand that there is so much about life and especially spiritual life that I do not and could not possibly understand. I love the imaginative dialog David included in the ODB:

 

I ask, “Why this affliction? Why this anguish?”

The Father answers, “Hush, child. You wouldn’t understand if I explained it to you. Just trust Me!”

 

Faith is trust. While the longing to gain understanding is natural and good, the simplicity of trusting our loving Father that all that we don’t understand is working out for our good (Roman 8:28) is what it means to be His child.

 

Don’t worry about the little stuff.

God is the big stuff.

So the rest is little stuff.

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 10/27: Reboot

Today’s Our Daily Bread is in Leviticus with the “Thou Shalt Nots.” Those are pretty clear without a lot of additional commentary needed. So for this morning I’m commenting from Psalm 42 as prompted by the “NIV Devotions for Men” from BibleGateway.com that I received a week ago today on my birthday:

As the deer pants for streams of water,

   so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

   When can I go and meet with God?

 …

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

   Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

   for I will yet praise him,

   my Savior and my God.

(Psalm 42:1-2, 11 NIV)

When we sing the praise and worship chorus that begins with the opening verse of this psalm, there is little connection to the original type of longing while feeling isolated amidst adversity. Like a horse’s head yanked straight by its rider, verse 11 ends up the psalm it seems like a forced refocus. In spite of the fact those around are echoing the question in his mind, “where’s God?” the Psalmist forces his mind to remember the joys of corporate worship (v4) and God’s unchanging faithfulness (v8). The lesson is this: This is a messed up world and we all go through adversity and regardless of what we hear around us or what our emotions are in response to the mess, God’s unfailing love remains unchanged and our hope is secure. Much like a Windows computer, sometimes we must reboot our thinking to cleanup some of the junk that collects through just normal operation in this messy world. The Truth remains the Truth regardless of the situation or the emotions. Sometimes we must just stop and remember.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/26: Girl Power

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/26/11):

On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there.

(Acts 16:13 HCSB)

Growing up it was always a marvel at the observation that women greatly outnumbered men in services no matter which church we attended. Apparently, from this verse, this seems more a gender-trait across time and culture. In comparison with men, women seem “wired” to be more responsive to spiritual matters, or maybe just more likely to pray (i.e. stop pressing on blindly and ask for directions). It certainly seems women more keenly desire to gather as a community of believers than men. While it’s probably all of the above observations to different degrees in different situations, it seems clear to me that women are not only respected by Christians so much more than in other major world religions, their faith is vital to life of the church.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/25: Money Talks

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/25/11):

[Haman to Ahasuerus] “If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to the accountants for deposit in the royal treasury."

(Esther 3:9 HCSB)

While there truly is “nothing new under the sun,” (Ecc. 1:9-10) I missed the payoff in the VeggieTales version. Power and money always seem to go hand-in-hand in this world and Haman really didn’t like his power being questioned. The Holman Christian Standard Bible’s converting the original “talents” weight into modern units makes a pretty vivid picture of how badly he wanted revenge for the disrespect of one lowly but (literally) upright guard.

While money talks, one’s attitude toward money speaks volumes.

But godliness with contentment is a great gain.

    For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out.

    But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

    But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.

(1 Timothy 6:6-9 HCSB)

Unfortunately, money is still inextricably intertwined with political power. In the current political climate in this country where money and appearance rule the polls, I am thoroughly convinced that few if any of our great past presidents (I’ll leave that for you to speculate who I place on that list) would ever be elected – either because they couldn’t afford the advertising budget or because they have a good old fashioned “face for radio.”  Money was already mentioned, so for perspective on appearance and popularity:

He had no form or splendor that we should look at Him,
no appearance that we should desire Him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
He was like one people turned away from;
He was despised, and we didn't value Him.

Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,
and He carried our pains;
but we in turn regarded Him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced because of our transgressions,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on Him,
and we are healed by His wounds.

We all went astray like sheep;
we all have turned to our own way;
and the LORD has punished Him
for the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:2b-6 HCSB)

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/23: Who I AM

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/23/11):

"I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep.”

(John 10:14-15 HCSB)

While I loved the paraphrase of Psalm 23 that David C. McCasland shared in today’s ODB, the word “as” stuck out to me in this verse. While I’m not a scholar of the original Biblical languages, I have yet to find an English translation that does not use the word “as” at/near the beginning of verse 15. Moments later Jesus prompted the religious scholars to grab the stones for the apparent blasphemy when He said that “The Father and I are one” (v30). And while I’m a bit leery of putting this thought out there lest I be risking heresy basing something on one word of an English translation of Christ’s parable, this is a record of my thoughts and not a theological treatise. If I, as one of His sheep, can know Christ just as the Father knows Him and He is one with the Father, I am not just His child here in this place and not just His ambassador here. As part of His body (Romans 12:4-5), I am Christ here.

Trying to really wrap my mind around that thought is as mind-blowing as there being only one Almighty God with three persons or how that infinite God can indwell me, both of which I believe by faith. This new thought for me really highlights the trust God has placed in me to be about His work here where He has positioned me.

But as I get weighed-down by that feeling of responsibility, I remember my professor’s words that the three most important things about Scripture interpretation are context, context and context. This is part of a word picture painted by Christ for those in that time for whom the picture would be much more vivid and readable. The clearest place for me to fit in the parable is one sheep in the care of the Good Shepherd. Before jumping to conclusions about the comparison of that relationship to God the Father’s to God the Son, I’d better stick with understanding what is clear: The Good Shepherd loved me so much He gave His life for me.

For those still reading this, I hope you’ve enjoyed the corkscrew roller-coaster ride that is my “normal” thought process.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/22: Hope

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/22/11):

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. …

Therefore encourage [or comfort] one another with these words.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13, 18 [with footnote] HCSB)

A couple days ago, I was flexing my vocabulary and speaking with a coworker about the sudden chill in the air by saying, “It feels autumnal.” In a joking reply about my use of such an uncommon word as if it were inappropriate for the workplace, he reacted with a feigned shock and said with head shaking, “And you kiss your mother with that mouth!?” Memories of mother were brought back to mind that made me miss her anew. Reading these verses and the reminder Jennifer Benson Schuldt wrote in today’s ODB just reminds me to count my blessings. I know my mother’s faith and so I know that though she has been gone from this earth for over a year now, she is not gone. She has simply gone on ahead and we will be together again. Just as our Savior has promised to “prepare a place” for us, I like to think she’s helping with that preparation to crochet some cozy afghans and spectacular doilies to make the place prepared for her dear ones a bit more like home.

While we are separated for now, I do not miss my mother “like the rest,” and the hope Paul wrote about here is not a mere wish. It is a confidence from knowing that Christ has done everything He promised and will continue to do so. Whether what “I like to think” about Mom helping with preparations is true or not, what I know is that I will give my mom a hug (and kiss with a new mouth) again in the proper time.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter10/21: Confidence

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/21/11):

Since I am confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

(Philemon 21 HCSB)

Reading these words from Paul to Philemon reminded me of this co-worker’s confidence in me to not only do my assigned task, but do it with excellence. I got a compliment last night from a coworker who, though she’s worked at the store less than a year in comparison to my nearly three years, was working in the position that oversees customer service staff and has to assign cleaning tasks. She stated that I am one of very few who she can trust will do the task assigned with excellence without question and without repeated reminders. I am not really vocal about my faith “on the clock,” but it is nice to know that my choosing to let my light shine is noticed. I am certain I will have opportunity to explain the reason I’m so different (1 Peter 3:14-15).

Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.

(Philippians 2:14-15 HCSB)

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/20: Faithful

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/20/11):

    I have been young and now I am old,

    yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned

    or his children begging bread.

    (Psalm 37:25 HCSB)

While the first part of this verse jumped out at me because the digits of my age change today, it is the reminder of His provision that has stuck from my youth to now. My mother would often quote this reminder growing up when finances were tight in the house. God has remained faithful and has not allowed me or my family (parents and sibling or wife and child) to ever go hungry. Though I get frustrated that I rely on the government WIC program and find myself wishing and wondering how I can better provide for my family, I am thankful to have the jobs that allow me to keep my promise to allow Sharon to be a stay-at-home-mom. Though I really do enjoy the jobs that I have, I do get edgy when I am drained from the number of hours I put in each week. That leads to regrets that I would love to avoid when my rein on my tongue weakens and I unnecessarily and undeservedly lash out at my family. I wish I could avoid the fatigue and unnecessary pain to my family, but I am so grateful He has provided a way for me to continue to be a man of my word to my wife.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/16: Not Judged

With new software being introduced at work and "vacation" being my first as a homeowner and therefore full of do-it-yourself projects I've not been faithful to post thoughts here. Today's springboard for thought came not from Our Daily Bread, but a mention from the morning message at First Baptist Church Gallatin (10/16/2011):

Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
(Romans 8:1-2 HCSB)

Pastor Larry mentioned this verse with the reminder that a lack of "condemnation" is not a lack of "conviction." Since I enjoy playing words, my mind went chasing the rabbit down the trail of what makes these words different. Both have to deal with rules or laws and the violation of them. But as I tried to wrap my mind around the difference, I envisioned myself standing in a courtroom before grand jury.

While both the "conviction" and the "condemnation" come at the end of the proceedings, they came in two totally different pronouncements. Conviction takes place when the jury foreman proclaims, "We find the defendant guilty of ____." Conviction is proof of guilt, but it is not condemnation. Condemnation follows when the presiding judge passes sentence and the consequences for the violation are pronounced. HERE lies the difference.

Why is there conviction without condemnation for the Christian? Romans 8:2 tells us that it is because the law of sin and death has been replaced by the law of life in Christ. That was done through Christ taking the consequences on our behalf. There can be no condemnation for the price has already been paid.

Conviction will remain so long as there is a transgression of which one is guilty. As a child I remember that knowing my actions caused pain and heartache to my mother or father was enough to make me feel guilty and change my actions. As a child of God, it should be no different. I pray that I never stop being convicted when I grieve my Lord.

- Andy

Daily Butter 10/10: Grace

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/10/11):

 

     He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve

    or repaid us according to our offenses.

 

     For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is His faithful love

    toward those who fear Him.

   (Psalm 114:10-11 HCSB)

 

With the reminders of counting blessing from today’s ODB, these two verses stuck out to me as the biggest blessing: God’s mercy that spares us from the penalty actually due for our sins and His grace to lavish us with faithful love in spite of our unfaithfulness.

 

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/6: This Little Light of Mine

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/6/11):

 

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…

(Philippians 2:14-16a NIV[1984])

 

The reminder in today’s ODB to “let my light shine” reminded me of this verse I have aspired to for years and the process we just went through in our search, purchase, and move-in for our new home. I may never know how many people noticed, but some have mentioned that they would not have handled it with as much patience as I showed. My role is to live the life He has called me to point to Him as my hope. In the darkest darkness, even the smallest spark is brilliant. Some may shield their eyes from it; some will be drawn toward it; and most will be confused by it, so I must be prepared to introduce them to my Lord and my Hope.

 

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

(1 Peter 3:15 NLT)

 

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 10/5: Not Home Yet

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/5/11):

 

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints' inheritance in the light. (Colossians 1:11-12 HCSB)

 

I ended yesterday with some new Steven Curtis Chapman, so I thought borrowing a song title of his for my title today seemed appropriate also. Joe Stowell was so right in today’s ODB about the importance of understanding our true position in Him from verse 13. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 NASB) Verse 11 captures the need for strength and power and might and endurance and patience that it takes to walk (as Joe Stowell put so well in his real estate illustration) “through the greatly devalued territory of our world.”  Of course Paul did not write the church in Colossae verse by verse, but rather in his characteristic long sentences. So you cannot have the strength and endurance of verse 11 without the understanding of verse 12 that it is the Father who made it possible to share in the inheritance. I am eternally thankful that it is not by my strength or my endurance or my patience but “according to His glorious might” that I will see the inheritance of the saints.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter10/4: Unseen

First, my apologies for not being faithful to log entries the past few days/nights. The closing and moving into our house was much more traumatic than I had anticipated and while in my spirit I know that I needed my grounding in the Word in the midst of the process as much as ever, the weariness of my flesh won out and I did not remain consistent. I have no excuses, but as I told my wife, that was September and this is October. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentation 3:21-23), so I too start afresh.

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (10/4/11):

Go to the ant, you slacker!

  Observe its ways and become wise.

Without leader, administrator, or ruler,

 it prepares its provisions in summer;

    it gathers its food during harvest.

(Proverbs 6:6-8 HCSB)

Authority that is not visible is not a lack of authority nor does the failure to recognize an unseen authority negate that authority. The ants the wise teacher observed may not have had a noticeable leadership structure, but they understood the Creator made them for a purpose and faithfully continued to do the tasks they need to accomplish. As Dave Branon’s account in today’s ODB spotlighted, this view is by no means the universal in American society today. And this is not really a recent development. It has been one of my confusions for years: People driving at whatever breakneck speed they can and only slow down if they see a patrol car or their trusty radar detector goes off. With the obvious exception of changing lanes and/or slowing when they are doing their job on the shoulder of the road, the traffic laws are the same whether there is a visible enforcer of those laws or not. This especially baffles me when it is fellow Christians who are disrespectful of that authority. They should understand about unseen authority if anyone would! Trust that I am not blameless as I do catch myself getting “lead-footed” and at times give in to the crowd when I find it unsafe to go only the posted speed limits due to the speed of the traffic surrounding me. I understand though this is a personal conviction that some do not share. Apparently I am just “old fashioned,” but I’ll wear that title and continue to mind the authorities and especially The Authority.
- Andy Jentes

Whatever you do it all matters
So do what you do and don't ever forget to do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace as you do

From "Do Everything" - Steven Curtis Chapman