7 Sept 2017 - What Are You Doing at Work?

A Practicing Christian ch 9 - What Are You Doing at Work?

This chapter/reading hits on a very good point - how we represent our faith and protect our families and marriages while we are at work.

First, the author speaks to the manner in which we are viewed by our coworkers and how that influences the way our faith is viewed, discussing both the coworkers that go out of their way to test you because of your faith as well as the coworkers that become interested and engaged in what you believe.

Second, the author discusses how we socialise at work and how we engage in our work relationships so as to protect our marriages and prevent ourselves from initiating an affair.

Questions

1. What challenges to your Christian walk do you face at work?
1. For starters, I try and do everything in by own strength. Medical school is tough, y'all - far tougher than I realised - and the competition is at another level. You're taking the top 10-20% from undergrad and pitting them, not against the masses, but against each other. Suddenly, that high B is at the bottom of the class...
2. Secondly, in any science field there is going to be a measure of opposition to faith, especially Christianity.
3. Thirdly, I'm currently in my psych rotation. The psych world is notoriously opposed to the Christian world at a worldview level.
2. What steps can you take to overcome these challenges?
1. I really need to re-frame how I lean on God, trust in God, and listen to God for better insight in where I stand and how I need to study to excel
2.  (and 3) I need to dig deeper into my relationship with God, to make sure I stand on solid footing and to be better encouraged and empowered to outwardly live my faith.
3. How can you reduce the temptation, or even the perception, of an extramarital affair at work?
1. This one hits home, because I've walked partway down this path once before. I cannot express enough how important it is to be cognizant of how one engages with one's coworkers (what one is saying and what the unspoken communications one is sending are saying) as well as the state of one's marriage and how one is feeling in that marriage.
2. The biggest factor, after being aware of your work and home communications and relationship statuses, is to communicate your dissatisfactions to your spouse in a loving, Godly way. If you take care of your marriage, you will be far less likely to try and seek satisfaction in relationships outside your marriage.

1 Timothy 4:1-6

Here, we have Paul's encouragement to Timothy to be aware of those bringing false teachings - in this instance teachings that forbid the good things given by God in marriage and for food - and that, in pointing out the falsehood of these doctrines to his fellow believers, he would be a good servant of Christ.

6 Sept 2017 - How Do You Contribute to Your Marriage?

A Practicing Christian ch 8 - How Do You Contribute to Your Marriage?

Questions

1. What is your biggest challenge with your marriage?
1. My ability to allocate my time appropriately between school and home. That includes trying to balance maximal time studying, trying to find the most time-efficient manner of studying well, setting aside time to help my wife with chores around the house, and setting aside intentional time to spend with my wife.
2. What is your responsibility in eliminating that challenge?
1. I need to continually be seeking God's wisdom in how to approach my day.
3. According to the Bible, what is your role in marriage?
1. To love my wife as Christ loves the church. That means sacrificially, totally, purely, and righteously loving her and that, then, includes remaining faithful, supporting her, cherishing her, encouraging her, leading her, ministering to her, praying with her, praying for her, forgiving her, seeking forgiveness from her, etc.

1 Timothy 3:14-16

5 Sept 2017 - How Long Do You Look?

A Practicing Christian ch 7 - How Long Do You Look?

Hmm... For the sake of privacy. I'm not gonna post my reflections for this topic. I will post the unanswered questions, though. Just know the section is discussing temptation and how we respond to it.

Questions

1. When do you find yourself most tempted to look?
2. How does falling into these temptations hurt your relationship with God and others?
3. How can you create an accountability structure for these temptations?

1 Timothy 3:1-13

"An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, not addicted to wine, not a bully, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy..." - v. 2 (emphasis added)

So, in case you didn't think the above topic was relevant or important...

4 Sept 2017 - How Is Your Prayer Life?

A Practicing Christian ch 6 - How Is Your Prayer Life?

Prayer 2 days in a row? Okay, God, What are you trying to tell me?

"The National Day of Prayer was put in place for all Americans to come together to lift this country and ask God for His guidance in dealing with its problems and to pray for its leadership."

I mean, this is pretty much the exact command given in yesterday's passage:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." - 1 Tim 2:1-2

 "First Thessalonians 5:17 says to 'Pray without ceasing.' I pray by just talking with God. I can be driving my vehicle and praying at the same time. Giving thanks for His Son absorbing our sins is a major part of prayer. I never get tired of telling Him this. To thank Him for taking care of us, for His guidance and being with my family and taking care of them and keeping them safe. I pray for my church to keep the pastors strong and healthy, to let the church do His will. I give thanks in prayer for the blessings that He has given me during my days' walk. I pray for the wisdom to lead in my personal and professional life. I ask God for forgiveness on anything that I may have specifically done wrong. I ask for help so that I may not fall again. ... I tell God of my needs even though He knows before I ask. ... I ask for other people's needs as well so that they may be blessed. I ask for His blessings, His gifts, His 'extra stuff' that He may give me even if I don't know I need it or want it."

That's a lot, but I want to highlight a few key points from the above excerpts:

• We need to be praying ceaselessly.
• That means being in constant communication at all times and in all settings with God .
• We need to give thanks.
• For our atonement
• For His provision
• For His guidance
• For His attention
• For His blessings
• We need to pray for our church
• For our pastors
• For the church's obedience
• We need to pray for our country
• For our leaders
• We need to ask
• For wisdom
• For forgiveness
• For help
• For our needs
• For others' needs
• For His blessings

Questions

1. How is your prayer life?
1. Honestly, it could be miles better. I'm not consistent in prayer and I'm not intentional with praying for more than a ten second bullet point. That aspect of communicating, of talking, with God is lacking.
2. How can you pray without ceasing?
1. I'm not fully sure. I get so caught up in whatever I'm doing at the moment that it's the only thing I think about. To a degree, it's like I  need to retrain myself to be constantly aware and in the presence of God.
3. What do you think the text in 1 Chronicles 4:10 means?
1. God listens to and answers prayer. So, go ahead and be bold in what you're asking for.

1 Timothy 2:8-15

Whenever I read passages like this, where it's talking directly to men and women in the church and how they should act, I always wonder what was going on in the church at the time. The men are being told to pray and to not get angry and argue. The women are being told to stop trying to get attention by how they dress, to be silent, and to submit to Godly leadership.

Kinda sounds like some churches I've been in... 

3 Sept 2017 - Do You Have a Quiet Time?

A Practicing Christian ch 5 - Do You Have a Quiet Time?

"You should also have some sort of devotions with your spouse on a regular basis."

Y'all, this is both super important and super difficult. My wife and I have just started going through Psalms and Proverbs - 1 chapter each - every night before we go to sleep and it is the hardest thing to keep consistent with. I mean, I definitely see that it's valuable, in part because of the communication and intimacy it fosters, but also because of the way it is attacked to make it not happen.

"When you give [God] a prized possession, such as your time, it can be a religious sacrifice. How, when, or where you spend time alone with God is not as important as the fact that you do actually spend time alone with God."

Questions

1. How often do you spend one-on-one time with God?
1. I try to have intentional time with God once each day. That being said, I have been accused of putting God in a scheduling block and not meeting with Him elsewhere throughout the day. It's definitely something I need to work on.
2.  What are your challenges to have a regular quiet time?
1. If my schedule's thrown off (i.e. I oversleep during the weekday or sleep in on the weekends) then It's really easy to not stop and make time to make up that time with God.
3. How will you overcome those challenges?
1. I need to prize that time with God more highly than I do. It needs to be that form of worship that doesn't get tossed out because of my scheduling mistakes, but is always of such importance that I prioritize it for the first available block of time.

1 Timothy 2:1-8

"First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone..." - v. 1

This I how I know God has a word for me. First, in my devotional, the topic is having a quiet time. Then, in Scripture, God opens up with a word on prayer.

"Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument." - v. 8

The "Therefore" is speaking regarding the benefit of praying for our leaders and the purpose of God being to salvation. That isn't what stood out, though. What stood out to me is that Paul is calling the men to stand in prayer. Let me pause and rewind there.

He is calling the leaders, the heads of households, the business owners, the role models, the fathers and grandfathers - the men - to pray.

How often do we see men in our churches today taking the lead in prayer (with the exception of the pastors), especially the younger men? I have seen many Godly men, often elderly deacons, display a rich, dedicated, servant-minded, humble walk with God through their prayers. I have also seen many men my age and slightly older who hang back and let their wives do all the praying. Oh God, let my witness be that I spent more time on my knees than any other posture. Let me set the example for my wife and children of Godly leadership - leadership that begins in humility and stems from God.