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.

1 Sep 2017 - Do You Harvest Good Fruit or Bad Fruit?

A Practicing Christian ch 4 - Do You Harvest Good Fruit or Bad Fruit?

"If you believe in Jesus and accept His way of life, then you should be producing good fruit. A person who claims to be a Christian, but shows no evidence of good fruit in his or her life needs to be questioned in their motives and beliefs."

Questions

1. How do you recognize fruit in your life?
1. First, through prayer and reflection. Second, I find that marriage is a wonderful tool of God in that it helps show me my flaws that I can better address them. This may occur through my wife speaking directly to me on an issue or through God pointing out the effects of certain behaviours and attitudes on my wife and marriage in general.
2. What steps do you need to take so that more fruit is produced from your life?
1. Well, I first need to take stock of what fruit is being produced. Then, I need to seek God to increase the crop of the fruits I display and to work in me to produce those fruits I lack.
3. What is the Biblical definition of fruit in a person's life?
1. Manifestations of character evidencing a person's heart and standing with God.

1 Timothy 1:18-20

It appears that Paul is explaining to Timothy his rationale for sending him this letter - that he would be "well-equipped for battle, having faith and a good conscience." He also makes mention of a couple individuals who have rejected the same doctrine and teachings and whose faith has taken a downturn. 

30 Aug 2017 - Are You Fearful of God?

A Practicing Christian ch 3 - Are You Fearful of God?

"Fear of God is a profound reverence for God and a dread of His punishment."

 Questions

1. What does it mean to fear God?
1. To me, fearing God means to be imminently aware of the magnitude of God and the scope of His power, keeping in mind, by comparison, the smallness of myself.
2. How is the fear of God healthy for your Christian walk?
1. It keeps me from treating God as if He is my peer, from being so familiar that respect and reverence is lost.
3. How does your fear of God correlate with your love of God?
1. I don't love God in the same way I love my wife or my friends. Instead, the manner of love I have towards God could be called devotion - I am devoted to the cause and work of Christ. My entire life, my body, mind, heart, and soul, is devoted to God, in love, for His purposes to all eternity. That's a very different type of love than what I show to my wife or my friends. It's a very different type of love than what I show my unborn son.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ... But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of [sinners], Christ Jesus might display His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life." - vv. 13b-14, 16

Paul was brought to Christ by the magnitude of God's grace, mercy, and patience. Here, in Paul's own testimony, we get a glimpse of the awe-inspiring greatness of God in comparison with the miniscule state of man. It is this unwarranted redemptive work, that the majestic God would reach across the gap of sin and provide atonement for a meagre man, the self-appointed "worst of sinners, that prompts Paul to end his testimony with a statement of reflective praise:

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen." - v. 17

28 Aug 2017 - Do You Worry?

A Practicing Christian ch. 2 - Do You Worry?

"No one knows God's reasoning and we will never understand exactly until He tells us when we see Him face-to-face. God does keep His promises by giving us heaven. He also provides for us here on earth during good times and bad.I think God was in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and I think  He was with the child lost in the woods who froze to death during the night. He has a reason for everything, though it may not be the way we want or what we think we need." (Emphasis added)

 This paragraph reminds me somewhat of Leibniz's statement that we live in the best of all possible worlds. Do we trust the wisdom of God that He has allowed certain catastrophic, bad events and situations to happen, because they were on the path with the smallest catastrophe and/or greatest glory to Him? If we believe that God is omniscient and removed from time, then we can believe that, from all the possible timelines, events like the Holocaust were the least evil and catastrophic of all potential events that could have happened had they not occurred. Frankly, it's mindblowing to begin thinking in that manner, that God allowed a lesser evil or hardship to prevent a greater one, that He allowed us to see the consequences of our ideologies in the least destructive manner possible so that He could discipline and shape us as we turn away from our sin - and this isn't just on a global scale. I can think of many times where God has intervened in my life by allowing me to suffer small consequences of my sin that would get me back on track and prevent me from committing worse sins and suffering worse consequences. We can see in the histories and prophets in the Bible that God did the same with Israel and Judah, from the beginning in Egypt through to the 400 year period of silence and the coming of Christ.

Questions:

1. What causes you the most worry?
1. The financial well-being of my family and being able to support them.
2. What does it mean to cast all your anxiety on God?
1. It means to remove the weight of attending to these stresses from myself and give them over to God - and not to try and pick them back up. It also means to trust that God will take care of the things you are anxious about.
3. What is holding you back from placing your worries on God?
1. Frankly, trust. I know the plans that I make to address my worries. I can make a tangible plan and see it in my mind. Having that plan, even if it's rough and imperfect, gives me peace. When I give my worries to God, God doesn't always make His plan known to me. He calls for me to trust Him that He will lead me by green pastures and still waters, that He will provide, but the means by which He plans to do that are usually unknown to me. Therefore, the part of me that loves making plans and feels secure in having plans panics and tries to seize control of the anxieties instead of trusting that God is good.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

"But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of [sinners], Christ Jesus  might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life." - v. 16

Man, is God not good? Is He not merciful? That God extends grace to us, that He chooses to discipline us out of His love, deferring His wrath and vengeance for a time that we may turn in repentance - that's beautiful.

Just as a surgeon inflicts a wound to heal, so God uses discipline to bring about change and healing in us. I reflect back on the Holocaust example I used earlier. The Holocaust was terrible - a great tragedy and horror - but it also shook the Western world from a greater evil lurking beneath the surface. In the Holocaust, the evils of the eugenics movement first reared its head into the public sphere. This was nothing new, though. the ideologies of eugenics had been touted and supported in many circles in the US for decades before WWII and I wonder, if the Holocaust had not happened, would we have seen a greater tragedy elsewhere in the world, perhaps in the US, fueled by this same evil?

On a smaller scale, had God not intervened in the smaller consequences of certain sins I hadn't dealt with, what would my marriage look like today? What type of sin would I be indulging in, had I not been cut short and shown the hurt I was causing?

27 Aug 2017 - Are You a Better Christian Today than Yesterday?

A Practicing Christian: Ch 1 - Are You a Better Christian Today than Yesterday?

I really do need to be asking myself that question on a more consistent basis. I mean, for someone who has made "In Studio Excellentiae" his personal motto, not taking the time to daily see whether I have improved and grown and, if I have not, in what ways I can improve, seems very short-sighted. This is definitely a question I need to incorporate into my daily walk. Honestly, turning it into a nightly prayer isn't a bad idea - more prayer is never a bad thing.

Questions:

1. How do you view yourself in light of Romans 3:23?
1. Honestly, I see my sins in terms of being short-tempered, inconsistent, easily irritated, and needy for attention.
2. Recently, what steps have you taken to become more like Jesus?
1. Nothing, really, in the last week.
3. What steps do you need to take?
1. First, I need to step up the consistency in spending time with God, reading the word and praying. Second, I need to be more proactive in outwardly living the Gospel, particularly the Great Commission. Third, I definitely need to be listening more for the direction of the Holy Spirit and acting accordingly

1 Timothy 1:1-11

"These promote empty speculations rather than God's plan, which operates by faith. Now, the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Some have deviated from these and have turned to fruitless discussion" -vv. 4b-6

Could these verses apply to discussions and debates of higher theology? Granted, good theology can lead to love coming from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith ("For we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately." - v. 8) just as bad theology can lead to a warped image of God and Christianity, but what I'm wondering is whether or not it's useful and purposeful to get lost in debates of theological minutiae, like precisely when the rapture will happen. I am reminded of a friend's Facebook post commenting on how, for many, the academic pursuit of the knowledge of God replaces the relational pursuit of the person of God.

25 Oct 2016

Philippians 2:19-20

Okay, so, first we see that Paul treasures Timothy as a father does a son, because of the time Timothy has spent with him, serving the various churches and because of how Timothy seeks the interests of Christ above his own. Because of that, Paul is quite assured that when he is able to send Timothy to visit, Timothy will be genuinely concerned for the church's welfare.

It's kinda sad, though, because the portrayal is such that it appears that Timothy is the only such person that Paul has with him at this time. I mean, the guy's been evangelising across the known world and of those he has close to him, only one seems to be more concerned with Christ than with himself. Of course, I can't speak. I'm definitely very self-focused, looking to my own benefit first most of the time.

In place of Timothy, since Timothy was tied up at the time of writing, Paul sends Epaphroditus, whom he describes as a fellow labourer and soldier. From the context, it appears he was sent to Paul by the Philippian church to encourage Paul, carrying a message from the church. During this time, it appears he fell ill and nearly died, but he has recovered and Paul then instructed the church to welcome him with joy and honour because of his sacrifices for the work of Christ.

I think this is an excellent example of the responsibility of the church towards her leaders. I know the youth groups in my church have done various different methods of pastor appreciation and encouragement  and I've seen the blessing it is to him. We need to be praying for and encouraging our pastors, but let's not just leave it there. What about missionaries, sunday school teachers, secretaries, nursery workers, youth leaders, worship leaders, and all of the other folks involved in the ministry of the church? They're all giving of themselves, waging spiritual war on the frontlines, oftentimes being battered by various schemes of the enemy. They need all the prayer and encouragement they can get.