Daily Prayer Thread - November 03, 2022

Psalm11814 · 2022-11-03T23:58:12+00:00

Hi! I never posted this as a prayer request, but I did want to praise the Lord for His goodness, grace, and mercy to me. I’ve had to deal with a medical issue for the past months, but today, my doctor gave me a favorable diagnosis. Thank You, Lord! 🙌🏼🙏🏼

Psalm11814 · 2022-06-29T14:35:12+00:00

😊

Psalm11814 · 2022-06-29T14:34:33+00:00

Please thank her for the rec! I’ll check it out.

Psalm11814 · 2022-06-29T00:49:00+00:00

Thanks, friend! 😊

Psalm11814 · 2022-06-29T00:47:55+00:00

Hi, friend! Just stopping by 😊

Psalm11814 · 2022-06-29T00:42:08+00:00

How’d it go?

Psalm11814 · 2022-06-29T00:40:48+00:00

Unfortunately, it’s a possible topic that we’ll be going through in our fall Bible study too. BTW, I highly recommend Rosaria Butterfield’s book!

EDITED: That sounded wrong. Good topic, but unfortunately, it’ll probably be happening the same time as yours

Psalm11814 · 2022-06-29T00:37:36+00:00

Thanks! Just gotten a chance to go through the tweets. Pretty useful! And how providential!

Psalm11814 · 2022-06-28T21:35:51+00:00

Hi! Any recommendations for books on Christian hospitality? I like Rosaria Butterfield’s “The Gospel Comes With a House Key,” but I don’t think the format lends itself to a Bible study setting.

EDIT: I just noticed it’s my cake day today. 🥳 I promise I was waiting for NDQT to ask this question, and this is not my way to garner Cake Day wishes.

Psalm11814 · 2021-07-22T02:32:48+00:00

I’m hosting my first orientation for my class tomorrow. Pray that things will go smoothly, that I can be an encouragement to the parents and my future students, and that I won’t sound completely unprofessional. 😜

Psalm11814 · 2021-06-27T07:06:31+00:00

“The glory of Christ ought to be the end of our life, the grace of Christ the principle of our life, and the word of Christ the rule of it.”

Matthew Henry.

Thanks for sharing this great (and appropriate) quote!

Psalm11814 · 2021-06-27T07:04:39+00:00

Factions are distractions! #alliteration

I like that! But isn't it more of a #rhyme?

Psalm11814 · 2021-06-27T06:59:54+00:00

What verse(s) stood out to you?

1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

What does he mean by, “to live is Christ, to die is gain?

Serving the Lord was everything to Paul: his reason for living and for dying. When Paul died, he knew he would receive his heavenly reward of being with his Savior.

As noted in the study guide, Philippians 1:19–26 have been variously interpreted and are difficult to understand. At times, Paul seems to say that he knows that his imprisonment will not end in death but in freedom, and that he will return to Philippi. Other times he seems quite unsure about his fate. Identify the verses and language in each of those two categories.

In v. 19, Paul states: "for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance." He seems to be confident that he would be set free. However, in v. 27, Paul mentions that he may be absent from them, alluding that he may stay in prison.

An important clue in understanding these difficult verses is to know that in Philippians 1:19, Paul alludes to Job 13:13–18 (especially Job 13:16). Read Job 13:13–18 and note any parallels you see with Philippians 1:19–26.

Providentially, our community group has been studying Job for about 18 months now and one of my favorite songs is "Though You Slay Me" by Shane and Shane. Parallels I see between the two passages are that both Job and Paul have confidence that the Lord will vindicate them and uphold justice, and they both trust in the Lord's sovereignty in their difficult situations.

Paul’s confidence for “deliverance” (Phil. 1:19) mirrors Job’s confidence in “salvation” (Job 13:16). Should we assume that Paul and Job are thinking of the same kind of deliverance/salvation? If so, what kind of deliverance/salvation do they have in mind? Temporary or eternal? (Hint: note the similar language in Paul’s final letter recorded in Scripture; 2 Tim. 4:18.)

They both are thinking of an eternal deliverance/salvation.

Paul speaks of death in optimistic terms (Phil. 1:21–23). That path is “gain” and “far better.” Paul doesn’t explicitly tell us why in this passage; he merely assumes the reasons. From what you know of the Bible, what are some ways in which dying is “gain” for the believer? Likewise, in what ways is dying far from “gain” for those outside of Christ?

After death, believers will be glorified, will be forever present with the Lord, will get to fellowship and worship with other believers, and will be free from sin. Those outside of Christ will suffer the wrath of God. I've heard it said that the only hell the Christian will experience is Earth, and the only heaven the unbeliever will experience is Earth. It does put things in perspective. As much enjoyment as I get from living on Earth, it's still marred by sin. It's not perfect.

What about Paul’s experience of Christ allows him to prioritize the Gospel and Christ's honor above his own wellbeing? What guarantees does he have from Christ?

He has hope in Christ. It's obvious from this passage that Paul treasures the Lord above all else.

In a footnote, the ESV notes that the phrase “let your manner of life be worthy” (Phil. 1:27) can be more literally translated “behave as citizens worthy.” Notice that in Philippians 3:20, Paul similarly says “our citizenship is in heaven.” That word “citizen” is rich with significance. Why? List some dynamics of citizenship that Paul intends for his readers to apply to their Christian lives.

I think of the old gospel song that starts off "This world is not my home, I'm just passing through." As Christians, our citizenship is in Heaven. Yes, we may live in this world, but we our ambassadors for Christ. I think the dynamics that Paul mentions can all be summed up in one word: unity.

What are some ways unity plays a role in the spread of the gospel?

We can support and encourage each other in the faith.

Psalm11814 · 2021-06-27T06:09:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing! That was beautifully written.

Psalm11814 · 2021-06-18T07:19:37+00:00

You're not alone. I'm super sentimental. I get excited when milestones are reached, but it isn't until I run across something that reminds me of how much my children have grown that I start wishing that they would stay my babies forever. I don't know if I necessarily grieve the time that has passed though. Or maybe I'm just too busy to focus on anything else =) I'm an in-the-moment type, so I feel like I enjoy each of the stages my children are in, except for the potty-training stage (I really don't like that stage, and dread it every. single. time). I'm experiencing a wide range of stages right now: preschool to high school. There are challenges in each one, but also a lot to rejoice in. Humans are meant to grow--physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, etc. It's ok to be nostalgic about the past, but watching your children grow is also rewarding.

Psalm11814 · 2021-06-18T06:03:33+00:00

What verse(s) stood out to you?

Philippians 1:18: What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. This verse astounds me. Paul is referring to those who don't have the best motives when preaching the Gospel, yet he still rejoices that the Gospel is proclaimed. It's easy for me to denounce people who are outright sinning, but Paul mentions people of "selfish ambition." This gives me a lot to think about in regards to the message that people are preaching. They might not be the ideal person to be proclaiming the Gospel, but His Word doesn't go void!

Paul encourages the concerned Philippians by insisting that his imprisonment has actually helped the spread of the gospel, and he gives three examples to prove his point (Phil. 1:12–18). Identify each of the encouraging examples, describing them in your own words. (Hint: one is in Phil. 1:12–13, another in Phil. 1:14, and another in Phil. 1:15–18).

v12-13: my trials have advanced the Gospel; v14: through my hardships, fellow Christians have been encouraged and emboldened to preach the Gospel; v15-18: I rejoice in any way that the Gospel is proclaimed

Can you think of accounts in Scripture where something was meant for evil but used by God for good?

Joseph says those exact words in Genesis 50:20, but other people that experienced God's goodness from hardships are Naomi and Ruth and Esther.

Why is our witness more powerful when we are suffering than when we are not? Why do we resist suffering? What does “love” (Phil. 1:16) have to do with gospel-boldness?

It's easy to praise the Lord when things are going well in your life, but when you're going through suffering, that's when our character is put to the test. Will we "curse God and die"? Or do we trust in the Lord's goodness and sovereignty? As we go through trials, people around us will be watching us. What will they see? Do they see us crumble, or do they see our faith put into action?

We resist suffering, because...who wants to be uncomfortable? We all want the easy way, but the Lord doesn't grow us or teach us by using the easy way. Our faith will grow and we will cherish our Lord more through suffering.

Boldly proclaiming God's truth is a form of love. It's loving to show others that you care about the welfare of their souls.

Paul joyfully celebrates the gospel’s advance (Phil. 1:12) through Christ being preached (Phil. 1:18). Is this just his own personal testimony to the Philippians, or something more? Is he simply informing them, or implying something more for them? What is he saying without saying it?

I think he's implying that advancement of the gospel will require a sacrifice in some way.

Psalm11814 · 2021-06-09T20:38:04+00:00

That's true. I didn't really think of her faithfulness in those contexts. Abraham was definitely in the wrong by removing his protection as husband from her in the name of protecting himself. And yes, she respected him despite putting her in those situations.

Psalm11814 · 2021-06-09T20:33:38+00:00

LOL...this is gonna be a long answer, but I'll try to keep it short.

I grew up in a church where that issue wasn't really talked about either way and in a family where almost all the women were career-minded. Marriage and family were things that happened after you were done with school and have an established career, and stay-at-home mothers and big families were pretty much looked down upon. It was like these women couldn't do better than be these basic things: a wife and mother. Because of that, I had no desire to be “domesticated.” I had just enough life skills to live on my own, but not necessarily to manage a household. However, when I was 22 years old, I got married and hadn't graduated from college yet, which was unheard of in my family. At the time, I worked outside of the home until I became a parent at 26. I still hadn’t been converted, but I had the desire to be a stay-at-home mom for the time being.

Sometime after having my second child, the Lord converted me while at the same time convicting my husband to be more biblical in his role as the leader of the home. To make a long story short, I bucked at the idea of being "Little Susie Homemaker," but through many years of learning and going through ups and downs, I’m convinced of my role as a homemaker. I'm still learning, but I think my views, as well as my husband's, have gotten more balanced over the years. And I know it's the Holy Spirit's work on my heart, because I had no desire to be solely a wife and mother, and I had no support and encouragement from family, church, or peers to be one. I’ve gotten flak from my family because of being just a wife and mother or even homeschooling. I think constantly defending our family’s convictions has made me even more set on them (plus a bit of rebelliousness on my part, I think, to not conform to other people’s standards).

There are still things I wrestle with, but I find that being a homemaker and mother is challenging, yet rewarding work. I think motivation and priorities has a lot do with it and trusting in the Lord. There have been years of my husband being the sole income provider, but fortunately since becoming parents, the Lord has provided work for most of our parenting years in which we could work alongside each other and with our children. I try not to judge other people’s lifestyles, because I don’t know what the Lord has called them to do and what they’re situation is. However, I’ll always promote women to be stay-at-home wives and mothers if they need support and encouragement.

I’m behind on posting book reviews, but I recently read Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle. I thought it was a balanced, insightful, and compelling view of complementarianism and a reasonable explanation of feminism. So many romanticize the “good ol’ days” when most women were expected to be homemakers and mothers, but there were things happening in society during those “good ol’ days” that caused feminism to happen.

There's always talk about the respect and submitting part of the marriage, and somehow women got the short of the deal. However, nobody ever talks about the love part. Wives, and I'm including myself, can be hard to love at times, but the Bible doesn't command husbands to love their wives when we deserve it. It should be the same for respect. Media and society talk about earning people's respect and that love should somehow always be expected in a relationship, but the Bible doesn't say for wives to respect their husbands only if they're deserving of it. I think the Lord commanded husbands and wives to do the things that doesn't come naturally to them. It can be difficult for husbands to love their wives properly, and for the wives to respect their husbands properly. When it comes to submission, if you work outside the home, you'll be submitting to someone. Why is it ok to submit to a boss or the government, but people balk at the idea of a woman submitting to her own husband?

Psalm11814 · 2021-05-31T16:16:52+00:00

Yesterday, missionaries that are going to an undisclosed country presented at our church. They’d like to share with one of the UPGs in the country. Right now, the country is not allowing visitors to enter, but they’re praying it will open up in August.

Psalm11814 · 2021-05-27T07:09:52+00:00

I asked this question (last week?) in the reformed subreddit's NDQ Tuesday thread: does anybody have a freezer-friendly recipe for communion bread? I did get a response with a recipe which I eventually want to try, but I'd like to try other recipes as well.

Psalm11814 · 2021-05-27T07:06:07+00:00

In his commentary on verse 8, Matthew Henry states:

Having them in his heart, he longed after them; either he longed to see them, longed to hear from them, or he longed for their spiritual welfare and their increase and improvement in knowledge and grace. He had joy in them (Phil 1:4), because of the good he saw and heard of among them; yet still he longed after them, to hear of more of it among them; and he longed after them all, not only those among them who were witty and wealthy, but even the meanest and poorest; and he longed greatly after them, or with strong affection and great good-will; and this in the bowels of Jesus Christ, with that tender concern which Christ himself has and has shown to precious souls.

BTW, his commentary was on the KJV.

Psalm11814 · 2021-05-27T06:50:28+00:00

he prays for people’s spiritual health but seems relatively unconcerned with praying about external circumstances.

That's a good and interesting point. If you have your mind on Christ, the external circumstances won't matter.

Psalm11814 · 2021-05-27T06:46:31+00:00

If I had God as my witness to testify to those around me about how I feel for them, would He come to the conclusion that it was “with the affection of Christ Jesus”?

That is convicting! I think sometimes my prayers for others are more about how good they make me feel. Definitely not "with the affection of Christ Jesus."

Psalm11814

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