Pray For Your Husband: 31 Day Challenge–Day Eight

Nikki Leake 1 Comment

Day Eight:  That he would find his identity in Christ

 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

The world desperately seeks to capture our hearts. Every day we are bombarded with messages that we are only as good as what we own or what we do. Paul tells us, however, that we are a new creation in Christ. We are no longer slaves to the logic and passions of the world. We are a people who now desire differently, and we desire God because we are his children. Let us pray that our husbands know their true identity.

Father, I thank you for your act of redemption. I pray that my husband would find joy in his identity as your child, and that you would give him the strength to resist the messages and lures of this world. Help him to stand firm and boast not in his possessions or accomplishments, but in the work of Christ alone. I pray that he would be humble before you, and that you would give him a ferocious desire to seek your glory alone. In Christ’s name, amen.

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Sarah Van Beveren is a wife and mother who spends her days raising three little girls, reading, and drinking coffee. She also writes at sarahvanbeveren.com.

Today in Blogworld 08.07.14

Mike Leake

5 Easy Steps to a Shallow Christian Life

Just follow these steps and you’ll discover the secret to the Christian life.

23 Ultra-Nifty Inventions

I don’t know that these will really catch on, but they are certainly nifty. I really could use the one that measures spaghetti.

Why Do You Live Like Tomorrow Is Promised?

A sober reminder.

Naughty Nuns, Flatulent Monks, and Other Surprises of Sacred Medieval Manuscripts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this article on the history of marginalia. It’s amazing what you’ll find in these pictures.

If “The Pacifier” didn’t ruin Vin Diesel’s career as an action star this just might:

Pray For Your Husband: 31 Day Challenge–Day Seven

Nikki Leake

Day Seven: That He Would Gently Lead

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” Colossians 3:12-14

Jesus was the truest gentle-man that ever lived. He set the example for living with women in an understanding way. It wasn’t just that He acted like a gentleman, but He was truly gentle with women. Women responded by opening their hearts to Him, sometimes in seemingly inappropriate ways (Matt 26:6-13). Paul instructs believers that the key to getting along with each other is kindness, humility and gentleness. These do not come naturally. They are the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Understanding fuels forgiveness. Gentleness and humility pave the way for understanding. What binds them all together is love.

Lord, I pray that my husband will experience your gentle and kind love for him. I pray that his love for me would be an overflow of the love and grace he experiences from you. I ask that you would compel him to seek and desire you, more than he seeks and desires me. I know that if this is the case, his love for me will be pure, and not based on my performance, which falls short everyday. Lord may our marriage be characterized by grace and forgiveness. I pray that he would gently lead me, and our children to you. These things I pray in your sweet name Lord Jesus. Amen.

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Marci Preheim is wife to Arnie, mother of two teenagers, and women’s Bible Study teacher at Community Bible Church in Nashville, TN. She is the author of Grace is Free: One Woman’s Journey From Fundamentalism to Failure to Faith, and A Study in James: But He Gives Us More Grace. You can read more of her writing at www.marcipreheim.com.

One Grace We Miss With Local Church Autonomy

Mike Leake

I’m a Baptist and so I believe local church autonomy is a beautiful thing. I’ve known of churches in different denominations who have different church government to be wrecked by a person outside of the local church making a decision that significantly impacts the local church.

I’ve known of bishops moving beloved pastors out of a thriving congregation only to replace the faithful pastor with one that shipwrecks the church. I’m happy that as a Baptist if a church runs itself aground at least it was our own doing and not from the heavy hand of someone else.

There are other reasons why I love local church autonomy and for the most part believe it to be the closest to that outlined in Scripture. But I also believe there was something precious that happened in the early church that we don’t really have much of a structure for as Southern Baptists. Allow me to explain.

The Case of Philippi

We don’t know many details about the church at Philippi. There is, however, one little detail that we are given in Philippians 4:2. There are two ladies, Euodia and Syntyche, who are squabbling. In fact one could also gather from Philippians 2 that the church has a problem of looking out for their own interests instead of the interests of others.

It is no stretch of the imagination to envision a church at Philippi that is heading for a church split. Differences of opinion are normal in a local church. Even disagreements between ladies like Euodia and Sytyche are normal. But when these opinions are matched with a heart that “looks out for its own interests instead of the interests of others” then you have significant problems brewing.

So picture this with me. A mostly healthy local church has a massive deficiency that is threatening to rock the church at its core. What then is the church at Philippi to do?

Philippians 2:19-24 tells us what Paul does. He sends them Timothy. The one of whom Paul says, “I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ”. In other words, Timothy is a guy that looks out for the interests of others instead of his own interests. This is the very thing that the church at Philippi is struggling with. So what does Paul do? He sends exhorts them and then sends them a living picture of the humility that he is talking about.

When a church has a glaring deficiency often what is needed is not a handy-dandy cookie cutter program. It’s usually not a conference. And it’s often not even something that will come from the pastor. What that church needs is a living example that comes from the outside to live with them as a model.

The Case of 21st Century Baptists

There really isn’t much of a structure like this in our day. Can you imagine what would happen if a person from your state office sent you a member as a living example? What would be your churches response if you received a letter from the state office saying, “We hear that you are struggling with unity on your latest building campaign. Therefore, we are sending you Timothy. He’s got a proven track record of helping churches through this. He’ll live among you for awhile and help you out on this”?

I don’t even know what such a structure would look like but I am convinced that this is a massive help that we are missing out on. It is one of the downsides to local church autonomy in my opinion.

Is this even a possibility? Because we don’t have apostles, like Paul, anymore is such a thing even desirable?

What do you think? I see this in the Scriptures but I’m not sure how it applies in our day. Thoughts?