A few questions

A few questions

I'm not entirey sure if this is in the right section so sorry if it's posted in the wrong one. I have a few questions relating to Christianity that I have been wondering about for a while now and was hoping to get some guidance with. What do you think of these things?

My first question is regarding praying. I like to pray daily but I'm not completely sure what to pray about. For example, take something like people in general not having food or a home; I feel like I should be praying for those people to be helped, so I do. But the thing is there will still be people that need food and a home so the next day I pray for them to be helped again. Praying this way I end up praying for the same thing every day. I also feel the need to pray for many other things. So there ends up being lots of things that I pray for and because I keep on praying for them every day the amount of things to pray for just keeps getting bigger. What do you think of this? Should I just pray for something once and only once? What if the thing I pray for does not come to pass even if I keep praying for it? Should I then just keep on praying for it over and over

My second question is about working on Sunday. Is it wrong to work on Sunday? My job requires me to work on Sunday so is it wrong for me to work then?

My third question is about marriage. I know what marriage means in society today but what did it mean to be "married" in biblical times before the marriage ceremony that we know today was carried out? If two individuals were to become engaged would they be considered to be married in God's eyes already since they have both agreed to marry one another.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Pray about anything and everything. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray without ceasing. It doesn't matter what you pray about. Think of God as your best friend, and how would you talk to your best friend?

If your job requires you to work on Sunday, then that is fine. I don't think that God really cares which day we take to rest. Some people have Saturday or Friday as their holy day. Church is important for many reasons, and many churches offer times other than Sunday morning that you can get together with others for worship, instruction, fellowship, etc. If you must work Sunday, find out if there is a small group meeting in someone's home during the week that you can attend, or if your church offers something else.

Your question about marriage has been discussed many times in many threads on the forum. Try a search for them. :) (Personally, I believe that marriage begins at engagement and what the Bible tells us about Mary and Joseph is just one example of this in the Bible.)
 
Praying- you can never do to much, just remember to talk to your heavenly Father instead of just petitioning- that can be prayer too.

Work- whatever day you need to just set aside some time to come togeather in corporate worship and fellowship.

Marriage- well like anything else we are told to obey the laws of the land and if two people are in love what could be the problem?
 
I'm not entirety sure if this is in the right section so sorry if it's posted in the wrong one. I have a few questions relating to Christianity that I have been wondering about for a while now and was hoping to get some guidance with. What do you think of these things?

My first question is regarding praying. I like to pray daily but I'm not completely sure what to pray about. For example, take something like people in general not having food or a home; I feel like I should be praying for those people to be helped, so I do. But the thing is there will still be people that need food and a home so the next day I pray for them to be helped again. Praying this way I end up praying for the same thing every day. I also feel the need to pray for many other things. So there ends up being lots of things that I pray for and because I keep on praying for them every day the amount of things to pray for just keeps getting bigger. What do you think of this? Should I just pray for something once and only once? What if the thing I pray for does not come to pass even if I keep praying for it? Should I then just keep on praying for it over and over.

Some people think that if you pray for something twice you have prayed once in unbelief. I don't see it that way - I think we have to keep on asking. A Bible teacher I know uses the acronym "PUSH" - Pray Until Something Happens. As far as people in need - I think the bible says we should give to the poor what they need. Many Churches today have programs where they distribute food to the needy as well as other things. If you have a heart to do this get involved I would say. Its not enough to just pray that God will supply their needs - especially when we have the means to do so ourselves. But there are many things that we cannot do for others and prayer may be the only way.

My second question is about working on Sunday. Is it wrong to work on Sunday? My job requires me to work on Sunday so is it wrong for me to work then?

Well, there was a day when I asked God to give me a job where I didn't have to work on Sunday (Weekend). I was working rotation at the time and I hardly knew what month it was let alone the day. Anyone who has worked swing shift in a 24/7 operation knows what I am saying. So I started to look for another job. I quickly found one, but it was making these plastic carriers for beer cans. I didn't really like the idea of supporting the beer industry, so I didn't take it. I was a bit more legalistic back in those days. Anyway it was shortly after this that the company I worked for put me on day shift five days a week doing the process set up work on changeovers. (Plastic bottle factory) My prayer was answered of course - but all of my work there (Lever Bros and Proctor and Gamble soap bottles) has long been relegated to the landfills of America - along with the beer carriers.

My third question is about marriage. I know what marriage means in society today but what did it mean to be "married" in biblical times before the marriage ceremony that we know today was carried out? If two individuals were to become engaged would they be considered to be married in God's eyes already since they have both agreed to marry one another.

The marriage process was very different back in the times of Jesus. In fact their tradition is a wonderful picture of Christ and his Church. Our tradition is completely different. First of all the ceremony in Jesus' day was not a religious one it was always civil. It was the father of the groom who negotiated for a bride for his sons. Yes I said negotiated - an agreement was made between the families of the bride and the groom. A dowry was paid to the bride's family. Part of the dowry was given to the bride. This was usually gold coins, which she wore on her head dress.

When a wife was divorced she was ushered out of the house taking nothing with her but the clothes on her back and her share of the dowry which she wore. That's why they kept it on their person. The brides father kept the other part of the dowry, which was the property also of the bride. If she was divorced she was not left penniless. Families usually negotiated with close friends that they knew. The reason for this was so the bride would receive good treatment. If she did not - the family could apply pressure to make a change. Social Security back then was having a bunch of kids who would take care of you in your old age. However the average lifespan back then was around 48 for men and 38 for women. There were old people back then, but I am using average numbers. A lot of women died in childbirth compared to today.

The father selected the bride for the son - but I’ll bet there was some input from the son - don’t you think? Also there were two days a year that the men were free to choose a bride for themselves. One day was on the day of Atonement and the other was on the Feast of Wood (gathering wood for the Temple.) On these two days the available women would all dress in white either theirs or borrowed - if need be - and they would dance among the orchards and gardens - probably on the Mount of Olives to the east. The men would choose from those in white. Another shadow of Christ choosing his bride - he chose us remember? The ideal age for a woman to marry was 13. The ideal age for a man to marry was 17. The high priest married a 12 year old by their law. Things were a lot different back then.

Yes, when the deal was finalized between the families of the bride and groom the engagement was in force. It was the same as being married because you needed to get a divorce to separate before the marriage. We see this in the Gospels concerning Mary and Joseph.

There were two schools of thought concerning marriage in Jesus’ day. These were two competing schools of thought by two chief Rabbi’s. Hillel and Shammai. Hillel was the most liberal of the two and believed that women could be divorced for any reason whatsoever - the woman had absolutely no recourse in divorce. Jesus sided with Shammai who was more conservative. Women back then were second class citizens (except for the rich) - a tradition that Christianity opposed and has changed dramatically.

And lastly, weddings were traditionally held on Wednesdays because the Sanhedrin (lower court) sat on Thursdays. If there was any deception the matter could be dealt with posthaste. (Bride not a Virgin). The widows would marry on Thursday for obvious reasons.

We didn't even mention the wedding tradition in Jesus' day, but it is on the net and I assume many have written on it. If not - I can write something about it if you wish.

Larry II
 
Prayer is talking to God.

The only wrong way to pray is in insincerly,

The only right way to pray is sincerly
The best way to pray is, with all our heart and soal and often.
It is usualy better to pray in private, exception being when praying for individuals that need to hear the prayers.

It is better not to pray while doing anything else, it can be dangerous, double minded, disrespectful and insincere.

It's good to set aside a time and place for prayer.

We should pray as long or short as we in our hearts need to. "God help me" can be just as good as a one or two hours on one's knees.

It is better to pray from the heart than a list, montra or a predetermined prayer.

It is best to Pray your own prayer, in your own words, not some one elses.

Pray often, our Father in heaven wants us to, and we need to be close to him. And prayer is the one of the best ways to do that. Even a simple "thank you" when we are blessed pleases Him greatly.

What do we pray about/for ????? What ever is on our heart, what or who ever burdens our soal, our sorrow, thankfulness, joy, forgivness, guidence, strenght, other's and our own salvation, peace, decissions,our situation Global warming, what ever your heart feels for.

Luk 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luk 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Luk 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

Luk 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

My second question is about working on Sunday. Is it wrong to work on Sunday? My job requires me to work on Sunday so is it wrong for me to work then?

A day of rest is appointed by God for the benfit of man. We need a day of rest set aside, spiritualy, mentaly, physicaly, emotionaly, and for gathering with our brothers and sister in Christ.

While we cannot always acheive this because of the ways of the world we should strive to have and do as much of it as possible.
At a minimum one needs a full day any day, in a week to rest, away from the demands and influences of the every day world. It doesn't have to Sunday or Saturday or any particular day of the week, so long as one fairly consistantly has one day a week off. Sunday is the best day ,but any day is better than no day.

If two individuals were to become engaged would they be considered to be married in God's eyes already since they have both agreed to marry one another.
Let me ask you . . . If you go to build a house on top of a hill and instead of building on top live under the pile of materials half way up. . . Have you built that house on the hill top??????
Marriage is a process. Intimacy and home are the last two parts of that process.
I say this with all my heart.
No man who truely loves a woman wants her to be shamed ,disgraced humiliated, belittled, hurt And shacking up, living togetter, sleeping together or what ever manner of playing house or sexual intimacy the world casualy calls it and justifies or condones it by, it is not honoring the man, the woman, any children brought into it or God.

Don't start out in the shaddows of sin, in the back allies of shame. Do it right ,bring it into the light. Do it so you can be proud ,showing commitment, honor, love and a godly example to a lost world.
The marriage is sacred, entering into it is a covenent(A Holy Agreement) a spritual contract between man,woman and God, it is an institution created by God.
It doesn't matter who you are, commited christian or not, You need God's blessing upon a marriage for it to survive in this world today. and to get his blessing you need to do it his way.
Don't, for your own sake, forsake doing what is right. Marry the the other parent of your future children before you go about having them.
Go all the way to the top of the hill and build that marriage house by the Master Carpender's standards. there is no better way ,indeed there is no other right way.



Very married
in His name
Cliff

 
Well, God also teaches us not to be repetative in prayer as the Pharocees did. They did it to look good to others.

As for work time, God declares that we are not to judge what day anyone decides to set aside for thier praise and worship day. (Day of rest as well).

God Bless!
 
pray that God will move His people to get together and help meet the needs of those masny people God hears your prayer He is waiting for His people to respond in faith and love hope this helps God bless JCesus is lord
 
I can't add anything to this as there are all excellant answers.. Jasher has given a very good answer on marriage. Cliff on prayer and Larry a summary of all.

Prayer to me is talking to God as a friend and as we would talk to a friend because God tells us He is our friend. I talk to God about anything and everything .... He listens. He understands and He comforts. We should always be in constant prayer about everything big or small . He is interested in communion with us and just as we have communion with our friends , how much more important to cummune with our Heavenly Father ?

Working on Sun is a requirement fo a lot of jobs and as a nurse I worked many Suns . To me it does not matter if it is Sun or any other day as we all need to take a day to rest in the Lord , whether it is a designated day such as tradition says or it is Mon. Every day is the Lord's day and we should be glad and rejoice in it.

Blessing to you username and welcome to the forum .

:welcome::welcome:
 
My first question is regarding praying. I like to pray daily but I'm not completely sure what to pray about. For example, take something like people in general not having food or a home; I feel like I should be praying for those people to be helped, so I do. But the thing is there will still be people that need food and a home so the next day I pray for them to be helped again. Praying this way I end up praying for the same thing every day. I also feel the need to pray for many other things. So there ends up being lots of things that I pray for and because I keep on praying for them every day the amount of things to pray for just keeps getting bigger. What do you think of this? Should I just pray for something once and only once? What if the thing I pray for does not come to pass even if I keep praying for it? Should I then just keep on praying for it over and over

Just keep asking. Don't feel guilty because you haven't gotten around to praying for someone or something right now. I can assure you prayer is not a one, two, three thing - God already knows what you're asking before you began to pray. I used to feel like that, too. But don't. You can pray for whomever in one part of the day and then another or whatever works best for you, OR you can just say it all in one prayer. Whatever floats your boat.

My second question is about working on Sunday. Is it wrong to work on Sunday? My job requires me to work on Sunday so is it wrong for me to work then?

A lot of people view either Saturday or Sunday holy. I assure you there is most likely nothing wrong with going to work on Sunday, but that depends on how YOU feel about it. I don't want to tell you to do something that will make you fall or doubt in anyway. If you do not feel like working on Sunday - DON'T. That's all I can say on this subject.

My third question is about marriage. I know what marriage means in society today but what did it mean to be "married" in biblical times before the marriage ceremony that we know today was carried out? If two individuals were to become engaged would they be considered to be married in God's eyes already since they have both agreed to marry one another.

Marriage is a very, very deep and broad subject and opinions vary on it. I do not know what marriage meant to the people in Biblical times, but all I can say is it is union between a man and a woman, not the other way around like modern day society is trying to make it be (and I am not saying you're thinking it's like this). There are a plently of good websites out there that answer these questions very well, like C.A.R.M. (Spelling...?) and possibly a favorite of mine The Refiner's Fire (dot) org.

Just Google it and see what you come up with.

God bless
NTG
 
About praying, just as Jesus said, don't do it as heathens do, in vain repetition and openly for others to think your something special, great, etc.

As to what day you choose to observe as your Sabbath, no one, as God declares, has the right to judge what day anyone chooses for that. Its each individual's choice.

As to marriage- Well, Biblicval Jewish custom times back then were different-

1- A man who wanted to marry someone's Daughter, had to ask permission of the living parent(s) first.

2- If was agreed upon, it would depend upon the civilized culture they lived under, wether it was a clear "betrothal" type thing, or a need for a contractual one- ( Read the story of Rebecca who was chosen by a Biblical Charactor to marry him, but had to work 7 years to do so first).

3- Jewish women, until married, were also to stay a virgin until then.

4- The woman was given a ring of beads that had several strands to go around the wrist. This was to show they were "betrothed" to a man for marriage.

5- The man could come visit his future mate, but could only do so, in the presence of a shaparone to be sure the woman stayed pure till her wedding day. And no, God did not consider them married as yet.

6- At some appointed time before the wedding, a celebration would occur for this betrothal. Shortly there after, they would then be married, by the head Rabbi- (Priest), whatever, at that time, with basically any who wanted to come could attend the ceremony.

7- At the wedding, another "extra" band was given to the wife to wear along with the other ones, to now show she was married.

Thats what I remember from studying it anyways.

But no, during this "engagement" as you called it, they were not considered married yet.

God Bless!!
 
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