WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:02.920 If I love you, I won't insist on having my way. 00:00:05.180 --> 00:00:09.560 This is the LifeSpring One-Year Bible Rewind, and coming to you from Riverside, California, 00:00:10.260 --> 00:00:12.420 I'm your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. 00:00:12.860 --> 00:00:17.000 This is the podcast that comes to you every single day, and we're reading the entire Bible 00:00:17.260 --> 00:00:17.860 together in a year. 00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:19.240 I'm so glad you're here. 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:19.640 Welcome. 00:00:20.080 --> 00:00:22.820 The website is lifespringmedia.com. 00:00:23.100 --> 00:00:27.540 I usually bring a sort of lighthearted observance right here in the beginning of the show, but 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:29.440 today's is more of a celebratory one. 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:31.300 Today is World Braille Day. 00:00:31.890 --> 00:00:35.100 Think about how Braille has opened the scriptures for countless people. 00:00:35.620 --> 00:00:38.220 That's certainly a worthy invention to celebrate, wouldn't you say? 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:40.440 I'll have more on this later in the show. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:42.340 And this is Epistles Sunday. 00:00:42.550 --> 00:00:46.680 We'll read 1 Corinthians 7 and 8, after which I'll have some comments on the reading, 00:00:46.930 --> 00:00:48.620 then we'll have on this date in church history. 00:00:48.980 --> 00:00:51.380 And since it's Sunday, we will have a time of prayer. 00:00:51.550 --> 00:00:52.360 So let's begin. 00:00:52.780 --> 00:00:56.820 Our Heavenly Father, as we open your word today, we thank you and ask you to teach us. 00:00:57.070 --> 00:00:58.560 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:00:59.030 --> 00:00:59.140 Amen. 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:02.860 1 Corinthians chapter 7 00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:09.560 Now, to deal with the matters you wrote about. A man does well not to marry. But because there 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:14.880 is so much immorality, every man should have his own wife, and every woman should have her own 00:01:15.010 --> 00:01:20.520 husband. A man should fulfill his duty as a husband, and a woman should fulfill her duty as a wife, 00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:26.020 and each should satisfy the other's needs. A wife is not the master of her own body, 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:32.100 but her husband is. In the same way, a husband is not the master of his own body, but his wife is. 00:01:32.860 --> 00:01:37.280 Do not deny yourselves to each other, unless you first agree to do so for a while, 00:01:37.600 --> 00:01:42.140 in order to spend your time in prayer. But then resume normal marital relations. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:47.640 In this way, you will be kept from giving in to Satan's temptation because of your lack of 00:01:47.720 --> 00:01:54.700 self-control. I tell you this not as an order, but simply as a permission. Actually, I would prefer 00:01:54.700 --> 00:02:00.580 that all of you were as I am, but each one has a special gift from God. One person this gift, 00:02:01.020 --> 00:02:06.820 another one that gift. Now, to the unmarried and to the widows, I say that it would be better for 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:12.360 you to continue to live alone as I do. But if you cannot restrain your desires, go ahead and marry. 00:02:12.780 --> 00:02:18.239 It is better to marry than to burn with passion. For married people I have a command which is not 00:02:18.260 --> 00:02:24.880 my own, but the Lord's. A wife must not leave her husband, but if she does, she must remain single, 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:32.080 or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. To the others I say, 00:02:32.540 --> 00:02:39.100 I myself, not the Lord. If a Christian man has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she agrees to go on 00:02:39.200 --> 00:02:44.779 living with him, he must not divorce her. And if a Christian woman is married to a man who is an 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:51.180 unbeliever, and he agrees to go on living with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving 00:02:51.460 --> 00:02:57.520 husband is made acceptable to God by being united to his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made 00:02:57.740 --> 00:03:03.940 acceptable to God by being united to her Christian husband. If this were not so, their children would 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:10.579 be like pagan children, but as it is, they are acceptable to God. However, if the one who is not 00:03:10.600 --> 00:03:16.820 a believer wishes to leave the Christian partner, let it be so. In such cases, the Christian partner, 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:23.720 whether husband or wife, is free to act. God has called you to live in peace. How can you be sure, 00:03:23.880 --> 00:03:28.800 Christian wife, that you will not save your husband? Or how can you be sure, Christian husband, 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:35.019 that you will not save your wife? Each of you should go on living according to the Lord's gift 00:03:35.040 --> 00:03:40.680 to you, and as you were when God called you. This is the rule I teach in all the churches. 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:47.120 If a circumcised man has accepted God's call, he should not try to remove the marks of circumcision. 00:03:47.880 --> 00:03:54.080 If an uncircumcised man has accepted God's call, he should not get circumcised. For whether or not 00:03:54.140 --> 00:03:59.100 a man is circumcised means nothing. What matters is to obey God's commandments. 00:04:00.160 --> 00:04:03.760 Each of you should remain as you were when you accepted God's call. 00:04:04.540 --> 00:04:06.160 Were you a slave when God called you? 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:07.480 Well, never mind. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.420 But if you have a chance to become free, use it. 00:04:10.880 --> 00:04:14.340 For a slave who has been called by the Lord is the Lord's free person. 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:19.440 In the same way, a free person who has been called by Christ is His slave. 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:24.400 God bought you for a price, so do not become slaves of people. 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:30.760 My friends, each of you should remain in fellowship with God in the same condition that you were when 00:04:30.900 --> 00:04:36.740 you were called. Now concerning what you wrote about unmarried people, I do not have a command 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:42.680 from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who, by the Lord's mercy, is worthy of trust. 00:04:43.940 --> 00:04:48.660 Considering the present distress, I think it is better for a man to stay as he is. 00:04:49.130 --> 00:04:54.780 Do you have a wife? Then don't try to get rid of her. Are you unmarried? Then don't look for a 00:04:54.800 --> 00:05:00.520 wife. But if you do marry, you haven't committed a sin. And if an unmarried woman marries, 00:05:00.880 --> 00:05:06.380 she hasn't committed a sin. But I would rather spare you the everyday troubles that married 00:05:06.660 --> 00:05:12.940 people will have. What I mean, my friends, is this. There is not much time left, and from now on, 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:17.820 married people should live as though they were not married. Those who weep as though they were 00:05:17.900 --> 00:05:24.760 not sad. Those who laugh as though they were not happy. Those who buy as though they did not own 00:05:24.780 --> 00:05:29.940 bought, those who deal in material goods as though they were not fully occupied with them. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:36.900 For this world, as it is now, will not last much longer. I would like you to be free from worry. 00:05:37.400 --> 00:05:42.440 An unmarried man concerns himself with the Lord's work because he is trying to please the Lord, 00:05:42.960 --> 00:05:48.080 but a married man concerns himself with worldly matters because he wants to please his wife, 00:05:48.400 --> 00:05:53.920 and so he is pulled in two directions. An unmarried woman or a virgin concerns herself 00:05:53.940 --> 00:05:59.380 with the Lord's work because she wants to be dedicated both in body and spirit. But a married 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:03.420 woman concerns herself with worldly matters because she wants to please her husband. 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:09.760 I'm saying this because I want to help you. I'm not trying to put restrictions on you. Instead, 00:06:10.230 --> 00:06:15.020 I want you to do what is right and proper and to give yourselves completely to the Lord's service 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:20.260 without any reservation. In the case of an engaged couple who have decided not to marry, 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:26.340 If the man feels that he is not acting properly toward the young woman, and if his passions are 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:31.680 too strong, and he feels that they ought to marry, then they should get married, as he wants to. 00:06:32.280 --> 00:06:38.080 There is no sin in this. But if a man, without being forced to do so, has firmly made up his 00:06:38.400 --> 00:06:44.080 mind not to marry, and if he still has his will under complete control, and has already decided 00:06:44.200 --> 00:06:50.960 in his own mind what to do, then he does well not to marry the young woman. So the man who marries 00:06:50.980 --> 00:06:57.380 well. But the one who doesn't marry does even better. A married woman is not free as long as 00:06:57.380 --> 00:07:02.980 her husband lives. But if her husband dies, then she is free to be married to any man she wishes, 00:07:03.500 --> 00:07:08.920 but only if he is a Christian. She will be happier, however, if she stays as she is. 00:07:09.520 --> 00:07:14.960 That is my opinion, and I think that I too have God's Spirit. 1 Corinthians 8 00:07:16.960 --> 00:07:21.860 Now, concerning what you wrote about food offered to idols, it is true, of course, that all of us 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:27.440 have knowledge, as they say. Such knowledge, however, puffs a person up with pride, but love 00:07:27.720 --> 00:07:31.580 builds up. Those who think they know something really don't know as they ought to know, 00:07:31.980 --> 00:07:37.320 but the person who loves God is known by Him. So then, about eating the food offered to idols, 00:07:37.900 --> 00:07:42.400 we know that an idol stands for something that does not really exist. We know that there is 00:07:42.420 --> 00:07:48.580 only the one God. Even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, and even though 00:07:48.590 --> 00:07:55.120 there are many of these gods and lords, yet there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the 00:07:55.280 --> 00:08:01.340 creator of all things and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:07.620 all things were created and through whom we live. But not everyone knows this truth. Some people have 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:12.380 been so used to idols that to this day when they eat such food, they still think of it as food 00:08:12.400 --> 00:08:17.460 that belongs to an idol. Their conscience is weak, and they feel they are defiled by the food. 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:23.800 Food, however, will not improve our relation with God. We shall not lose anything if we do not eat, 00:08:24.180 --> 00:08:29.320 nor shall we gain anything if we do eat. Be careful, however, not to let your freedom of 00:08:29.510 --> 00:08:35.260 action make those who are weak in the faith fall into sin. Suppose a person whose conscience is 00:08:35.289 --> 00:08:40.240 weak in this matter sees you who have so-called knowledge eating in the temple of an idol. 00:08:40.599 --> 00:08:43.599 Will not this encourage him to eat food offered to idols? 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:49.540 And so this weak person, your brother for whom Christ died, will perish because of your 00:08:49.880 --> 00:08:50.080 knowledge. 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:55.220 And in this way, you will be sinning against Christ by sinning against other Christians 00:08:55.680 --> 00:08:57.000 and wounding their weak conscience. 00:08:58.020 --> 00:09:04.000 So then, if food makes a believer sin, I will never eat meat again so as not to make a believer 00:09:04.280 --> 00:09:05.100 fall into sin. 00:09:07.100 --> 00:09:09.880 Today I've got thoughts on both chapters 7 and 8. 00:09:10.580 --> 00:09:13.480 Let's quickly take a look at a couple of different points from chapter 7. 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:18.400 These are things that cause some people to wonder what Paul meant, so maybe I can clear 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:19.020 them up for you. 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:23.020 Let's first tackle the parts where Paul says he's expressing his opinion. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:27.360 Does that mean that we can discount what he says if we don't like what we hear? 00:09:27.820 --> 00:09:28.220 No. 00:09:28.740 --> 00:09:32.000 Those parts don't somehow become the uninspired Word of God. 00:09:32.400 --> 00:09:34.980 If they did, then they would not have been included in the Bible. 00:09:35.940 --> 00:09:40.560 What Paul was saying was that there were no scriptures yet in existence that dealt with 00:09:40.740 --> 00:09:45.080 that issue, so he wasn't able to quote any verses to support what he was teaching here. 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:50.460 But if you look at how he ended the chapter, he was declaring that he was led by the Holy 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:50.880 Spirit. 00:09:51.520 --> 00:09:56.280 When he says, I think that I too have God's Spirit, he was not expressing doubt. 00:09:57.100 --> 00:10:01.440 In the language of the day, he was saying, I am convinced that I have God's Spirit. 00:10:01.880 --> 00:10:06.000 And since that's true, his teaching on the subject is from God. 00:10:07.300 --> 00:10:11.700 Now, the next thing that causes some difficulty for many people is where Paul mentions that 00:10:11.700 --> 00:10:15.880 the unbelieving spouse is made acceptable to God by the believing spouse. 00:10:16.740 --> 00:10:22.120 Some people mistakenly think that this means that an unbelieving husband or wife gets a 00:10:22.210 --> 00:10:27.240 free pass to heaven because they're married to a believing spouse, or the children of 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:28.620 a believer get a free pass. 00:10:29.240 --> 00:10:30.300 Of course, that's not true. 00:10:30.640 --> 00:10:36.480 each person must accept Christ on their own. There are no coattails upon which you can ride to heaven. 00:10:37.180 --> 00:10:40.820 And if you look at the passage again, you'll see that Paul was talking about divorce. 00:10:41.620 --> 00:10:45.460 He was saying that if the unbeliever agrees to live with a believer, 00:10:46.060 --> 00:10:52.260 then their marriage will be recognized by God as a holy, valid marriage. They don't need to be 00:10:52.460 --> 00:10:57.859 divorced, in other words, just because they are not both believers. And since their marriage is 00:10:57.900 --> 00:11:03.500 acceptable to God, then their children are not deemed as illegitimate as they would be if their 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:10.180 parents were unmarried. Paul goes on to say that God has called you to live in peace. Of course, 00:11:10.180 --> 00:11:15.740 he doesn't want lives to be turned upside down by divorce over this. And in staying together, 00:11:15.940 --> 00:11:21.719 the unbelieving spouse might be convinced of the reality of God's love by the loving example of the 00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:27.240 believing spouse, and therefore be brought to the cross of Christ. Obviously, that's never a 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:32.240 guaranteed thing. So, if you're not married yet, and you're thinking about marrying someone who 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:37.900 is not a believer, this is something that Paul calls being unequally yoked. And an unequally 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:43.900 yoked marriage is sometimes a very difficult thing to sustain. So, my advice is, if you're a Christian, 00:11:44.360 --> 00:11:48.240 be sure you marry a Christian person. That makes life so much better. 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:54.220 All right, let's move on to chapter 8. In this chapter, Paul talks to the Corinthian church about 00:11:54.560 --> 00:12:00.060 food offered to idols and whether a believer should eat it. This seems a little strange to us today, 00:12:00.260 --> 00:12:05.940 but in Greece, in which the city of Corinth is, the worship of many different gods and idols was 00:12:06.140 --> 00:12:11.820 common. We talked about this before. And often, certain foods were sacrificed to these idols 00:12:12.040 --> 00:12:17.179 before it made its way to the marketplace to be sold. So the question for some in the church of 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:22.820 Corinth was whether or not this food should be eaten. Some felt that food offered to idols was 00:12:23.060 --> 00:12:27.500 tainted or unclean. Certainly the Jews who were there avoided it for this very reason. 00:12:28.560 --> 00:12:32.460 Paul's teaching on this was surprising to those who thought they should not eat this meat. 00:12:32.870 --> 00:12:38.320 He said, Look, idols are nothing. They aren't gods. They're just inanimate objects. So eating 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:44.439 food offered to them will not separate you from God. Paul wrote, Food will not improve our relation 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:50.160 with God. We shall not lose anything if we do not eat, nor shall we gain anything if we do eat. 00:12:50.880 --> 00:12:54.920 But Paul didn't leave the subject there. There's more to it than just eating food. 00:12:55.700 --> 00:12:59.360 Some of the believers in the church in Corinth had previously been idol worshippers. 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:04.720 They had participated in offering meat to these false idols. And because of this, 00:13:04.800 --> 00:13:09.940 they felt that the meat was defiled. So, instead of forcing them to violate their consciences, 00:13:10.600 --> 00:13:15.720 Paul said that believers who would otherwise not have a problem with this meat should not eat it 00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:20.120 if doing so would cause one of these other brothers or sisters to stumble, 00:13:20.640 --> 00:13:25.580 because for these who had been idol worshipers it was a sin since it went against their conscience. 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:29.220 Beloved, personal freedom is a gift of grace. 00:13:29.660 --> 00:13:34.940 But if your freedom causes someone to violate their conscience, thus causing them to sin, 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:36.860 then you too have sinned. 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:39.080 It's really all about love, beloved. 00:13:39.580 --> 00:13:42.500 If I love you, I won't insist on having my way. 00:13:43.800 --> 00:13:44.420 What do you think? 00:13:45.130 --> 00:13:49.980 Comment on the show notes page at lifespringmedia.com slash s12e83. 00:13:50.580 --> 00:13:56.520 Or you can email me at steve at lifespringmedia.com or comment at comment.lifespringmedia.com. 00:13:57.040 --> 00:13:57.920 So many choices. 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:01.860 Our reading tomorrow will be Genesis 44 through 47. 00:14:07.660 --> 00:14:11.300 Verse of the day is 1 Corinthians 9, verse 24. 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:17.580 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:20.200 So run that you may obtain it. 00:14:20.620 --> 00:14:22.280 1 Corinthians 9, 24. 00:14:31.540 --> 00:14:35.820 Beloved, everything I produce for you here on the LifeSpring One Year Bible Rewind is 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:37.180 offered to you as a gift. 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:42.660 We read the Word together, and I offer some thoughts on it, and then I publish each episode 00:14:42.890 --> 00:14:43.340 for free. 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:48.820 If this daily time in the Scriptures has helped you in any way, I invite you to respond in 00:14:48.820 --> 00:14:50.140 the same spirit it was given. 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:52.960 Value for value simply means this. 00:14:53.280 --> 00:14:58.880 If it has value for you, you're free to return value in whatever way you can—time, talent, 00:14:59.030 --> 00:14:59.500 or treasure. 00:15:00.160 --> 00:15:04.020 It might be through prayers, your encouragement, or your financial support. 00:15:04.660 --> 00:15:06.480 You can find out more right here. 00:15:10.340 --> 00:15:17.220 I got a 100-sat boost-a-gram from Minion on yesterday's show, Mark 1 and 2, Faith Has Legs. 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:23.020 He says, speaking as a homeowner who recently spent a painful amount on roof repairs. 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.420 You too? I did too, Minion, and yes, it was painful. 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:32.260 But with the rain we've been having here in Southern California lately, I'm glad we finally bit the bullet. 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:33.980 Minion continues, 00:15:34.880 --> 00:15:40.020 I often wonder what went through the mind of the host in Capernaum as he watched his roof 00:15:40.160 --> 00:15:44.060 being ripped open by the men trying to get their friends some help from Jesus. 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:47.160 Probably enough lessons there to fill a whole sermon. 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:49.800 Yeah, I'm sure you're right, Minion. 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:51.600 There certainly is sermon material there. 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:55.760 But your boostogram, Minion, got me to thinking, and I did some research. 00:15:56.420 --> 00:15:59.480 How were first-century homes in Capernaum constructed? 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:01.540 How destructive were these guys? 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:05.900 I mean, when we hear this story in Mark chapter 2, we imagine chaos. 00:16:06.740 --> 00:16:09.400 Dust everywhere, shattered tiles, a furious homeowner. 00:16:09.540 --> 00:16:12.560 But that is not what first century readers would have pictured. 00:16:13.260 --> 00:16:18.660 Homes in Capernaum had flat roofs made of wooden beams, and then on top of the beams, branches, 00:16:19.160 --> 00:16:21.620 and they were covered with clay, packed clay. 00:16:21.780 --> 00:16:23.320 They were built to be used. 00:16:23.380 --> 00:16:24.320 You could walk on them. 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:28.080 You could access them by stairs going up the outside of the house. 00:16:28.540 --> 00:16:31.420 And if you needed to open up a roof, you didn't smash stone. 00:16:31.660 --> 00:16:33.440 You'd scrape mud off from the branches. 00:16:34.260 --> 00:16:37.420 So these friends did not actually destroy a roof. 00:16:37.780 --> 00:16:38.940 They did something bold. 00:16:39.050 --> 00:16:40.240 They did something urgent. 00:16:40.510 --> 00:16:42.320 But they also did something that was fixable. 00:16:42.780 --> 00:16:47.780 And that matters because the real disruption in that room was not the hole above Jesus and 00:16:47.780 --> 00:16:48.120 the roof. 00:16:48.450 --> 00:16:50.380 It was the words he spoke next. 00:16:51.040 --> 00:16:53.360 Before healing this man's body, what did he do? 00:16:53.940 --> 00:16:55.900 He forgave the man's sins. 00:16:56.740 --> 00:17:02.220 Everyone there expected some sort of power from Jesus, but they didn't expect authority. 00:17:02.860 --> 00:17:05.780 It takes authority from God to forgive sins. 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:06.860 They didn't expect that. 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:12.600 The roof could be repaired by the afternoon, but forgiveness like that challenged everything 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:17.160 they believed about God, about sin, and about who Jesus really is. 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:20.980 Sometimes faith doesn't politely wait at the door. 00:17:21.600 --> 00:17:27.920 Sometimes it climbs the stairs, tears through the obstacles, and lowers a broken life right in front of Jesus, 00:17:28.260 --> 00:17:31.520 trusting that whatever he does next will be worth the mess. 00:17:32.340 --> 00:17:34.500 Thanks again for the Boost to Grand Minion. God bless you. 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:45.760 On this date in church history, January 4th, I mentioned at the top of the show that today is World Braille Day. 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:54.080 Well, they chose January 3rd because on this date in 1809, Louis Braille was born in Couvray, France. 00:17:54.760 --> 00:18:00.780 And after losing his sight as a child, he went on to develop the tactile reading system that we now know as Braille. 00:18:01.160 --> 00:18:04.220 It was a breakthrough that transformed literacy for the blind. 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:10.660 Braille himself was not a church leader, but his work has had a lasting impact on Christian life and ministry. 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:16.380 Braille made it possible for blind believers to read scriptures for themselves, study theology, 00:18:17.020 --> 00:18:20.000 and participate more fully in worship and discipleship. 00:18:20.270 --> 00:18:25.540 And for the first time in history, access to God's Word was no longer limited by having sight. 00:18:26.300 --> 00:18:27.920 And a quick note before we move on. 00:18:28.010 --> 00:18:31.400 I need to correct something from a previous On This Date in Church History segment. 00:18:31.490 --> 00:18:35.880 I said that Isaac Watts was baptized on January 2, but that was not correct. 00:18:36.580 --> 00:18:41.020 I always want this segment to be accurate, so thank you for your patience and your understanding. 00:18:45.080 --> 00:18:46.400 Praises and prayer requests. 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:48.620 I have an update on Grandma Noni. 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:54.360 On Thursday's show, I told you that she'd been taken to urgent care with shortness of breath and back pain, 00:18:54.830 --> 00:18:57.600 symptoms that she had in the past when she had fluid around her heart. 00:18:58.220 --> 00:19:01.540 Well, it turns out that this time it was fluid in or around her lungs. 00:19:01.650 --> 00:19:09.040 Not sure which, but they sent her home the same day that she went in with a drug that helps her body to get rid of the excess fluid. 00:19:09.360 --> 00:19:14.080 I haven't heard much more than that, and I don't know the prognosis or any details. 00:19:14.840 --> 00:19:22.300 The lovely lady Leanne said that she thinks her mom will have a follow-up appointment with her regular doctor this week, so hopefully we'll get more information at that time. 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:25.820 And Anonymous sent a prayer request in. 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:29.560 It says, I would like to request prayers for my wife. 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:35.680 I would ask that the scales would fall from her eyes to see God's love, hope, sacrifice, and forgiveness. 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:43.800 Pray for us as a couple as we work out some adult issues that we don't agree on so we can be a good example of a Christian couple for our kids. 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:45.700 And he says, thank you, Steve. 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:47.420 Well, Anonymous, you're welcome. 00:19:47.760 --> 00:19:51.320 And I have been praying about this since you sent it in this past Thursday. 00:19:51.820 --> 00:19:55.560 And we'll take it to God as the Lifespring family right now. 00:19:56.260 --> 00:19:59.220 Our Heavenly Father, what a wonderful day to worship you, Lord. 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:07.360 Of course, that's true of every day, but Sunday is the day that most Christians set aside specifically to lift up your name, which is why we're here now. 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:08.960 We do love you, Lord. 00:20:09.150 --> 00:20:10.420 You are worthy of our worship. 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:17.760 You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega, the creator of all that is, and the author of life. 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:22.240 We owe everything to you, Lord, and all we can do is offer all that we are. 00:20:22.780 --> 00:20:23.980 Thank you, Lord, for loving us. 00:20:25.260 --> 00:20:26.780 I pray right now for Grandma Noni. 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:31.520 We thank you that she was able to come back home so quickly after her visit to the hospital. 00:20:32.340 --> 00:20:35.260 And we pray that she'll not have any recurrences very soon. 00:20:35.710 --> 00:20:39.120 Give her strength, Lord. Bring healing to her body, we pray in Jesus' name. 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:41.520 And Lord, we pray for Anonymous. 00:20:42.090 --> 00:20:43.640 You know what's going on in their home. 00:20:44.320 --> 00:20:45.500 You know what the issues are. 00:20:45.910 --> 00:20:51.400 And we pray that you will show his wife who you are and how you love her, what you've done for her. 00:20:52.320 --> 00:20:58.460 Help them to work out whatever issues there are and help them to be excellent examples of a godly couple for their kids. 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:01.160 May there be your peace in their home. 00:21:01.820 --> 00:21:04.700 Holy Spirit, we ask that you fill their home and them. 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:12.100 And now, Lord, I pray for the LifeSpring family, and I thank you again for each one who's listening right now and any time in the future. 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:17.340 As they go through their day today, I ask that your Holy Spirit would speak to their heart. 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:19.140 Help them to feel your presence. 00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:22.360 Lead them today, Father, and help them to follow you. 00:21:23.020 --> 00:21:25.300 We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:21:26.020 --> 00:21:29.140 Wednesday will be our next time to share praises and prayer requests. 00:21:29.300 --> 00:21:33.960 So if you'd like to participate, if you have a praise report, share it with the LifeSpring family. 00:21:34.540 --> 00:21:38.960 If you have a need in your life that you'd like us to pray with you about, share that with the LifeSpring family. 00:21:39.560 --> 00:21:44.900 Go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com and you'll find an easy to fill out form there to tell me what you want to share. 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:50.100 And if you'd like to remain anonymous, as anonymous did today, you can say so on that form. 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:53.300 Or you can email me at steve at lifespringmedia.com. 00:21:53.820 --> 00:21:56.380 And you can text me or leave a voicemail right here. 00:22:03.560 --> 00:22:09.320 When you send your prayer requests in, as I did for Anonymous, I will pray for you in my daily prayer time. 00:22:09.700 --> 00:22:15.160 And I'll pray for you on the show so that we can all agree together as we take our requests to God. 00:22:15.300 --> 00:22:17.880 If you enjoy the show, tell someone. 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:31.580 Tomorrow, beloved, we will read Genesis 44 through 47. 00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:36.680 Among other things, we'll hear about how Joseph deals with the brothers who sold him into slavery. 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:38.380 What would you do? 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:41.200 Until then, may God bless you richly. 00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:44.860 Thank you so much for being here and inviting me to be a part of your day. 00:22:45.280 --> 00:22:47.080 I'm Steve Webb. Bye.