5 minutes a day 5 days a week 1 New Testament in a year

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - http://www.askyourpreacher.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/2013-NT-in-a-year.pdf

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

My mom passed away and is in Heaven.  She was a strong Christian.  Does she remember me and still love me?  Does she miss me as much as I miss her?

Sincerely,
Mourning The Loss

Dear Mourning The Loss,

We are so very sorry for your loss.  The loss of a loved one is a very difficult trauma.  Your mourning is completely normal and healthy.  Abraham mourned when he lost his wife (Gen 23:2).  Jacob mourned when he thought Joseph had died (Gen 37:34).  Ps 35:14 points out how natural it is to hurt after you lose your mother or father.

Yes, your mother remembers you.  When we die, we don’t forget our family.  Even when the rich man woke up in torments, he remembered his brothers (Lk 16:27-28).  If those in torments remember, then how much more will those in Paradise remember their beloved families?  Your mother is in a place of perfect comfort (Lk 16:25), and every tear she has shed has been wiped away (Rev 21:4).  You can find comfort in that.

What does the Bible have to say about foreplay? And is it a sin if both people believe that they're in love, and the reason for it is not because of lust but because of love?

My boyfriend and I can tell the difference between lust and love in our relationship.  And when we are physical, we feel it as love and not as lust.  What I mean by that is that we don't look at each other just wanting to have foreplay with each other.

Can you give us some Biblical references to where we can determine if this is sin or not?

Sincerely,
Not Married Yet

Dear Not Married Yet,

Your question assumes that love and lust are mutually exclusive terms – they are not.  You can love someone and lust after them at the same time.  ‘Love’ is the choice to do what is in the best interest of another.  Love is best defined by the words of 1 Cor 13:4-7.  Love is the behavior that puts someone else’s needs and concerns before your own.  That type of love is what any and all healthy relationships are built upon… including romantic relationships.

You and your boyfriend love each other, but you also have a physical attraction to one another.  That physical attraction is normal, but it must be tempered and controlled until marriage.  When you “are physical”, you are increasing that physical lust instead of tempering it.  The very term ‘foreplay’ intimates that what you are doing is leading to further intimacy.  The Scriptures say “it is better to marry than to burn” (1 Cor 7:9).  If you can’t cool your jets and keep a healthy physical distance until marriage… you have a problem.

Before marriage, men and women need to keep healthy physical boundaries.  As the Song of Solomon says, “Do not stir up, nor awake my love, until he pleases” (SoS 2:7).  The physical side of a relationship is only a blessing within marriage – don’t rush into it.  Set up healthy boundaries and then stick to them.  Those boundaries need to be built off of respect for God and each other’s reputation.  A good rule of thumb is to ask, “Would I be okay with my brother or sister being in this situation?”  (1 Tim 5:2).  If your relationship is truly pure and strong, it is strong enough to wait.

I've been reading through Proverbs recently, and I've noticed a repeating pattern that I don't understand.  It seems like there will be a verse, then several verses later another verse that reads almost identically (for example, Proverbs 20:10 and 20:23, Proverbs 20:8 and Proverbs 20:26, Proverbs 21:9 and 21:19).  At first, it seems like these should be bookends that group together a related set of thoughts, but the intervening verses don't seem to be very related to each other.  Is there some significance to this pattern?

Sincerely,
Proverbially Puzzled

Dear Proverbially Puzzled,

Proverbs is full of repetitive verses just like the ones you have mentioned.  The first nine chapters of Proverbs are absolutely saturated with that sort of repetition.  The most likely reason for this is that it is designed as a teaching aid.  The Old Testament was often memorized by the Israelite people (the printing press wasn’t invented until 1439), and the Proverbs and Psalms are especially well designed for memory work.

For example, Psalm 119 starts each verse with one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the equivalent of having an A-to-Z poem.  The Psalms and Proverbs use assonance (words that make a rhythm), repetition, rhythm, and melody (many of the Psalms were meant to be accompanied by instruments) to help people memorize them.  The repetition you are seeing in Proverbs is most likely due to a God-designed structure to help ingrain these ideas into the mind of the reader.

What is God’s view on opposite sex doctors?

Sincerely,
Making An Appointment

Dear Making An Appointment,

The Bible gives no specific view on opposite sex doctors.  There is debate amongst brethren over that particular issue.  The concerns that it brings up are modesty (1 Tim 2:9) and sexual purity (1 Cor 6:18).  However, very few people would consider seeing a doctor an issue of sexual morality, and dealing with nakedness in front of a doctor doesn't exactly fit the common pattern of a modesty issue.  Ultimately, this is a conscience issue.  Some people do not feel that they can in good conscience see a doctor of the opposite gender... while others will be unbothered by it.  We must be careful to always obey our own consciences (Rom 14:23) and not condemn other brethren who make a different decision in issues such as this (Rom 14:3-4).