God Speaks
I am an apostle, God’s messenger, responsible to no mere man. I am one who has actually seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes. And your changed lives are the result of my hard work for him. 2 If in the opinion of others, I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you, for you have been won to Christ through me. 3 This is my answer to those who question my rights.
4 Or don’t I have any rights at all? Can’t I claim the same privilege the other apostles have of being a guest in your homes? 5 If I had a wife, and if she were a believer, couldn’t I bring her along on these trips just as the other disciples do, and as the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does? 6 And must Barnabas and I alone keep working for our living while you supply these others? 7 What soldier in the army has to pay his own expenses? And have you ever heard of a farmer who harvests his crop and doesn’t have the right to eat some of it? What shepherd takes care of a flock of sheep and goats and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk? 8 And I’m not merely quoting the opinions of men as to what is right. I’m telling you what God’s law says. 9 For in the law God gave to Moses he said that you must not put a muzzle on an ox to keep it from eating when it is treading out the wheat. Do you suppose God was thinking only about oxen when he said this? 10 Wasn’t he also thinking about us? Of course he was. He said this to show us that Christian workers should be paid by those they help. Those who do the plowing and threshing should expect some share of the harvest.
11 We have planted good spiritual seed in your souls. Is it too much to ask, in return, for mere food and clothing? 12 You give them to others who preach to you, and you should. But shouldn’t we have an even greater right to them? Yet we have never used this right but supply our own needs without your help. We have never demanded payment of any kind for fear that, if we did, you might be less interested in our message to you from Christ.
13 Don’t you realize that God told those working in his temple to take for their own needs some of the food brought there as gifts to him? And those who work at the altar of God get a share of the food that is brought by those offering it to the Lord. 14 In the same way the Lord has given orders that those who preach the Gospel should be supported by those who accept it.
15 Yet I have never asked you for one penny. And I am not writing this to hint that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die of hunger than lose the satisfaction I get from preaching to you without charge. 16 For just preaching the Gospel isn’t any special credit to me—I couldn’t keep from preaching it if I wanted to. I would be utterly miserable. Woe unto me if I don’t.
17 If I were volunteering my services of my own free will, then the Lord would give me a special reward; but that is not the situation, for God has picked me out and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. 18 Under this circumstance, what is my pay? It is the special joy I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights.
19 And this has a real advantage: I am not bound to obey anyone just because he pays my salary; yet I have freely and happily become a servant of any and all so that I can win them to Christ. 20 When I am with the Jews I seem as one of them so that they will listen to the Gospel and I can win them to Christ. When I am with Gentiles who follow Jewish customs and ceremonies I don’t argue, even though I don’t agree, because I want to help them. 21 When with the heathen I agree with them as much as I can, except of course that I must always do what is right as a Christian. And so, by agreeing, I can win their confidence and help them too.
22 When I am with those whose consciences bother them easily, I don’t act as though I know it all and don’t say they are foolish; the result is that they are willing to let me help them. Yes, whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him. 23 I do this to get the Gospel to them and also for the blessing I myself receive when I see them come to Christ.
24 In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to win. 25 To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. 26 So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I’m not just shadow-boxing or playing around. 27 Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Paul seems to be having to defend his apostleship to the Corinthians, people to whom he had brought the Gospel and to whom he had ministered for one and a half to two years. Paul saw both conversions and persecution in that time. There Paul had taught the truths of God, trained leaders (Priscilla and Aquila), and led a synagogue leader (Crispus) and his household to faith in the Jesus as their Messiah. Paul listed some of the rights and privileges they, scripture, and common courtesy granted to other apostles and religious workers. Then he explained why, although he had the right to expect this from them, he chose not to require it. His reasoning included: the satisfaction he gained from preaching the gospel without charge; the reward he received for faithfully carrying out his assignment from God; the freedom of not having to obey anyone but God; the ability to blend in with various cultures to reach more people for Christ; and the blessing he received from seeing people put their faith in Jesus and grow in Him. To accomplish all this, Paul kept his body and fleshly motives under strict control so that he would win the prize–God’s, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Prayer: Dear Sovereign Lord, thank You for the spiritual mentors You have given me over the years whether in person, via their writings, or through various broadcasts or recordings. Please use me to pass on Your truths to the next generation of spiritual leaders. May I have the privilege of leading at least one person to faith in Jesus during the next twelve months and watching them grow in You. Please help me to respond appropriately to any persecution I might face. May the fiery trials melt the sins and imperfections in me to reveal the loving countenance of Jesus in my life. Help me to discipline my mind, will, emotions, and body so that I can serve You more effectively. I long to hear You say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” For Your glory, Lord. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will ask the Lord how I can encourage my spiritual mentors and then do what He says.
- I will get out of my shell and meet people so that I can interact with them about Jesus.
- I will volunteer to help with an activity where I can interact with people and share the Gospel.
- I will interact with people who are of a different opinion, culture, language, or background so that I can relate with them about Jesus.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.