Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / August 19 - 1 Corinthians 9

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August 19 - 1 Corinthians 9 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. It's Monday, it is the 19th of
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  August and it's great to have your company.
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  I hope you had a good weekend. I hope the week ahead looks full
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  of good and exciting things, but wherever the week holds,
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  wherever you'll spend it, with whomever you'll spend it right
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  now, I appreciate what you've done because you have stopped
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  your day and you have tapped on play.
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  Maybe you haven't stopped your day.
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  Maybe you are still in the thick of it, getting somewhere, doing
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  something, going for a run. And thus is the beauty and the
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  magic of podcasts. Whatever it is that you're
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  doing, we get to do this together as you do that.
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  Or you might be someone like me who doesn't multitask too
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  effectively, so you do one thing at a time.
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  In which case, welcome. Welcome to this moment of peace
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  in your day as we are going to take the next step, listening to
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  the next chapter as we hear Paul speaking about how he approaches
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  his life of discipleship and it echoes through the millennia and
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  lands here for us to hear. So let's read this together,
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  shall we? As we crack open First
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  Corinthians Chapter 9. Am I not as free as anyone else?
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  Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord
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  with my own eyes? Isn't it because of my work that
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  you belong to the Lord? Even if others think I'm not an
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  apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I
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  am the Lord's apostle. This is my answer to those who
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  question my authority. Don't we have the right to live
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  in your homes and share your meals?
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  Don't we have the right to bring a believing wife with us, as the
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  other apostles and the Lord's brothers do and as Peter does?
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  Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support
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  ourselves? What soldier has to pay his own
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  expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard
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  and doesn't have the right to eat some of its fruit?
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  What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn't allowed to
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  drink some of the milk? Am I expressing merely a human
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  opinion or does the Law say the same thing?
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  For the Law of Moses says you must not muzzle an ox to keep it
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  from eating as it treads out the grain.
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  Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this?
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  Wasn't he actually speaking to us?
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  Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who ploughs and the
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  one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the
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  harvest. Since we have planted spiritual
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  seed among you, aren't we entitled to a harvest of
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  physical food and drink? If you support others who preach
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  to you, shouldn't we have an even greater right to be
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  supported? But we have never used this
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  right. We would rather put up with
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  anything than be an obstacle to the good news about Christ.
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  Don't you realise that those who work in the temple get their
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  meals from the offerings brought to the temple, and those who
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  serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings.
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  In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach
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  the good news should be supported by those who benefit
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  from it. Yet I have never used any of
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  these rights. And I'm not writing this to
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  suggest that I want to start now.
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  In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about
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  preaching without charge. Yet preaching the good news is
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  not something I can boast about. I'm compelled by God to do it.
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  How terrible for me if I didn't preach the good news.
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  If I were doing this of my own initiative, I would deserve
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  payment. But I have no choice, for God
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  has given me this sacred trust. What then is my pay?
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  It is the opportunity to preach the good news without charging
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  anyone. That's why I never demand my
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  rights when I preach the good news.
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  Even though I am a free man with no master, I've become a slave
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  to all people to bring many to Christ.
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  When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the
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  Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow
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  the Jewish law, I too lived under that law.
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  Even though I'm not subject to the law, I did this so I could
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  bring to Christ those who are under the law.
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  When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I
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  too live apart from the Law, so I can bring them to Christ.
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  But I do not ignore the law of God.
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  I obey the law of Christ. When I'm with those who are
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  weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to
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  Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground
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  with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.
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  I do everything to spread the good news and share in its
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  blessings. Don't you realise that in a race
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  everyone runs but only one person gets the prize?
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  So run to win. All athletes are disciplined in
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  their training. They do it to win a prize that
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  will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
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  So I run with purpose in every step.
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  I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an
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  athlete, training it to do what it should.
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  Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others, I myself
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  might be disqualified. Ah, Jesus, what an immense
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  privilege it is to live not only in the blessing of your love and
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  your sanctification, but to be invited into your mission of
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  sharing your good news with others.
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  Lord, as we do that, just fill our hearts with the joy of being
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  part of your mission. Your mission to every person of
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  every size, shape, and posting in life.
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  Lord, you want them all. You want them all to come into
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  your Kingdom to help us be chameleons as we adapt to the
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  world around us. We adapt to each one of these
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  people's specific context so that we can share Your love and
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  Your forgiveness in a way that resonates for them.
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  We can only do that with Your wisdom Holy Spirit.
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  So come transform our minds, enrich our hearts, and may Your
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  words live upon our lips that we can share them.
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  Share Your glorious words of love and inclusion and
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  forgiveness with each person that we come into contact with.
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  We love you and we are so grateful that you offer all
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  these things to us as well. And we pray this all in your
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  saving name, Jesus, Amen.