Old Testament reading: Proverbs 13-15
Today’s reading begins with the virtues of true wealth (13:2-11), a subject to which we all should give greater heed and thought. I love verse 7; “There is a man who makes himself rich, yet he has nothing, and one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.” How many times must we hear or read of some incredibly wealthy person who has determined that life is not worth living before we actually begin to understand? The pages of history are littered with the tragic endings of those who having everything this world has to offer, yet lose their lives to alcohol or drugs or take their own lives. “How could they do that?” we wonder. The answer is, they have everything this world has to offer, and have nothing of what our God has to offer, namely, genuine joy with peace that passes all understanding (Phil 4:4-7). Our wonderment over such things is testimony to our own lack of understanding and appreciation for what makes a man truly rich. We would do well to remember the rich man of Luke 16 who appeared to have it all, but in reality he had nothing.
New Testament reading: 1 Corinthians 8-11
“Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” This is Paul’s conclusion in 1 Corinthians 9:14. But upon what basis did Paul arrive at this conclusion? From 1 Corinthians 9:9 we see how Paul goes all the way back to the Deuteronomy 25:4 concerning the care of common farm beasts: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Paul then asks a rhetorical question, “Is it oxen God is concerned about?” Answering himself he says, “Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt.” Paul then goes on to draw the parallel with the work of the priests who received their wages from those whom they served, whether it be in meat from the altar or in grain offerings. But this still doesn’t specifically address how the Lord commanded it of the church. Perhaps the answer lies in the Limited Commission in Matthew 10:10, wherein Jesus said, “a worker is worthy of his food” and by implication in verse 11, his housing needs as well. Galatians 6:6 commands, “Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.”
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