Pay The Preacher!

PAY THE PREACHER
I Corinthians 9:14, 18
 
"Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel .... What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may preach the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel."
 
Preachers need to be paid well. Some people pray, "Lord, you keep the preacher humble; we'll keep him poor." Paul laid out an argument for the case that ministers have a right to receive reward for their labor by using several illustrations: the solder who is paid; the farmer who gets enjoys the fruit of his harvest or flock; the oxen that eats of the grain they are threshing; the priest who ate of the sacrifices people brought to the temple. Yet Paul did not demand his rights to be paid. His ministry was not contingent on his remuneration because he knew that he was only a steward of the calling God had entrusted to him. Preachers who will only go where they are paid well only demonstrate their own misplaced priorities. But congregations should not be miserly with their pastors.  We honor God by taking care of His gift to us.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Ministers should be well paid for their labors.
 
Have a generous day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Respect for Another Believer's Conscience

RESPECT FOR ANOTHER BELIEVER'S CONSCIENCE
I Corinthians 8:7-9
 
"However, there is not in everyone that knowledge [that idols are nothing]; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak."
 
Even though food offered to idols is not an issue in our culture, the principle Paul expounds is valid in all cultures. There are some Christians who, as a part of their religious practice, abstain from eating certain foods because they feel it is wrong (as, for example, Adventists). I know that food is neither moral nor immoral – it just goes into the body and comes out (as Jesus said in Matthew 15:17). So here is the issue: I need to respect other believers' consciences. If I intentionally flaunt my freedom and thereby violate their beliefs, I have sinned against Christ by dishonoring the body of Christ (vs. 12). My parents did not exchange wedding rings because people in the church they attended thought jewelry was evil. But when they began attending another church that did not have that restriction, they were free to wear rings. The principle is this: Even though I have freedom to do a certain thing that does not violate God's word, I still need to be aware and take care not to offend other members of the Body of Christ who may not have that freedom, and by my freedom cause them to stumble in their faith.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Respect for the conscience of another believer honors Christ and His Body.
 
Have an honoring day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- So-Called Gods

SO-CALLED GODS
I Corinthians 8:4-6
 
"Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we live for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live."
 
Even though in America there are not many idol statues that represent various gods, yet there are many gods that people serve. God has put the desire to worship in the human psyche, and people will serve some god – whether money, fame, status, or even themselves. But as Christians, we serve one God – the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator Who gives live and in Whom we live. We live for Him; anything else we may live for is an idol.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Anything that humans serve that is not the true God is an idol.
 
Have a true worship day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Known By God

KNOWN BY GOD
I Corinthians 8:3
 
"But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him."
 
There are two main words in the Greek text that are translated "to know." One is ginosko, which usually indicates a subjective, relational knowledge, as opposed to eido which is used to indicate an objective, empirical knowledge. For example, ginosko is the word used when referring to sexual relationship (i.e.: Matthew 1:25 – Joseph did not "know" Mary until after Jesus was born). God knows everyone in the world in the eido sense of knowing information. But He "knows" those who love Him in an intimate relational way. What a wonderful thing – that God has chosen to have a personal relationship with those who love Him.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God does not just know us intellectually; He knows those who love Him in emotional, intimate relationship.
 
Have a loving God day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Know-It-Alls

KNOW-IT-ALLS
I Corinthians 8:1-2
 
"Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies, and if anyone thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought."
 
Know-it-alls are insufferable! They are arrogant, rude, stubborn, insensitive, condescending, inconsiderate – just to name a few of their attributes. Because close-minded people do not hear what other people say, they close off communication. And in the process, they close off relationship. No one has all the truth; we are all in process. Love does not flaunt its knowledge (I Cor. 13:4). A person can be firm in what he believes without turning off his ears.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Love listens to what other people think, even if it doesn't agree.
 
Have a listening day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Freedom to Remarry

FREEDOM TO REMARRY
I Corinthians 7:39-40
 
"A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment – and I think I also have the Spirit of God."
 
Jesus said that a divorced person who remarries commits adultery (Matthew 5:32), which violates God's moral law. Paul gives a clarification of this when he says that when the spouse dies, the widow or widower is no longer under that injunction, and is free to remarry another born-again Believer. However, it seems that subsequent marriages do not fare very well. Statistics indicate that second and third marriage are more likely to end in divorce than the first one. Although there are always exceptions to the rule, many remarriages do not last or are unhappy, perhaps because of unfulfilled expectations. Paul observed that the person who remains single as a widow or widower will be happier than if he or she remarries.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: It is better to remain single after the death of a spouse than to remarry.
 
Have a "wedded bliss" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Distractions

DISTRACTIONS
I Corinthians 7:35
 
"And this I say to your profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, that you may serve the Lord without distraction."
 
Paul's advice to remain unmarried is understandable to anyone who is married. Marriage is good, but there pressures and stresses of having a spouse (see vss. 32 and 34c – how they may please each other) and children who demand attention. Family takes time, energy, and resources that could be spent in doing kingdom ministry. Of course Paul recognized that anything can become a distraction and divert us from the main goal of serving the Lord. The things of this world, if not used wisely (see vs. 31), can become our focus. It takes purposeful living to not be distracted from fulfilling God's purposes in our lives, and it is not always easy to fit it all together.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: A person can best serve the Lord when distractions are minimal.
 
Have a "serving the Lord" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Externals

THE EXTERNALS
I Corinthians 7:17a, 20, 24
 
"But as the Lord has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk .... Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called .... Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called."
 
Paul used this conversation about marriage to lay out another principle – that Christianity is not about external things such as marriage, circumcision, or occupation (slave or free). It is about the heart. When a person accepts Christ as Savior, he does not have to leave an unbelieving spouse, get rid of his tattoos, or change employment unless he can better serve the Lord in another job (see vs. 21). It is true that we are new creatures in Christ and our lives change when we become believers. But the externals of life are not the issue. They do not make a Christian. As Paul said, "Keeping the commandment of God is what matters" (vs. 19b). Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7).
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The essence of Christianity is not the external but doing God's will from the heart.
 
Have an "essential Christianity" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings: Mixed Marriage

MIXED MARRIAGES
I Corinthians 7:12-13, 16
 
"But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.....For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?"
 
Even though Jesus did not address this problem, Paul's teaching is Holy Spirit inspired and carries the authority of revelation.  Mixed marriage between a believer and an unbeliever presents special challenges. They may be one in flesh, but not one in spirit, and that can cause stress and conflict because they have different world-views. I have seen it both ways. A man in the congregation in Alsea was a Christian who wanted to bring his children to church, but the wife opposed this and caused him much heartache. A believing woman in Jasper was restricted from attending church by her husband and could not send her children to Sunday School. It is tough, but it is not a reason for divorce. It calls for special grace on the part of the believer. If the unbelieving partner leaves, the believer is under no bondage (vs. 15).  The mission of the believer is the salvation of the unbeliever and raising children of faith (vs. 14).
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: An unbelieving spouse, in and of itself, is not cause for divorce.
 
Have a united day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Divorce or Separation?

DIVORCE OR SEPARATION?
I Corinthians 7:10-11
 
"Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband, and a husband is not to divorce his wife."
 
Paul echoes Jesus' teaching regarding marriage – that divorce is not God's will, because the two are one flesh (Mark 10:2-12). Jesus allowed for divorce only in the case of infidelity (Matthew 19:3). Paul seems to suggest that separation is sometimes permissible, but they are to remain unmarried so that there is the possibility of reconciliation. I believe that a cause for separation would be physical abuse of the spouse and/or physical or sexual abuse of the children. Since God has called us to peace (I Corinthians 7:15b), separation is permissible, but divorce should not be an option except for adultery where the marriage covenant of "one flesh" is broken.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Although divorce should not be an option (except for adultery), separation under some circumstances may be allowed.
 
Have a "together" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Gift

THE GIFT
I Corinthians 7:6-9
 
"But this I say as a concession, not as a commandment. For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. But I say this to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion."
 
Paul recognized that God does not give the same gift to everyone. Some are given the gift of marriage and some the gift of celibacy. Paul's gift was celibacy and he advocated that for others, but not as a commandment. A little later in this letter, he explained why celibacy was better – because the person who is unmarried is free to serve the Lord, but the married person with family has distractions (see vss. 32-33). But celibacy demands self-control to maintain purity. If a man is consumed by his sexual drive, then it is better to marry than to carry the burden of his sexual passion with no proper avenue to release it. Very practical advice.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Both marriage and celibacy are gifts from God.
 
Appreciate and enjoy your gift today. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Marriage Union

THE MARRIAGE UNION
I Corinthians 7:3-5
 
"Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and also the wife to the husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time that you may give yourself to fasting and prayer. And come together gain so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control."
 
Sex ["affection"] in marriage is a marvelous, wonderful, and beautiful thing. It is two people giving up control of their own bodies to each other. They no longer have exclusive rights to control their own bodies, but instead give up that "authority" to their husband or wife. Sometimes a husband or wife will use sex as a way to exert control over a spouse – to punish or to get advantage in some area – by offering sex as a reward or payment by withholding it from their spouse until they get what they want. Paul says that denying sexual pleasure to a spouse is wrong, except for spiritual obligations. However, the wise husband will not demand his "right" to sex, but instead will take into account the physical and emotional condition of his wife, and will nourish and cherish her as he would his own body (Ephesians 5:28-29). By serving each other in love, the husband and wife remove a huge opportunity for Satan to bring temptation to sin.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The sexual act is one person giving up his own rights to serve another.
 
Have a cherishing day (or night). Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Power of Touch

THE POWER OF TOUCH
I Corinthians 7:1-2
 
"Now concerning the things of which you wrote me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each man have his own husband."
 
Paul turned a page and started a new chapter to write about sex and marriage. God introduced marriage into our vocabulary from the beginning when we said that "it is not good that man should be alone," and that "they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:18, 24). But the marriage in God's plan is always in the context of monogamous commitment of male and female – husband and wife. Any other physical contact between the sexes is outside of His perfect plan. The stimulation of touch to the hormones is powerful and is to be avoided except in the marriage context.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Physical touching between male and female is to be avoided because of sexual connotations except within the boundaries of marriage.
 
Have a "committed" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Temple of God

GOD'S DWELLING PLACE
I Corinthians 6:18b-20
 
"Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
 
It is a marvelous thing that the God of the universe has chosen to dwell in His people. In the Old Testament system, the presence of God on earth was in the tabernacle and then the temple as the glory of the LORD filled the place (Exodus 40:34-35; K Kings 8:11; II Chronicles 5:14; 7:1-3), and dwelled between the cherubim above the mercy seat (II Kings 19:15). But now we are the temple, and God's presence dwells in us – in our bodies and our spirits. I belong to Him who bought me at great price, and I have a responsibility to take good care of the temple, and not sin against it.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Our bodies and our spirits are God's dwelling place, and we need to take good care of them.
 
Have an Emanuel (God with us) day. Love you.