God’s Provision in Service

3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.
1 Corinthians 9:3-10
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God’s Provision in Service
Paul defends his right to receive material support for his ministry, drawing on the principle that "the worker deserves his wages." Yet, his argument goes deeper than merely claiming what he is owed. Paul teaches that God’s provision comes through His people to support the work of the Gospel. Just as a farmer benefits from the fruit of his labor, so do those who serve Christ deserve support for their efforts. This passage challenges us to reflect on how we view those who labor in the church today. Do we see their work as vital to the health of the body of Christ? Our care and generosity enable pastors and church workers to focus on proclaiming the Gospel without distraction. Let us remember that as we support them, we participate in the spreading of God’s Kingdom. It is our privilege to give.