Week 42: The Cross: God’s Wisdom and Power | Day 3

Tasks for this week:

  1. Watch all three parts of The Cross: God’s Wisdom and Power
  2. Complete daily Bible reading
  3. Memorize 1 Corinthians 10:13 and 1 Corinthians 13:13

Week 42: Day 3

Please watch the second part of The Cross: God’s Wisdom and Power today.

Today’s F260 Bible reading: 1 Corinthians 9-10

9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the confirming sign of my apostleship in the Lord. 3This is my defense to those who examine me. 4Do we not have the right to financial support? 5Do we not have the right to the company of a believing wife, like the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? 6Or do only Barnabas and I lack the right not to work? 7Who ever serves in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not consume its milk? 8Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense, or does the law not say this as well? 9For it is written in the law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” God is not concerned here about oxen, is he? 10Or is he not surely speaking for our benefit? It was written for us, because the one plowing and threshing ought to work in hope of enjoying the harvest. 11If we sowed spiritual blessings among you, is it too much to reap material things from you? 12If others receive this right from you, are we not more deserving?But we have not made use of this right. Instead we endure everything so that we may not be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple eat food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar receive a part of the offerings? 14In the same way the Lord commanded those who proclaim the gospel to receive their living by the gospel. 15But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing these things so that something will be done for me. In fact, it would be better for me to die than—no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting! 16For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I am compelled to do this. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward. But if I do it unwillingly, I am entrusted with a responsibility. 18What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel I may offer the gospel free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights in the gospel. 19For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) to gain those under the law. 21To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law. 22To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some. 23I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a participant in it. 24Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. 25Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 26So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. 27Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified. 10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were cut down in the wilderness. 6These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did. 7So do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and 23,000 died in a single day. 9And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. 10And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. 11These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall. 13No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. 14So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15I am speaking to thoughtful people. Consider what I say. 16Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread. 18Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything? 20No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is? 23“Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds others up. 24Do not seek your own good, but the good of the other person. 25Eat anything that is sold in the marketplace without questions of conscience, 26for the earth and its abundance are the Lord’s. 27If an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you want to go, eat whatever is served without asking questions of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, “This is from a sacrifice,” do not eat, because of the one who told you and because of conscience— 29I do not mean yours but the other person’s. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I blamed for the food that I give thanks for? 31So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32Do not give offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, 33just as I also try to please everyone in all things. I do not seek my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. (NET Bible)

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),
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Used by permission. www.Lockman.org