Thursday, December 3- 1 Corin 9:7-12

7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?
-People always work for something. They reap from what they sow.

8Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing?
-It makes sense from a human perspective, but it's also God ordained that it is this way.

9For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
-Don't keep the ox from eating what it's working hard to do. The ox works hard so let it eat.

10Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.
-They don't work for nothing.

11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
-Same thing with Paul. He shouldn't be expected to work for nothing. Even though he does sometimes, they should think more of him than that.

12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?
-Paul is working hard. He deserves support.
-Really this is a call for us to take care of those who serve us. Many times the stereotype of the pastor or missionary is that they should be poor and suffer. They work hard so they deserve benefit as well. I don't know why this expectation is put on ministry people. I suppose its good that they remain humble, but at the same time its not good if they are not appreciated or at least paid what they work for.