Scripture to Read: 1 Corinthians 9:15
Though Paul had the right to be cared for by every church he helped plant, God led him to write this to the believers in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 9:15: “But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one.” God allowed Paul to remind the Christians in Corinth that he never used any of the privileges our Lord said were due to him. God also had Paul tell them that his purpose in writing to them was never to get them to make some kind of provision for him at that time. God even had Paul say that he would be better off to die than to have anyone deprive him of boasting about preaching the gospel without asking for anything in return. Why would God have Paul write something like this? Because the Greek culture considered those who did manual labor for a living to be less than everyone else. Therefore, the Corinthian Christians likely thought less of Paul because he had worked with his own hands to support himself while sharing the gospel with them. Paul never felt humiliated by this, but instead, he was willing to boast about what God had called him to do while serving the people of Corinth. In the same way, we must be willing to serve our Lord in whatever way He calls us to serve Him (Colossians 3:17).
Challenge & Application
What was Paul’s boast in and why did God lead him to write about this?
How can we learn from Paul’s example about serving our Lord in any and all situations?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!