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INSIST ON MY RIGHTS? (I)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10
1 Corinthians 9:3-6
2 Corinthians 11:16-33

 

“Have we not power to
eat and to drink?”

 

INSIST ON MY RIGHTS? (I)
 
Having certified the authenticity of his Apostleship, Paul then proceeded to state his apostolic rights via another series. As an Apostle, he had the right to claim the following:
 
1. The right to the provision of physical needs, such as food and drink (1 Cor 9:4). However, Paul in his missionary journeys often had to suffer hunger and thirst due to his frequent persecutions. “In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness” (2 Cor 11:27).
 
2. The right to get married and travel with a believing wife (1 Cor 9:5). The companionship of a wife would have helped Paul tremendously in times of loneliness. The brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ and Peter often had their wives alongside them. However, Paul did not exercise this right.
 
Some take this verse to mean that Paul was married at one point in his life. However, in 1 Corinthians 7:8, Paul wrote that it would be good for the unmarried and widows to abide in their calling just as he was. Therefore, Paul was single and not married.
 
Why did Paul not get married? Paul provided some answers in 1 Corinthians 7:25-35. A married couple will have to confront marital issues and hardships. This will divide one’s attention from fully concentrating on the Lord’s work. Considering the imminent coming of the Lord, the Apostle Paul desired to make every second count for the work of missions. Therefore, he chose to remain single, and not take up his right to have a believing wife, just like the other Apostles.
 
THOUGHT: Am I willing to give up my rights for Christ’s sake?
PRAYER: Father, I am willing to surrender my all unto Thee.

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