Psalm 145 - 1 Corinthians 9 - 1 Corinthians 10

Psalm 145

1> I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever.

2Every day I will praise you. I will extol your name forever and ever.

3Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised! His greatness is unsearchable.

4One generation will commend your works to another, And will declare your mighty acts.

5Of the glorious majesty of your honor, Of your wondrous works, I will meditate.

6Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts. I will declare your greatness.

7They will utter the memory of your great goodness, And will sing of your righteousness.

8Yahweh is gracious, merciful, Slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.

9Yahweh is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works.

10All your works will give thanks to you, Yahweh. Your saints will extol you.

11They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, And talk about your power;

12To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, The glory of the majesty of his kingdom.

13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

14Yahweh upholds all who fall, And raises up all those who are bowed down.

15The eyes of all wait for you. You give them their food in due season.

16You open your hand, And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17Yahweh is righteous in all his ways, And gracious in all his works.

18Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, To all who call on him in truth.

19He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him. He also will hear their cry, and will save them.

20Yahweh preserves all those who love him, But all the wicked he will destroy.

21My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh. Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

The People of the Kingdom

1 Corinthians 9

1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Aren't you my work in the Lord? 2If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3My defense to those who examine me is this. 4Have we no right to eat and to drink? 5Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work? 7What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and doesn't eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and doesn't drink from the flock's milk? 8Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or doesn't the law also say the same thing? 9For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it for the oxen that God cares, 10or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope. 11If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things? 12If others partake of this right over you, don't we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Gospel of Christ. 13Don't you know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar? 14Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Gospel should live from the Gospel. 15But I have used none of these things, and I don't write these things that it may be done so in my case; for I would rather die, than that anyone should make my boasting void. 16For if I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to boast about; for necessity is laid on me; but woe is to me, if I don't preach the Gospel. 17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18What then is my reward? That, when I preach the Gospel, I may present the Gospel of Christ without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Gospel. 19For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. 20To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law; 21to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law. 22To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. 23Now I do this for the Gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker of it. 24Don't you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win. 25Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. 26I therefore run like that, as not uncertainly. I fight like that, as not beating the air, 27but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.

1 Corinthians 10

1Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2and were all 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 drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7Neither be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." 8Neither let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9Neither let us test the Lord, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents. 10Neither grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer. 11Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn't fall. 13No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15I speak as to wise men. Judge what I say. 16The cup of blessing which we bless, isn't it a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn't it a communion of the body of Christ? 17Because we, who are many, are one bread, one body; for we all partake of the one bread. 18Consider Israel after the flesh. Don't those who eat the sacrifices have communion with the altar? 19What am I saying then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I don't desire that you would have communion with demons. 21You can't both drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You can't both partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons. 22Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 23"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are profitable. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things build up. 24Let no one seek his own, but each one his neighbor's good. 25Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience, 26for "the earth is the Lord's, and its fullness." 27But if one of those who don't believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience. 28But if anyone says to you, "This was offered to idols," don't eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. For "the earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness." 29Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other's conscience. For why is my liberty judged by another conscience? 30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced for that for which I give thanks? 31Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32Give no occasions for stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God; 33even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.