One Team Ushering in The Kingdom

1 Cornthians 9:1-12

"Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don't we have the right to food and drink? Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? Who 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? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? For 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? Surely 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. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ."

Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your awesomeness! We thank you for your tender mercies and Grace extended to us. Dear God, thank You that You have appointed godly men and women to serve in expanding Your Kingdom, full-time. We thank You for empowering them and continuously refining. Help us to honor them, Lord, and respect them that they are like us as well, people with daily needs, families to take care of and hopes and dreams. May they always be refreshed by Your Spirit to continue the work of Your Kingdom. Bless them Lord through us in our tithes and offerings and help us know that we are one team, one family in the furtherance of the Gospel of Your son, Jesus Christ. Thank You Lord that You are so generous and never withholds blessings upon blessings on each one of us. Remind us always to focus on Your Great Commission as our vocation. Help us to trust You more knowing You are faithful and will always provide for Your Kingdom. In Jesus' most precious name, Amen.

Malachi 3:10-12

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty."

~08.11.2013