Day 268 of 365

¹Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have not I seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Are not 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 office of apostle 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 does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and does not drink from the flock's milk?

⁸Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or does not 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 the hope of having a share.

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, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ.

¹³Do you not 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 Good News should live from the Good News.

¹⁵But I have used none of these things, and I do not 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 proclaim the Good News, I have nothing to boast about; for necessity is laid on me; but woe is to me, if I do not proclaim the Good News.

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 proclaim the Good News, I may present the Good News without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News.

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, not being myself 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 all things for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.

²⁴Do you not 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.

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 does not 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, is not it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is not it a sharing of the body of Christ?

¹⁷Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf of bread.

¹⁸Consider Israel according to the flesh. Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in 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 do not desire that you would have fellowship with demons.

²¹You cannot both drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot 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," but not all things are profitable. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

²⁴Let no one seek his own, but 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 do not 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," do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience.

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 church 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.

¹Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.

²Now I praise you, that you remember me in all things, and hold firm the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.

³But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.

⁴Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.

⁵But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved.

⁶For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

⁷For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.

⁸For man is not from woman, but woman from man;

⁹for neither was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.

¹⁰For this cause the woman ought to have authority on her head, because of the angels.

¹¹Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord.

¹²For as woman came from man, so a man also comes through a woman; but all things are from God.

¹³Judge for yourselves. Is it appropriate that a woman pray to God unveiled?

¹⁴Doesn't even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?

¹⁵But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her for a covering.

¹⁶But if any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither do God's churches.

¹⁷But in giving you this command, I do not praise you, that you come together not for the better but for the worse.

¹⁸For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it.

¹⁹For there also must be factions among you, that those who are approved may be revealed among you.

²⁰When therefore you assemble yourselves together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat.

²¹For in your eating each one takes his own supper first. One is hungry, and another is drunken.

²²What, do you not have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God's church, and put them to shame who do not have? What shall I tell you? Shall I praise you? In this I do not praise you.

²³For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread.

²⁴When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in memory of me."

²⁵In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the New Covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me."

²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

²⁷Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord's cup in a manner unworthy will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

²⁸But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

²⁹For he who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not discern the body.

³⁰For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep.

³¹For if we discerned ourselves, we would not be judged.

³²But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

³³Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait one for another.

³⁴But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.

¹Now concerning spiritual things, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

²You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led.

³Therefore I make known to you that no man speaking by God's Spirit says, "Jesus is accursed." No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," but by the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

⁵There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord.

⁶There are various kinds of workings, but the same God, who works all things in all.

⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.

⁸For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;

⁹to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the one Spirit;

¹⁰and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.

¹¹But the one and the same Spirit works all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

¹²For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

¹³For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴For the body is not one member, but many.

¹⁵If the foot would say, "Because I'm not the hand, I'm not part of the body," it is not therefore not part of the body.

¹⁶If the ear would say, "Because I'm not the eye, I'm not part of the body," it's not therefore not part of the body.

¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be?

¹⁸But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.

¹⁹If they were all one member, where would the body be?

²⁰But now they are many members, but one body.

²¹The eye cannot tell the hand, "I have no need for you," or again the head to the feet, "I have no need for you."

²²No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.

²³Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety;

²⁴whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part,

²⁵that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

²⁶When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

²⁸God has set some in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.

²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all miracle workers?

³⁰Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with various languages? Do all interpret?

³¹But earnestly desire the greater gifts. Moreover, I show a most excellent way to you.