OUR FATHER WHOSE CALLINGS DEMAND RIGOROUS PURSUIT TO FULFILL

1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 3 says this;

This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.

Paul's apostleship was being judged by others and he made a defence of himself in this chapter.

To start, Paul laid out the credentials that qualified him to be accepted as an Apostle. He was free, he had seen the Lord Jesus and he had people who had grown in faith through him who were the seal of his apostleship.

Paul asserted that further to that, he and his preaching companion, Barnabas, had not only conducted themselves as apostles in every way but had  in fact, surpassed the standards of apostleship by relinquishing their rights for the sake of the gospel. 

They had forfeited food and drink that was rightly due them for the sake of the gospel. They had also lived and traveled as bachelors to simplify their outreach.

They worked with their hands to supply their own needs rather than depend on those they preached to for their livelihood to ensure that there would be no hindrance to the preaching of the gospel.

Paul eloquently defended his apostleship and in doing so, showed us the demanding rigor of accurately fulfilling the requirements of the office which was entrusted to him by the Lord.

Amen.