Study Desk

A wife belongs to her husband as long as he lives. If he dies, she can marry another, but only if he is a cowboy for the Lord.

But honestly it would be better if she just stayed single. God didn't say it, but it still is wise counsel.

I know there's been a lot of talk about what to do about food that's been sacrificed to idols. Everyone seems to have a different "right" answer. Thinking you are right might make you feel like a big shot, but it is loving each other that makes us strong.

Who cares if someone says a rock or a stick is a god? You can call a horse a cow, but that don't make it true. People use the words "god" and "lord" all the time, but those are just made up words when used incorrectly.

But not everyone knows this. Some folks still think sticks are gods. They think food offered to idols is a real thing instead of just a bunch of chanting and waving arms in front of a rock. These folks feel guilty when they eat meat that has been through these rituals.

But listen close, food doesn't have anything to do with faith. Eating something doesn't bring you closer to God or vice versa.

But just because you are free to eat what you want doesn't mean you should intentionally flaunt your freedom at a weaker person's expense.

If a cowboy with a weaker faith thinks something is wrong, and you intentionally encourage him to do it anyway, that is a sin. It's not just a sin against him, but again Jesus.

Others can think what they want about these things, but Jesus chose me to be a ramrod, or an apostle to you. Y'all are proof of this.

If y'all support cowboys who come in and preach, shouldn't we get at least the same support, maybe even more? But we've never used this right. We'd rather be dog-tired from working all day rather than be a burr in the good news about Jesus.

But I've never used this "ace in the hole" even though I could. And I'm not going to start using it because I've been called to something different than the rest of them. I preach without pay and I can brag about it.

But don't mistake what I'm saying. I ain't bragging about preaching the good news. That's what God has called me to do. I can't imagine my life any other way.

If I had decided on my own to preach, then I'd accept my wages for it, but Jesus appeared to me himself and gave me my duty.

When I was with the Jews, I acted like a Jew to show them Jesus. I lived under the Law when I was with those living under the Law. I know I don't have to, but I do it anyway in order to bring them to Christ.

You know that in a roping, all the ropers rope, but only one team gets the buckle. Rope to win!

All who rope put in a lot of practice in order to win. But the things these cowboys win will not last. However, our prize will last forever.

I train my body every single day to make it do what I want, when I want. I can talk all I want, but I want the prize for myself. I don't just talk a good game, I rope it, too.

Learning from our mistakes might be good, but learning from their mistakes is even better. We should stay away from the things that resulted in their deaths.

You might be saying to yourself, "I would never do anything like that," but remember that the angel of death came in and killed. Why? Because of their complaining and grumbling.

You have the same temptation today that they had long ago. But you can trust God to help you. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you are capable of handling. There is never a temptation God hasn't already provided a way of escaping. With God's help, you will succeed. Without it, you will fail.