Study Desk

But getting married isn't a sin. If a young lady gets married, it isn't a sin for her to lose her virginity. However, those who are married will have a lot tougher time than those who are not.

I don't want you to worry all the time. A single cowboy only cares about riding for the Lord and doing the Lord's work.

Do you see how he is trying to do two things at once? He's trying to ride for the Lord and take care of his family. The same goes for a widow or a virgin. They concern themselves only with the Lord's work because they are dedicated in body and soul. But a married woman has to worry about worldly matters and pleasing her husband.

Don't get me wrong, I'm trying to help, not make things harder. I want you to do what is right and that is giving yourselves completely to riding for the brand without reservation or hesitation.

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.

So let us answer the question about eating meat that has been sacrificed to idols once and for all. An idol is not a god because there is only one true God.

As for us, there is only one God, and he's our Father. Everything came from him and belongs to him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ.

So if eating a steak causes a cowboy to sin, I'll never touch another one. I will not be responsible for another cowboy's sin.

I am a free cowboy. I have been personally chosen by Jesus Christ whom I have seen. I am responsible for you being a part of God's outfit here on earth and in heaven.

Are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to daywork for our meals?

A soldier in the army doesn't have to have a side job to pay for his meals. A farmer eats his own vegetables. A dairyman drinks the milk from his own cows.

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.

So what is my wage for working? My reward is telling people the good news for free and not using the rights I'm entitled to.

When I'm with the Gentile outsiders, I live like they do in order to show them how they too can live for Jesus. It's not about disobeying the law of God, it's about following the code of Jesus.

This is about the good news being known. I do what I do for the glory of God and his good news.

So, I rope like I'm gonna win. I train for the real deal, not just so I can be good on a dummy.

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.

We need to be doing what's good for others, not just the stuff that's good for us.

If God made it and it's meant for eating, you can.

An outsider might invite you over for sup one night. Don't worry about what you are served. You can eat it with a clean conscience. Don't question where it came from.