Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

1 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 22 and 23,

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the week.

I have become all things to all people,

that by all means I might save some.

I do it all for the sake of the gospel that I may

share with them in its blessings. This is an incredible statement that Paul is making here,

in an incredible chapter where Paul describes himself as a slave.

He uses the word servant in 1 Corinthians 9 verse 19, but the word there is literally slave.

And he says, I've made myself a slave to all, to all kinds of people around me for the sake of the gospel. I want to serve people and do whatever I can, including relinquishing

different rights. Paul has over and over again in this chapter. He talks about rights

that he has. But he says, I relinquish those rights. I sacrifice those rights in order to lead

people to Jesus. I want people to experience the blessing of knowing God.

So I rearrange my life. I relinquish my rights to do whatever I can to lead people to life in Jesus.

I just think about our lives. I think about the country where I live. United States of America.

We talk all the time about our rights. Just think about the rights you have to life and friends and

family and marriage and safety and security and health and happiness. You have the right to eat, drink,

watch, wear, study, listen to, say whatever you want. You have the right to organize, drink, watch, wear, study, listen to, say, whatever you want.

You have the right to organize your schedule and spend your time and choose your career and make

your money or use money or take a vacation or plan a retirement. You have the right to do what

you want to do, go where you want to go, live how you want to live. But here's the deal. As

followers of Jesus, we specifically relinquish some of these

...