Moment of Meditation: A Worker Deserves His Wages (1 Timothy 5:18)

The worker deserves his wages.
(1 Timothy 5:18)

A Worker Deserves His Wages

Jesus tells His disciples these words as He sends them out to proclaim the kingdom of Heaven. He wants them to see that everything they receive as His preachers is given to them because of their proclamation. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14).

Unfortunately, the two passages St. Paul quotes in the same verse to be taken together aren't taken together in our standard practice as Americans. "The worker deserves his wages" is taken to mean that those who best muzzle God's Word are the ones who receive the highest wages. Many television preachers muzzle God's Word so much that it comes out to be some sanctimonious garbage like "God helps those who help themselves."

The Bible never says that. The Bible says the exact opposite. God helps those who cannot help themselves. God helps sinners who cannot help but sin. The preacher who is truly worthy of his wages preaches this message because it is God's Word to a lost and condemned people. The message that you should hear every Sunday in worship. Amen.