Paul is discouraged in Corinth. The Spirit comes to him: 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you.' Encouragement comes when Paul needs it most.
I'm a youth pastor in a declining neighborhood. My church is shrinking. People keep moving to the suburbs. Donations are down. I feel like I'm failing. Some nights I lie awake wondering if I should find a 'real job,' something with a future. Then I read this verse and I remember: my job isn't to make the church grow. It's to keep speaking about Jesus faithfully, even to a small group, even in a struggling community. God promised Paul presence and protection. He's promised me the same.
There are eight teenagers in my youth group now. Last year there were ten. But those eight are growing in faith. They're asking real questions. They're living out their beliefs in their schools. That's success by God's measure, even if it looks like failure by the world's measures. I'm learning to do my work faithfully regardless of the metrics.
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