A Successful Life of Service

Paul had been forced to leave Thessalonica. He couldn't get back. And yet he was not anxious — he was expectant. He knew that what had been planted in those people was real, because the Word that went into them was not his word. It was God's Word, and God's Word works. It keeps working, long after the teacher leaves the room.

His crown was not a title or a trophy case. It was people. The Thessalonians themselves — their faith, their growth, their endurance under pressure — were the proof that his life had counted for something. Paul loved people and used things. Solomon did the reverse, and Scripture calls it failure. Before your group meets, sit with that question: what is your glory and joy? What would you bring to the Lord and say, here — this is what I did with what You gave me?