In line with this month's celebration for Pastors and church workers' appreciation, I am making this video. I am citing here few scriptures from the bible telling about Apostle Paul's hardships, advice to fellow ministers and believers in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11: 1-13 

I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles."[a] 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

 RELATE:

Most God's workers (missionaries , apostles, pastors, evangelist, prophets, teachers) around the world have sacrificed a lot—-family, relations, personal ambitions. Yet, for the sake of their passion for God's calling, they accepted all consequences even if it is anticlimactic to world's view.

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings

2 Corinthians 11: 16- 31

16 I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17 In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18 Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.

RELATE:

If there is one thing we should boast, it is not our greatness but our weaknesses. Moreover, we will boast the goodness of God in our lives.

Paul's Vision and His Thorn

2 Corinthians 12:1-10
1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

RELATE: Sometimes, we don't understand our situations. We try our best to be perfect. We try to live holy lives, but we always fail. Moments by moments, we sin through our thoughts, words, actions and feelings. Then, we always feel neglected, blaming ourselves and feeling shameful. We thought God has abandoned us. Have you been there?
Yes, even apostle Paul has given a thorn in the flesh and he was burned inwardly. There's no exemption. Why?
It's because God don't want us to be boastful nor arrogant for our greatness! Do you have gifts? Are you superior over your colleagues? Are you multi-talented? Yet, you are not to get all the credits for that! We are stewards of God's goodness!

2 Corinthians 13:2-10
2 I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, 3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him in our dealing with you.
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. 10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

RELATE: We need to appreciate God's servants every time they're going to rebuke us. They may provoke us to anger, hurt our pride, or sometimes sound like judgmental or unfair. But, they are just God's vessel, they do whenever God leads. God disciplines those He loves especially His legitimate children. This may be through mishaps, inconceivable situations or other people's (spiritual leaders, elders, mentors, loved ones, colleagues, friends, neighbors) direct and open rebuke for us to be save from death.

1 Corinthians 12:5-11 says, "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all. To one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, through another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same spirit works all these things, distributing one individually as he will." 

RELATE: Each of us has a purpose in life. We have a mission to accomplish. Your mom and dad no matter how much you think of them  as imperfect and wish you could have better parents or choose whose parents you could have, you can not deny the fact that they are your parents …they are given by God for a purpose. That is also the same with our teachers, mentors and pastors or spiritual leaders. We have to pray for them, love and understand them. This is our best way to show we appreciate them. Without the five-fold ministry, the gospel can't reach and win souls for Christ.

All the glory belongs to God and the servants can not share in it, only the Master receive the glory to Himself. Although, written in Matthew 25:21, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of  your master." This sounds the end of your life and you will be facing God in the judgement seat. Yet, to emphasized here, God is pleased to His servants. We all have our own earthly and heavenly rewards. Whether it is commendable in the humans' eyes here on earth or not, what matters is our God must be pleased to us. We are not to gather followers, likers or fanatics to boost our confidence, let God be praised. We are just vessels.

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