Never in the slightest degree be frightened by your opponents, for such fearlessness will be strong evidence to them of their impending destruction, but to you a sure sign, and that from God, of your salvation.

For it has been graciously granted to you for Christ's sake, not only to trust in Him but also to suffer for Him,

For I have no one else with a heart like his who would take such genuine interest in you,

for he has been longing to see you and has been homesick because you have heard that he was sick.

For he was so sick that he was on the point of dying, but God took pity on him, and not only on him but on me too, to keep me from having one sorrow after another.

because he came near dying for the sake of the Lord's work and risked his life to make up for your lack of opportunity to minister to me.

But for Christ's sake I have counted all that was gain to me as loss.

Yes, indeed, I certainly do count everything as loss compared with the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have lost everything, and value it all as mere refuse, in order to gain Christ