A little better each day. I still have a nasty cough that does get progressively better each day but man, it sure feels slow. Strength and stamina are increasing at a better rate than the cough for sure.
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. 2 Corinthians 2:12-13 [ESV]
I just wanted to pause here on these 2 verses today because of Paul’s love of Titus and Paul’s attention to the leaning of his spirit. Of course, Paul’s ministry is to preach the gospel to the Gentiles and so being led by the Lord there is a natural progression of his ministry. Paul traveled with a contingent of others who along with him, brought the good news of salvation to each place they went. Troas was a fishing and commercial port that Paul was very familiar with, so when they went there and felt an ‘open door’, I imagine it was not much different than when Paul went to Ephesus and a similar thing happened there.
However, it didn’t feel right without Titus there. This is the first time Titus is mentioned in the Corinthian letters and we don’t know that much about his background, but Titus played a crucial role in relations between Paul and the church at Corinth. One of the Pastoral Epistles is addressed to Titus, who was then active in Crete and responsible for setting up elders in the churches there (Titus 1:5).
So, what does Paul do – he breaks from the group in Troas and goes to Macedonia to find him. This 1) shows Paul’s love and desire to connect with Titus and 2) Paul follows the unrest in his heart and responds.
Application:
Paul’s ministry was not just him and he not only loved those serving with him, but he was also unsettled when one of them was not present. Never should I have such a closed mind that I think that my ministry I am called to is mine…no, it is the Lord’s first and then my community’s second. I am just a piece of the machinery. I may hold a function that includes decision making or leading, but I am in no way the center. Additionally, I need to have the needs of my co-workers in Christ in front of my view. My heart should be unsettled when one of them is missing. I should proactively connect with my co-laborers in Christ that we might build each other up and support the other.