²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for ^(A)all the churches.

Live as You Are Called

¹⁷ Only let each person lead the life^{[a] (A)}that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. ^(B)This is my rule in ^(C)all the churches.

¹⁶ to be ^(A)a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles ^(B)in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that ^(C)the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them:

^(A)“You yourselves know ^(B)how I lived among you the whole time ^(C)from the first day that I set foot in Asia, ^19 (D)serving the Lord ^(E)with all humility and with ^(F)tears and with trials that happened to me through ^(G)the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I ^(H)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and ^(I)teaching you in public and from house to house, ^21 (J)testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of ^(K)repentance toward God and of ^(L)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.^{[a] 22} And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained ^(M)by^[b] the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that ^(N)the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that ^(O)imprisonment and ^(P)afflictions await me. ²⁴ But ^(Q)I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only ^(R)I may finish my course and ^(S)the ministry ^(T)that I received from the Lord Jesus, ^(U)to testify to ^(V)the gospel of ^(W)the grace of God. ²⁵ And now, behold, ^(X)I know that none of you among whom I have gone about ^(Y)proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. ²⁶ Therefore ^(Z)I testify to you this day that ^(AA)I am innocent of the blood of all, ²⁷ for ^(AB)I did not shrink from declaring to you ^(AC)the whole counsel of God. ^28 (AD)Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all ^(AE)the flock, in which ^(AF)the Holy Spirit has made you ^(AG)overseers, ^(AH)to care for ^(AI)the church of God,^[c] which he ^(AJ)obtained ^(AK)with his own blood.^{[d] 29} I ^(AL)know that after my departure ^(AM)fierce wolves will come in among you, ^(AN)not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and ^(AO)from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore ^(AP)be alert, remembering that ^(AQ)for three years I did not cease night or day ^(AR)to admonish every one ^(AS)with tears. ³² And now ^(AT)I commend you to God and to ^(AU)the word of his grace, which is able to ^(AV)build you up and to give you ^(AW)the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ^33 (AX)I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. ^34 (AY)You yourselves know that ^(AZ)these hands ministered to my necessities and ^(BA)to those who were with me. ³⁵ In all things ^(BB)I have shown you that ^(BC)by working hard in this way we must ^(BD)help the weak and ^(BE)remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed ^(BF)to give than to receive.’”

2 For I want you to know ^(A)how great a ^(B)struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,