Acts 14:19-23

Acts 14:19-23
English Standard Version (ESV)

  If I was Paul, this first verse would occupy the vast majority of the book of Acts.  I'd want everyone to know what I've gone through, so they'd know how much I suffered and how dedicated I was.
  Also, I wouldn't go back into the city.  At all.  If I managed to survive such an event, I would go in the exact opposite direction after the disciples dragged me out from underneath the rockpile.  I don't think I'd have very nice things to say about my enemies, either.
  But for Paul, it was all for the sake of the Gospel.  No matter what he had to endure, he took these burdens on so that the Gospel could be proclaimed.  He risked everything for the sake of Christ, so that others might hear of the wondrous goodness of the King of Glory.  He wanted the name of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed, and even if it meant his own death, he was willing to take that risk.
  Valuing the name of Christ that highly means treasuring the relationship, seeking to deepen it above every other thing in life, and recognizing that only that relationship endures beyond the grave.
  May we hold so dearly to Christ that we shape everything else around it, and may we love one another enough to want to share this life-changing Gospel with them.