¹²Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, ¹³I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.

Rich biographical data occurs throughout Paul’s letters to the Corinthians that intrigue not only the historian but all those who take his teaching seriously. Remember he wrote, “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me” (1 Cor. 4:15, see also 1 Cor. 11:1). So we may particularly examine how Paul determined the Lord’s leading in his life. Regarding the Corinthians’ criticism of his change of plans in visiting them, we may legitimately ask how the seasoned apostle went about setting his travel plans. Did God always direct him using supernatural signs, visions, and dreams as he did in Acts 16:9–10? Did he make his decisions based on mystic meditations, resulting in strong “senses” or “movements” of the Holy Spirit carrying him along in an other-worldly sort of way?

To be sure, there were times when God did speak in visions and signs to the apostles. The gospel message “was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will” (Heb. 2:3–4). But Paul does not appeal to such special occurrences to justify his change of plans in visiting Corinth. His stated reason for the change was his restless concern over Titus. That is why he left Troas in search of Titus, despite the wide-open opportunity for fruitful evangelism that brought him to Macedonia (north of Greece and Corinth). Little else is said, so Paul must have felt this was a sufficient explanation to convey to the Corinthian believers.

What can we learn from this? First, the apostle was not an evangelistic machinethat put the ministry above people. Sometimes Christians “do” ministry by carrying on church programs, but become callous to real human needs. What is the point of gathering more “lost sheep” through evangelism if you lose one “sheep” that you already have? Jesus spoke of focusing on individuals and not being blinded by the masses (Matt. 18:12). Such was the case with Titus.

Second, we shouldn’t sacrifice those closest to us because of our service for God. Titus mattered to Paul, and he would stop everything to look for his associate. Who today among God’s servants can I seek out and encourage?

Third, leaders need to pay attention to their ministry teams’ needs. Finally, decision-making in life and service is often based on the burdens of our hearts and the determinations of our thought processes, and not on signs alone.

Lord, help me genuinely care for those closest to me in ministry.