Read 2 Corinthians 11:1–15
I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from
under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in
the things they boast about. 2 Corinthians 11:12

In my travels, I have seen congregations show little or no appreciation to
faithful pastors who were laboring sacrificially to see the churches grow.
Some of these men were underpaid and overworked, yet the churches
seemed to have no love for them.

I once heard Dr. W. A. Criswell tell about the faithful missionary couple
who returned to the United States on the same ship that brought Teddy
Roosevelt home from a safari. Many reporters and photographers were on the dock waiting to see Roosevelt and interview him and take pictures, but nobody was on hand to welcome home the missionaries who had spent their lives serving Christ in Africa.

That evening, in their modest hotel room, the couple reviewed their
arrival in New York City, and the husband was somewhat bitter. “It isn’t
fair,” he said to his wife. “Mr. Roosevelt comes home from a hunting trip,
and the whole country is out to meet him. We get home after years of
service, and nobody is there to greet us.”
But his wife had the right answer: “Honey, we aren’t home yet.”

Something to Ponder
In what ways are your own efforts being overlooked by others? How do you respond in such situations?