than ours. The important thing is the uplifting of the Saviour. Let us be careful about judging our fel low believers. The scarce informa tion we have concerning the events leading to the death of Paul cause us to consider envy from those who denounced him as being the rea son for his life's end. The first strand of evidence for this comes in the fact that the Apostle was not well received in Rome. They even forgot that he was incarcerated for a time. It was only after consider able searching that a faithful Chris tian layman found him (II Timothy 1:16, 17). It was when converts came to Christ throughout the elite Roman guard that jealousy started to spread. Again, as believers, we need to exert every care and pre caution that we do not ultimately bear the responsibility for causing condemnation on the ministry of Christ by a godless system about us. NO DISAPPOINTMENT Have you ever stopped to real ize that there are no disappoint ments in Jesus Christ at all (Philip- pians 1:19, 20)? That is not to say that life does not have its discour agements and despairs. Everyone experiences these things, humanly speaking. Now locked in a Roman prison, with chains securely fas tened, everything seemed to be going against Paul. Yet, the Apostle remained confident that God's pur pose for his life would never be shaken. He knew that the Lord would really bring to pass every thing He had promised. The word "ashamed" in Paul's day did not mean the same as it does today. Then, the term had to do with "disappointment." One whose trust is in the Lord is never disillusioned Page 55
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