I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
The fear voiced is deep fear lest toil be lost. Its cause is apostasy arising in the churches planted by that same labor. Its burden is that the work bestowed upon them would be made fruitless.
The same fear is God's fear over His workers when their sacred and important mission is put at risk. The peril comes from placing more confidence in human judgment than in the Lord God of Israel. The call is back to dependence on God, so that His work will move harmoniously under His counsel.
The fear voiced is deep fear lest toil be lost. Its cause is apostasy arising in the churches planted by that same labor. Its burden is that the work bestowed upon them would be made fruitless.
The same fear is God's fear over His workers when their sacred and important mission is put at risk. The peril comes from placing more confidence in human judgment than in the Lord God of Israel. The call is back to dependence on God, so that His work will move harmoniously under His counsel.