What could cause the apostle to shed tears? Paul’s address to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20 tells us what caused him tears.

In verse 19, the apostle tells us what characterized his service for the Lord: “all lowliness, and tears, and temptations.” In His service, Paul reflected the character of the Lord Jesus, who was meek and lowly of heart. May we reflect His character in service, too! It is not enough just to say or do the right thing, we are to represent Christ in doing so.

Some seem to think that in serving the Lord—in whatever capacity we may do so—all will be happiness and blessing. No, Paul tells us his service for the Lord involved many tears. So it will be for us today. There may be tears over the hardness of people’s hearts; or over the Lord’s people who deliberately turn away from Him and disobey His word; or over broken lives and broken families. If we want to serve Him, we should expect tears as well.

Paul experienced many temptations. The word means “trials” or “testings.” For Paul, it was the Jews—and sometimes Gentiles—who constantly sought to harm him, or the Judaizers who infiltrated the early believers and tried to bring them back into bondage to the law, as we see in Galatians. If our heart’s desire is to serve the Lord, we will have many testings, too.

Did Paul express any regrets? No. His desire was to finish his course, and to complete the ministry he had received from the Lord Jesus. May it be so for us, too! In spite of tears and testings, may we press on to finish what has been committed to us for His name’s sake!