Paul’s hard work was an expression of love and concern for the new believers because it enabled him to avoid financially burdening any of the new believers. In a community where many people lived at or even below the level of bare subsistence, feeding an extra mouth or two would have represented a significant burden.1,2,3
9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.