activities are “labor” (1 Cor 4:12; 2 Cor 11:23; 1 Thess 2:9; 1 Tim 4:10), and “endurance” is frequently associated with his trials and ministry (Rom 5:4; 8:24–25; 15:4; 1 Cor 13:7; 2 Cor 6:4; 12:12). But we might be too far afield looking for the meaning of these words in Paul’s other letters rather than closer to home. These terms are repeated elsewhere in 1 Thessalonians and were probably chosen by Paul for the express purpose of addressing the situation there. For instance, in 2:9 Paul reminds