I Thessalonians 2:6
“nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”
There is a part of us that craves recognition. I believe The Lord not only put that in us, but it’s part of being made in the image of God. Proper recognition is good. However, we shouldn’t seek it. God brings it.
Jesus gave us an example of how it’s good to be honored and how it shouldn’t be sought. Luke 14:10 says, “But when you are invited, go and sit in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone at the table with you.”
Some confuse this Luke passage with false humility. That’s when we choose the last seat for the purpose of being exalted. We aren’t to seek recognition. Proverbs speaks of it this way (29:25) “The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.” We are to trust The Lord for our need to be recognized. Seeking recognition tells us we care more about what people think, than what God thinks.
Paul tells his audience of the appropriateness of his motives. He wasn’t seeking ‘glory from men’. He was confident in this. The prior verse in Thessalonians has Paul saying, “God is my witness”. We should be confident in our motives, as well. A clean conscience comes with this. This doubles our confidence.
Lord, thanks for the honor you give us. Help us to trust You with this.