II Thessalonians 1:4
“therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.”
As Paul would do his travels, he would “speak proudly” about the Thessalonians. This is contrary to my religious upbringing. It was very self deprecating. The emptier one was the more holy was the character. Here Paul is bragging about them.
Should the Thessalonians have felt good about this? Should this have boosted their confidence? Yes. Paul says in Romans 12:3, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” We all know it’s wrong to think more highly of ourselves. However, it’s equally as wrong to think of ourselves more lowly.
Paul sought to boost the reputation of the Thessalonians. He wanted others to know about their great love towards one another. We also have our areas of competency. The Lord wants us to feel good about those. In Psalm 23:5a, David says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…”
The Lord was promoting David.
Does this mean we should talk highly about ourselves? I don’t believe so. In these examples, it was others who did the talking. Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” Our competency does the talking. The Lord has gifted all of us in some manner. As we do our best in that capacity, our reputation is advanced.
What if we aren’t experiencing this? It may be we aren’t operating in our talents. Young people often aren’t aware of their talents. Sometimes they want to be something other than who they are. This is fruitless and leads to frustration. We should be happy with who the Lord has created us to be and invest our time and energy there.
Why does the Lord do this? Partly because He wants us to be confident. However, it doesn’t end there. It’s to further the gospel. II Corinthians 2:15 says that we are the “fragrance of Christ”. As the Lord promotes us, it’s actually us functioning in God’s will and power. Just as a perfume has a pleasing aroma, our lives should as well. It should point the onlookers to Christ.
Lord, thank You for how you’ve created us. Help us to invest there. Thank You that You boost our reputation, as we do that. Help us to be the sweet fragrance of You. May others come to You through our lives.