There are quite a few things the Bible speaks about in both positive and negative ways. This morning I found another of these in Paul’s testimony: “We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way”.[1]
Paul spoke of commending in a negative way when he said, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves.”[2] These were the false teachers Paul sarcastically called the “super-apostles”[3] who commended themselves by looking in a mirror and admiring their preferred qualities. Paul would have nothing to do with that kind of commending.
However, because so many young Christians were being deceived by these false teachers, Paul had to speak about commending himself in a positive way, not by looking in a mirror and admiring himself, but by looking at his way of life and calling people to test him by his own devotion to Jesus Christ.
As I assess how I measure up to this positive kind of commending, I am trying to be clear and honest with God about how things look from his perspective. Paul clarified later that, “it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”[4] This means that Paul’s commendation was as a servant of Christ Jesus who was measured by how faithfully he had suffered and endured all things in Jesus’ name in order to make sure the pure good news of great joy was given to the people.
I will be prayer-journaling (meditating) my way through the extensive list of qualities Paul lists to give objective affirmation of his genuineness. For now, I take it that the negative side of following Paul’s example is to see that I am not putting obstacles in anyone’s way, and the positive side is to make sure I have objective commendations of my service to Jesus that others have witnessed.
For today, I know I can’t say the “in every way” as Paul did. I have far too many failures for that! However, I know I have been exemplary enough in this that I have some right to call people to listen to me for the sole reason that I know I am pointing everyone to Christ, the one and only Savior of the world, and if they listen to me, they will hear the true gospel of God. And so, as Paul told Timothy, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”[5]
© 2023
Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the
English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text
Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.)
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