God Through Us
1 Thessalonians 2:2-7 (NLT)
We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you.
How do you find it sharing your faith with others? Is it your gift, or something that you need to push yourself to do? Is it something that you feel capable of, or something that fills you with fear? Is it harder with strangers/friends/family for you?
This was another passage shared with me on a youth group trip where I was learning to be a leader; learning how to care for young people, and help them grow in their faith. I remember being challenged that I wasn’t qualified to have that responsibility. I felt I wasn’t skilled enough and was therefore doing them a disservice by being in a position of leadership.
In this passage, Paul shares how for his team, their motives were much more important than their actions. That their accountability should be to God seeing their hearts rather than other people judging their performance.
This challenges me about my view of God’s power, and again about how much he cares. When we are sharing our testimony, or the gospel message, it is not our articulate presentation, our curated analogies, or our eloquent language that helps that to hit home with people. It is God using us, and God softening people’s hearts so that they are in a position to hear.
Reflect today on the barriers that you have put up to speaking about your faith. Reflect on your perception about how much God cares about your willingness to try, and how that is much more important than ‘doing it well’.
Prayer – Lord God, help me hold onto this image of living life in a way that is honouring and pleasing to you. Remind me that seeking praise from people will be a fruitless labour.