Our Only Boast

 

^“But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.”

1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 ESV

 

We live in a very selfish culture. We live in a culture of self-seeking people and behavior. We live in a culture where the ultimate goal of most is both status and recognition.

 

For this reason, we boast in our accomplishments. We brag about our successes. And we put our achievements on full display.

 

We boast, for example, in our education. We boast in the awards and honors we’ve received. We boast in our wealth. And we boast in our status, in relation to others.

 

As believers, this tendency to boast doesn’t seem to fade. It remains. We maintain a continuing desire to boast before both God and man.

 

We boast most often about our behavior. We boast most often about our obedience. And we tend to boast about our perceived status.

 

We boast in the fact that we don’t smoke, drink, or chew, and that we don’t go out with girls who do. We boast in the fact that we attend church every week and that we read our Bible daily. We boast in the fact that we teach Sunday School, that we’ve assisted with the youth group, and that we serve on the church council.

 

However, as believers, our boasting should be found not in our perceived successes.  It should not be found in our perceived obedience. And it should not be found in our perceived spiritual maturity.

 

As we look at the above passage, we see the source of Paul’s boasting before Jesus. We see the source of his joy, as he stood in the Lord’s presence. And it didn’t have anything to do with his own personal sense of righteousness.

 

The source of his boasting was the Thessalonians, themselves. The source of his joy was the Thessalonians, themselves. The source of his hope was their faith and salvation.

 

When I say this, I don’t mean to imply that he was taking the credit for their salvation. He rejoiced in the fact that they had received the salvation of the Lord. And they were dear to him as they had done so through his ministry.

 

In the same way, when the Lord comes, we cannot boast in ourselves. When we stand before the Lord, we cannot boast in any of our perceived accomplishments. We can boast only in the salvation that God has provided. We can boast only in the salvation he’s granted to others. We can boast and rejoice only in the work that he has accomplished through us for the salvation of the lost.