Be Still And Know

1 Thessalonians 2:4-5 For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. Paul often faced accusations. He was accused of acting out of self-interest, of being deceitful and all manner of other things. He knew that the whole of his ministry and the progress of the Christian mission depended on his integrity and so he was always eager to rebut these accusations. But in facing up to his critics, Paul made it very clear in this passage that he had never aimed to please people. His absolute priority was to do what God wanted. It is very tempting for anyone in leadership to make pleasing people their goal. We all want to be liked and so we are naturally inclined to do those things that win people’s approval. This was a classic mark of the Pharisees, who so often focused their energies on impressing the people around them. In their p