Sometimes it can be hard for missionaries and other Christian workers to speak about their work because they fear being 'put on a pedestal', albeit unwittingly. People can speak about them in such glowing terms - "I could never do what you do!"; "You've given so much to the Lord" - that they feel slightly embarrassed, because their own estimate of themselves and their work is far more realistic. They know that, at the end of the day, whatever they have given to the Lord, they are, at best, 'unprofitable servants'. They are conscious that so much more could have been done and done better.
This can easily lead to another problem, however. Knowing that commending someone for their service may embarrass them or, worse still, may puff them up with pride, nothing is said at all. That can leave a person feeling discouraged, taken for granted and unvalued.
Is there a better way? Reading the New Testament, it seems there must be, because there we find people being commended for their service in a way that is open and natural. Just look for example at Romans 16 where Paul mentions a whole host of individuals, many of whom would no doubt have been present when the letter was read to the church: "Mary...worked very hard for you; Andronicus and Junius...are outstanding among the apostles; Apelles, tested and approved in Christ".
From those examples, it's quite clear that to commend others we don't need to become skilled diplomats, able to find just the right form of words to cover every angle. You know the sort of thing, 'Thank you for what you've done...I mean, what the Lord has done through you'. It doesn't read like that, does it? Paul just says what he thinks, with warmth and honesty. He's not in the business of flattery but is simply acknowledging what is good and blessed.
How could he and others be so straightforward? We seem at times to be very different, with so many hang-ups! Maybe it was because they were resting in a relationship with the Lord which was patently secure because it was so obviously based on his grace alone. When Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:10 of his having "worked harder than all" the other apostles, it could seem as though he was boasting. Rather, he's simply making an honest assessment, yet without any pride on his part for he immediately adds "Yet not I but the grace of God that was with me".
When we grasp that we are loved by God not because of who we are or what we do but simply because of his grace, then we are freed to serve him and others without being hungry for praise that will dispel our insecurity and compensate for a lack of assurance. And within the security of God's love we discover how to praise others too, esteeming them highly in the Lord and valuing what they do for him. Our words of thanks and praise will neither embarrass nor exalt because they will carry the savour of the amazing grace of God.
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