God's glory is satisfactory for us (2 Cor. 10)

"For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." (2 Corinthians 10:18)

When Paul was writing 2 Corinthians, he was having to defend his authority and ministry. There were certain false teachers who were spreading rumors to the church that Paul's ministry was not valid and that his intentions were not honorable. Paul then shifts his tone to boasting. He says "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise."

When I was growing up I would often find myself explaining my actions to my parents. Usually I would say "well, my friend did this...so I did it." Or I would say, "well, my friend failed the test." And everytime, without fail, my parents would say "We don't care about your friend! We care about how you did."

I was comparing myself with others. I was comparing my actions, and my lifestyle with my enviornment. We, as Christians will often find ourselves doing the same thing with our brothers and sisters in Christ. But God is not interested in how we compare with others. He is interested in how we compare to Christ. The reason for this is in verse 17 when Paul quotes Jeremiah "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." Instead of patting ourselves on the back about how good we are living and how we compare with others, our Lord calls us to a higher standard. He calls us to compare ourselves with the perfect One. When we do this everyday we realize that we will never compare with his model, which in turn reminds us of our inadequacies and makes us rely more on the grace of God. In doing this, we bring glory to God. God's glory is what He desires. And when He is glorified in our lives, we are satisfied in our lives.