9. I do not want you to think I am trying to scare you with my letters.
10. Some people say, “Paul’s letters are powerful and sound important, but when he is with us, he is weak. And his speaking is nothing.”
11. They should know this: We are not there with you now, so we say these things in letters. But when we are there with you, we will show the same authority that we show in our letters.
12. We do not dare to compare ourselves with those who think they are very important. They use themselves to measure themselves, and they judge themselves by what they themselves are. This shows that they know nothing.
13. But we will not brag about things outside the work that was given us to do. We will limit our bragging to the work that God gave us, and this includes our work with you.
14. We are not bragging too much, as we would be if we had not already come to you. But we have come to you with the Good News of Christ.
15. We limit our bragging to the work that is ours, not what others have done. We hope that as your faith continues to grow, you will help our work to grow much larger.
16. We want to tell the Good News in the areas beyond your city. We do not want to brag about work that has already been done in another person’s area.
17. But, “If people want to brag, they should brag only about the Lord.”
18. It is not those who say they are good who are accepted but those the Lord thinks are good.