1 Thessalonians 2:4

but even as we have been approved of God to be intrusted with the gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God who proverb our hearts.

Some little popularity had accrued to the name of Paul because of the astounding success he had achieved among the Thessalonians; but, in the light of the widely circulated rumors concerning it, Paul here rejected any notion that he was overly pleased by it or that he, in any manner, coveted the praise of men. Not only did he know the fickleness of the popular mind, but he also recognized the moral difficulties incurred by "men-pleasers." He also, in this verse, called attention to the sacred responsibility of preaching the whole truth, an obligation and trust vested in him by the Father himself. As Kelcy said, "The perfect tense indicates not only a past act but a continuous state."[9]

God who proveth our hearts ... It is only partially true that the "heart" in Biblical thought is "the intellect." As Lispcomb said:

Common experience ought to show that the mind alone is not the heart. Many things are memorized and retained in the mind of which the heart does not take hold at all; they do not arouse the emotions or volitions, consequently do not affect the heart.[10]

The Saviour also made a distinction between "heart" and "mind" (Mark 12:29). Following are two good definitions of "heart" as used in the New Testament:

Heart is the seat not so much of emotions as of volition and intellect, the center of moral decision.[11]

It denotes the sum total of our inward dispositions, including our intellect and will as well.[12]

The entirety of a preacher's heart, regarding especially his motivation and intention, are constantly in view of the Lord; and Paul here declares to men that which only God could know, namely, that his soul was absolutely pure in these respects.

[9] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 41.

[10] David Lipscomb, Commentary on 1Thessalonians (Nashville: The Gospel Advocate Company, 1976), p. 26.

[11] Ronald A. Ward, op. cit., p. 809.

[12] Leon Morris, op. cit., p. 45.