Exceptional Answering a tricky question with scripture Does God Ever Praise Men? by Deniz22

Do you think God ever praises men? I know some Christians get apoplexed at the very thought. "God is so holy and men are such worms...shall the Creator praise His creature?" This is stated with an appropriate shudder, to presumably ward off the evil thought! If you ever try to legitimately praise (not flatter) an individual of that persuasion, you might get an icy stare...or an embarrassed, "It's all God." Which, if thought out, becomes a spiritual paradox. "Its all God" can quite easily be taken as a claim to infallibility...so there you are, back at square one..."stealing" glory from God! And this the LAST thing the embarrassingly humble one wants to do! Is there a balanced position on this matter? Hmm, I know! Lets see what the Bible says about it! :) God "bragged" about Job to the Devil...remember? Job 1:8: Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Here we observe, not only DOES God praise men, we also see WHY He praises men. High praise from the Highest for Godly living! Oh, that we might experience such praise too, and for the same reason. Wonder of wonders, the Scripture promises many other believers will receive praise from God as well as Job! The Apostle Paul, in reference to the judgment of the believer's works said, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. AT THAT TIME EACH WILL RECEIVE THEIR PRAISE FROM GOD." 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 It must be said also, that sadly, many believers will be ashamed before Christ. Not lost, because salvation is a free, unreturnable, none retractable gift from God through Christ. But, still, ashamed for the paucity of spiritual works in our lives. Much of this shame will stem directly from how we avoided standing for, and speaking for, Christ and His Gospel. Mark 8:38: Christ said; "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." Let us overcome our natural timidity by the power of the Spirit so we can share the Gospel of the grace of God, whether we are applauded or scoffed at for so doing. John 12:42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. True believers can choose which praise means the most to them...God's or men's? Recognized Author Notes There simply is no "general Judgment" so often alluded to by the misinformed. Persons with faith in Christ already have eternal life (John 5:24). Our WORKS will be judged (what we did for Christ by the Spirit). Persons who die without faith in Christ will eventually be brought from Hell to be judged for their works as well. Then they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, originally created for the Devil and His angels (Demons). Believe like the Devil, live like Hell and wind up in the Lake of Fire. Remember, people who go there do so AGAINST the will of God, and so have no one to blame except themselves. John 6:40 states this basic truth, Jesus speaking: "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.Ã?????Ã????Ã???Ã??Ã?¢?? "Seeing" the Son really means to believe scripture concerning Him. This is the true sight of faith.

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