Guess how it ends!
If you were to guess how the following Bible verse ends, how would
you complete it?
"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait
till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in
darkness and will expose the motives of mens hearts. At that time
. . . ____________________________" (I Corinthians 4:5, pg.
965)
Please don't read any further until youve tried to predict what
goes in that blank.
Is God going to yell at you? Berate you? Punish you? No. None
of those will occur to a person who has trusted Christ for forgiveness.
Listen to how it ends.
"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait
till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in
darkness and will expose the motives of mens heart. At that time
EACH WILL RECIEVE HIS PRAISE FROM GOD." (I Corinthians 4:5,
pg. 965)
Surprised? God is going to praise you at the judgment!
What for?
Well, lets take a look at what He praised some people for in the
Bible.
"When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning
to the crowd following him, he said, `I tell you, I have not found
such great faith even in Israel.'" (Luke 7:9, pg. 871)
"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.
I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested
those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them
false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,
and have not grown weary." (Revelation 2:2, pg. 1034)
"I know where you live -- where Satan has his throne. Yet
you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in
me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was
put to death in your city -- where Satan lives." (Revelation
2:13, pg. 1034)
If God were writing a letter to you and wanted to compliment you
for something He sees in your life, what would it be? __________________________________________
Take time to talk back to Him in a prayer just graciously receiving
the compliment. Sometimes its difficult but always encouraging!