Good day ladies!
I hope and pray you are all striving on in all godliness and truth, being holy women of a holy, holy, holy God.
We're having a hot spell weather wise here so they are good days to be indoors (with the blessing of air-conditioning) and catch up on things.
Yesterday I shared a bit on the subject of flattery...which would be, in short, "insincere praise" of someone and not good.
Today I wanted to talk of sincere and good praise we should have and give to others.
We are not to be praising ourselves in any way of course!
"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips."
Proverbs 27:2
That would be pride and God hates it. By the grace of God we are who we are now. We are not worthy of His love in sending His Son. How grateful we ought to be and serve Him joyfully for all He has done for us. And give Him all the praise! For He hath done all things well! We deserve death and hell for our sins but praise the Lord for calling us out into His truth and light and turning us into His saints, His daughters (if we are truly His)!
There is a time and place for good and true praise of others. Among the believers, it is to encourage each other in godly living. And it will be in truth.
"Let all things be done unto edifying."
1 Corinthians 14:26
"Let all your things be done with charity."
1 Corinthians 16:14
There is a time and place for the opposite too.
Paul wrote this...
"...what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not."
1 Corinthians 11:22
That's because of sin, sisters. There is a time for rebukes if needed. Paul commanded Timothy...
"Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear."
1 Timothy 5:20
Sin is a fearful thing as it separates us from God. Remembering rebukes, if done right, are in love just as God does it out of love to His children.
This verse shows the false and insincere praise of God that many have...
"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."
Matthew 15:8
...just as they can insincerely praise people which is flattery.
But who are we godly women looking to please?
"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
John 12:42-43
Yes that's a good point to ponder. Who are we looking to please, God or man? I hope the answer is that we are God-pleasers.
A godly woman will not be out looking for praise, no. Nor doing her works to be seen of men. She will be content to live to please God...looking for His praise, and praising Him. But...
"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
Proverbs 31:30-31
Many worldly people flatter others for their "good looks" and "beauty". May our works, which are modelling God's true and holy ways, and our pure hearts be all a person sees of us godly and biblically dressed women. And may God be glorified in us.
The love and encouragement of the true brethren is a blessing as we each encourage to press on to love and good works. Any praise we give will be in truth, in what is godly and good; sincere praises versus insincere praise which is flattery.
I have praises for those who are my sisters in the Lord, for those who do the will of God.
"And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Matthew 12:49-50
That's amazing really. We get a new family in the body of Christ...not related to earthly family...but all one with God as our Father, brothers and sisters in Christ.
The greatest marker of this family is love for each other...because we all love God...because He first loved us. That's amazing to think about. Some of you might not have had, or have, very good earthly family, some might have died or some might have treated you badly and most likely rejected you for your faith. But what a greater treasure to have spiritual family who have all been bought with the precious blood of Christ...and who you will be with in the presence of God for eternity!
In the past, I didn't know godly love. I thought of all the people who say they were believers yet there was sin and great differences of belief between me and them. I couldn't feel close to them. There was no real unity that God says His people must have. I wondered what was wrong with me. From what I have learned now, sadly most are not God's people because God's people LOVE and OBEY God, keeping His commandments, whereas most people today aren't too interested in doing that to the fullest.
So now I know what it is like to truly love and to be loved in the family of God. It is a rare treasure and so scarce to find. I praise the saints I know for loving God and loving others:-) Thank you for loving with a godly love and caring for my soul (even though you didn't know me at first)!
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
John 13:35
I wouldn't be writing to you if it wasn't for the love of these saints. Remember what it says in 1 Corinthians 13 about love? It says it seeks not her own. Yes true love is about giving and serving, and loving God and keeping His commands in truth. It's not fleshly emotional love. It doesn't overlook sin. It tells the truth from God's Word about your soul and destination if you don't repent. I must say it is not what the churches are filled with today. (Must I remind you ladies that 1 John 3:14-15 says if you don't love, you don't have God?)
Yes we are to love the people of the world also (and the false Christians) and that is why the saints strive to share the gospel with the lost. It's ours and their only hope.
We do know we most of all will be hated by the world. Our Saviour said it would be so.
But most of all we will be living for the praise of God, knowing we won't have many (if any) true saints around us...and then we may hear these words!
"His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
Matthew 25:23
Let us work joyfully for Him! He is worthy!
May we be praising God for all His wonderful works and His great salvation! And may we endure daily in the faith, living sincere lives, obediently following Christ.
In closing I leave with this verse.
Love in Christ,
....from a daughter of the Highest
I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised:
2 Samuel 22:4
See the gospel to eternal life here.