September 8, 2008
Compliments Given Here

READ: 1 Corinthians 4:1-8
Each one’s praise will come from God. �? Corinthians 4:5Artist Tom Greaves knows how to give compliments. He designed a bright red-and-white-striped box for an art exhibit in Washington, DC, called “The Compliment Machine.�?As people walk by, the machine dishes out compliments from an internal iPod. It says things like, “Your eyes are beautiful,�?“You smell good,�?and “People are drawn to your positive energy.�?/P>

Greaves won’t say what his motive is for the box, other than that it’s in response to a saccharine culture in which everyone is special and nobody is criticized, regardless of performance.

Everybody loves to hear a compliment now and then; that is, if it’s genuine. It makes us feel good about ourselves to have the approval or admiration of others—for a few minutes at least. The apostle Paul, though, looked at what others thought of him or even what he thought of himself as “a very small thing�?(1 Cor. 4:3). He said, “He who judges me is the Lord�?(v.4). He knew that one day our hearts will be revealed, and “then each one’s praise will come from God�?(v.5).

Could there be any greater compliment than this from our heavenly Father when we meet Him: “Well done, good and faithful servant�?(Matt. 25:23).  �?Anne Cetas

What joy ’twill be to hear Him say,
“Rejoice, My child, well done!
You’ve fought the battles there on earth,
The victor’s crown you’ve won.�?—Sherbert

Work well done for Christ will receive a “well done�?from Christ.