"Combustible Praise"

 "For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:43 KJV)

  "You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9 NLT)

 This might not seem like such a hard thing to figure out, but it really depends on where your heart is; because if your heart is in the wrong place, you will probably not be able to see it. Had Peter known what he was going to do, would he have done it differently? Well, truth be told, he was told by Jesus, just hours before, "You will deny me three times." So, technically, he knew, he just didn't believe it could happen! 

 There are a lot of things that I have done, looking back upon, I can't believe I actually did them. "What was I thinking," was my reaction, as I reminded myself of this or that, remembering the thing, but at the same time, wondering what allowed me to do it. God is always watching! He sees the thoughts in your mind and the intentions of your heart; you do not get away with anything! 

 So, that is the practical points that we must understand; now, we must consider the applicable points, as in what manner of person you should be, knowing that you have no way to hide! We are talking about godly men, those that actually pray to God, speak of God, and teach others who God is, sharing the things that He has done, can do, and will do, soon enough! 

 We must fix our eyes upon heaven; it must be more important to us than this life, as hard as that might be to imagine, it must be so! All of this will soon be gone; fix your heart on Him...

"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:23-25 NLT)