The only thing that really matters, and that really merits our thankfulness to a holy, forgiving God. The rest are simply little side blessings that are given to saved and unsaved alike, and are inconsequential in the eternal scheme of things.
If we try to show how "good" we are, we only reveal our shortcomings and self-centeredness. But if we talk about Jesus, then we talk about someone who is truly good and more than worthy of our praise. Talk is cheap. If we only do it around those who will slap us on the back and tell us how "good" we are, it only reveals our fleshy self-centeredness again. But if we do it when we are hated and reviled for it, when people scoff at us and make us feel small, then we are doing it not for our own gratification, but rather we show we are doing it for God and for the greater blessings He will give when we see Him after this life is over. Because His kudos mean much more than kudos that come from other fleshy beings, whether they say they are Christian, atheist, whatever, people's praise is not ever as good as the praise that will come from God when He says "well done good and faithful servant" and that only comes from denying ourselves daily. Do I do it perfectly? Far from it. Therefore I know I am not worthy of any person's praise, because then I know that I have them fooled, just as the pharisees fooled their fellow Jews. Let us instead keep our eyes ever on Jesus, who alone is worthy of praise and all of our kudos.
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Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
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