APPRECIATION!    DFO997   23/4/78

         1. THE LORD GIVES LOTS OF PEOPLE CREDIT! He said of Andrew, "Behold an Israelite in whom is no guile!"--& of David, "You're a man after My Own heart!"--& of Job, "Who is like unto him in all the Earth?" (Jn.1:47; Ac.13:22; Job 1:8)--& He is going to give us credit: "Well done, thou good & faithful servant!" (Mt.25:21)
         2. So the Lord knows that encouragement is very important. (Maria: But some people may say, "Well, Jesus does it all, so if we give them too much credit they're going to think it's of themselves.") Jesus doesn't do it all, we do part of it, & He helps us do it. God gives you the basics to begin with & wants to see what you're going to do with it, both your body & talents & all the rest, but you've got to work on it! If people try hard to make themselves attractive & admirable, I think they always ought to be commended.
         3. Almost everybody needs encouragement! Most people are not really conceited, but feel a certain amount of inferiority complex & tend to get a little discouraged with themselves, so therefore I think encouragement is a very important thing! I do it all the time! I praise everybody for everything they do that I see is good.
         4. Children thrive on praise! It's more important to praise a child for his good works & his good behaviour than it is to scold him for his bad behaviour. Always accentuate the positive! One of the worst things you can do is pick on every little fault, always belittling, nagging, henpecking!--And that will really break up marriages!
         5. "Choose the good & eschew the evil." (1Pet.3:11) "Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; if there be any virtue, & if there be any praise, think on these things!" (Phil.4:8)--That applies to your mate as well! Try to remind yourself constantly of his or her good qualities, the good things, & try not to think about the bad things.
         6. All the way through the Bible the Lord commended people for their good works, & He promises to reward us for our good work. It has nothing to do with our salvation, which is a free gift, but it's our service & good works for Him that He especially commends! Thank God that He really appreciates our sacrifice & the things we do for Him beyond the call of duty!