Praise, as We have Never Heard Before!

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"Then each one's praise will come from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5).

Everybody knows that the choir in Heaven is solid gold, and we know that the worship there is endless. But what most of us don’t realize is that our first days in glory are going to be filled with praise — praise, as we have never heard before.

It will not be the sound of our voices praising God. No. Rather, it will be the astounding sound of God—are you ready for this?—praising us!

You don’t believe me? Listen to what the Bible says: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God” (1 Co.4:5, NKJV).

Only God really knows what is in a man’s heart; He alone sees and understands the deepest secrets, the fondest hopes, the truest motives — even when these are somewhat soiled by our own carnality. This is why we are expressly told to not judge one another. The truth is we do not know what is in another man’s heart; we only know what is in our own. Our judgment of another, then, is the trumpeting aloud of our own hidden faults.

When you and I stand before the Lord in Heaven, He is going to bring out into the open all the undeveloped gifts, abilities, treasures, dreams, possibilities, and show what He had in mind all along when He created us. He is going to show how these things stirred our deepest imaginations and filled us with holy desire to live for Him—even if we did not fully realize it all.

And then He is going to publicly render His opinion, His judgment, about these things and then — here it comes — give us praise! Imagine it; the Lord Himself praising you for the way you lived your life in honor of His name!

He has seen each deed -- great or small -- which we have done for His glory. And on that Day when we stand before Him in the assembly of the Ages, we will hear Him openly declare for all to hear the depth of His Own great admiration for even the simplest moments of our faithful service!

What a day that will be! A Day filled with Praise, as we have never heard before!
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