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What if Jesus meant every word He said? 

Tags: God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, The Bible, Truth, Love, Eternal Life, Salvation, Faith, Holy, Fellowship, Apologetics 

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I'm confused as to how to receive Thanks and compliments

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Spirit Reborn

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PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:21 pm
Okay, I need some help guys sweatdrop

Lately, I've been struggling with receiving thanks, compliments, and praise. As well, I've also struggled with giving thanks to others. Please note that I have no problems at all with Thanking God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit- as separate and as a whole.

The last thing I want to feel is pride for anything that I've 'accomplished'.
Maybe I'm being a pessimist in my own abilities/talents/whathaveyou but I want to be perfectly humble as best as I can. I've read scriptures on boasting and being humble and all that and I just feel so awful when I receive thanks, compliments, and praise. I don't want them to focus on me as being great or anything. I want the world to focus on Jesus/God. I want them to know that God's using me as a vessel to do good deeds. That there is nothing good in me.

So when I thank people ..I don't know how to be polite and show them my appreciation without..feeling like I'm making them boast/prideful for what they've said/done. Does that make sense? D:

This whole thing has been kind of a big deal for me recently.

Is there another way to say Thank you but implying that ..God is great because He's worked through them to say/do good things?

And visa versa when it comes to receiving Thanks/praise/compliments?

How can I say that.. "It's not me you should Thank or focus on, it's God" in a polite and non-offending way?

Because the last thing I want to do is push them away from God by saying something like that. The whole purpose is for them to focus on Him instead of my good deeds.

Ugh..I don't know. I feel so lost. I appreciate any insight and even Scripture to help me understand what's going on. ♥ Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this.  
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:56 pm
Ask for forgiveness and for God to help you out if you feel that you have been prideful. God can help us work through these things since we all have our flaws 3nodding

I'm not sure why one would feel awful receiving compliments unless they weren't used to it from perhaps people close to them like their own family. I remember I didn't get a ton of compliments growing up so when I went to a truly loving place of believers and they complimented me and told me things, I was thrown for a loop because I didn't know how to respond. It's always nice to say, "Thank you," or return a compliment to the other person like if you and a friend were wearing dresses and your friend said, "I love your dress! It looks great on you!" and you said, "You, too!" because you thought the same about her. Although, only say it if you mean it.

If we put our whole heart into that "thank you" - then I'm sure that it's pleasing to God that we are showing kindness as well. It depends what they say, too. For example, if they say, "You are so talented!" you could say, "Praise God, He gave me these gifts through The Holy Spirit!" Or if someone says, "Thank you for telling me those words - I needed to hear it." You could then say, "I thank God that He gave me the right words to say," and something like praying with that individual would be necessary. Things like that.

Sometimes, as believers - we need to make sure what we say isn't rude. However, some people will consider kindness as rudeness because they don't enjoy the response, don't hear it a lot, or don't care for it because they are more worldly.

A verse came to mind about your situation and I will post it:

Revelation 22:8 - 11 NIV

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”  

Aquatic_blue

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911child

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:32 am
For receiving praise, i would just tell the person plainly that all that you accomplished is not by your strength, but by Gods.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13

Psalm 121:2
New King James Version (NKJV)
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

As For giving others praise, i think its ok but say like "Thank God/Praise God for the strength to accomplish.." Something like that.  
PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 7:56 am
You should take pride in your abilities, so long as it is not crossing the line of being too boastful. You are God's creation, and were made in the image of him. I am almost kind of tired of people saying 'thank God, not me', because you are God's creation and everyone deserves compliments/praise. You are his creation. Take pride in that.  

Karo Kiba

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Spirit Reborn

Friendly Citizen

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:45 pm
Thank you all for your insightful advice. It has helped me in how to go about this issue.

I definitely would appreciate any more answers/advice : )  
PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 2:18 pm
Proverbs 25:6-7

6 Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of the great;
7 For it is better that he say to you,
“Come up here,”
Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

In this case, it shows that you are being exalted as in Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So, it's a good thing. I too make a point to tell people it's not me. I'm kind of a counselor for people and they come to me, but I make a point that God is all knowing and loving, and only he has the answers. I'm just a creation like everyone else. In high school, I didn't take compliments well because of low self-esteem, but that changed when I recommitted myself to Christ and learned to love myself more.  

Servant Reborn

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