Words to Cling To

"Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God"- John 12:42 (NIV). 

Trying to straddle this world and Jesus' is impossible. Human praise won't mean a thing when we stand before our Judge one day. What catches my attention though are the last three words of the verse: "praise from God." I've always thought of praise as being in one direction, to God. It stands to reason, just as an earthly father praises his child, why wouldn't a heavenly Father praise His child? My earthly father and I shared a closer relationship when he was elderly. Before that, he was a man of little word and little presence. I remember clearly the day he told me he was proud of me. Oh how I clung to those three words: "proud of me." But what is human praise compared to Godly praise? Imagine my joy upon reading today's Scripture and reading that my Heavenly Father has praise for me. For all the people of the world who feel forgotten or unappreciated, know this: God has praise for you. Those are the words to cling to.