better than the next

Have you ever received a compliment that really was not all that encouraging?

I once heard a story of a pastor who was told after church, "Every Sunday your teaching is better than the next." He said, "Why thank you. Those kind words are so encouraging."

But then the pastor went home and began to think it over. If "every Sunday you teach is better than the next"...than you are headed on a downhill slide.

It's easy to let people's comments get you down. But for every negative, there are probably 10 positives that you've forgotten. We (self included) tend to fixate on the negative. But what good does that do?

Just keep doing your best and learning to depend on God more and more. Jesus said, "When someone slaps you on the cheek, smile and say: 'Thank you may I have another?'" Easier said than done.