Praise from God

"No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God."
Romans 2:29 

Apparently a person who has a circumcised heart receives praise from God. It is an interesting analogy that Paul the apostle gives us. He was writing to Jews, people who had followed the written law for thousands of years. What developed over that time was a religion that was more concerned about external appearances than the hearts of people. So they wore the right robes, celebrated the right holidays, attended the temple services, and provided the right animal sacrifices according to the law. Now they were being told that none of this was good enough to satisfy God. They would never attain righteousness in this way. The only way was to except the work of Jesus on the cross, validated by his resurrection. 
    It is still true today. We may do all the right things externally. We may dress well, look good, and generally be nice and respected people. But none of this is what pleases the heart of God. We may gather accolades from men, but this is not what pleases God. We all know that God looks on the heart, not the external appearance of a person, nor the deeds that he or she does. God is interested in our hearts. 
    Spiritual circumcision is the act of cutting away flesh and sin from our lives. These things are deeply engrained. The only way to accomplish it is by the work of the Holy Spirit. The scripture above tells us that this spiritual circumcision is done by the Spirit, not by the written code. You and I cannot make ourselves clean on the inside, only God can. I bring this up because many Christians, including myself, have tried to do this for their entire lives. The reality is; we must submit to God and the work of the Holy Spirit whose ministry is to expose the sin and flesh in our hearts. When we agree with him and allow him to do his work, we will find that the process of spiritual circumcision is being completed in us. It is such a freedom to realize that we don't have to do it ourselves. All we have to do is partner with, and follow the Holy Spirit as he does the work. 
    Everyone loves to receive praise. We love to hear others tell us that we did a good job, or that we look nice. But such praise is temporary. It may make us feel good about ourselves, but it has no eternal value. But when we allow the Holy Spirit to circumcise our hearts and lives, we receive praise from God, not from men. In fact, men may never see the deep work that is being done in our lives. But God will, and he will bless us and praise us because his kingdom is being built within us. Be free from the burden of trying to circumcise your own heart. It will only cause a life of despair. Allow the Holy Spirit to cut away the sin and flesh from your heart and receive your praise from God!