Purity of the heart………….

“The purity of silver and gold is tested
by putting them in the fire;
The purity of human hearts is tested
by giving them a little fame”.    Prov. 27:21 MSG Bible

The crucible imagery is showing that getting praise is a very serious matter.   So serious that when we are receiving it our ears should perk up and our spirit should focus quickly on the matter.  

It is a test that shows if we are positively trusting God or if we are negatively oriented towards the flesh.   A spiritual person will be praised and it is not anything that can be helped.   A spiritual person passes the test of the crucible of praise because they are ever poised to pass it on to God.

Man is the only creature in all of God’s creation who must choose to acknowledged and give God glory.  Man alone has a free will that he might choose to honor God.  He must for it is a sin for man to receive honor and not give it to God.  It is a test that many fail.

Sometimes praise is sincere and sometimes it is flattery.   If the praise you receive is only flattery, you will regret the praise later when the motive is exposed: you will have been trapped by your pride.

When a person sincerely praises you, be careful because even then it is a test.  You have been placed in the crucible.   It is not necessarily that you are being set up, but be careful because what you do with it tells if you are carnal and prideful or if you understand yourself to be a servant of the Lord.  

Be careful with all praise, because even if it is sincere it should be received with your eyes open in a way that your spirit considers the Lord.   Give God the glory and let the praiser know you are thankful to be His servant.

You are the light of the world, not so men worship you, but so that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

We will fail the test if we are weak in faith.   That is an unavoidable fact. 

 If we are walking with the Lord, we are going to bear fruit.   We must be ready to give thanks to God! 

Pray for wisdom and a discerning heart to avoid the pitfalls of pride.

Praise is like a hot furnace revealing what a person is really made of.   The praise that instilled humility in David only brought to the surface the dross in Saul’s heart to reveal his pride and personal desires.