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The Testing of Praise

by Ken Barnes  
11/22/2019 / Christian Living

The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each is tested by the praise accorded him. (Proverbs 27:21 NASB

Most people enjoy a good compliment, yet the praise afforded you, if not appropriately received, can be more detrimental to your character than your trials.

Trials such as uncomplimentary things people may say about us, by nature, often produce humility in our lives. On the other hand, tributes given to us can sometimes engender pride in our hearts. It is not so much the praise that is problematic, but how we start to conclude that we deserve this public applause. The Christian life is a cooperative effort between God and man, but at times our thinking about what we do and God does, becomes a little skewed. We start to take added credit for our success than is warranted.   Our arrogance becomes clear when we lose a measure of gratefulness to God and others who have generally been part of our success. When we are on this slippery slope, others can see it in us, but we cannot see it in ourselves. Pride always blinds us to our faults.   Due to our vanity, we need someone around us that loves us enough to tell us the truth

Am I saying, that you can never receive a sincere compliment, of course not? We are called to affirm each other. A simple thank you will suffice for any commendation, yet we must also realize that all blessings ultimately come from God, and without him, we can do nothing.

Publically confessing that we have a propensity to take God’s glory is the antidote to pride. You will only be telling people what they already know.  They will be glad that you recognize it also.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission. My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine. I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. [email protected]

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