«
»

The Crucible of Praise

November 5th, 2008 by Jeremy Sprouse

Praise can draw people together by the exchange of appreciation. Praise informs people of a job well done and motivates them to greater achievements. Solomon, however, gives us another perspective on praise we need to consider: “the crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him” (Proverbs 27:21). The crucible tests precious metals and reveals the true nature of the metal. Likewise, how we respond to praise will show our true nature. There are two common pitfalls people tend to fall into when they are praised.
The first and most obvious is the pitfall of arrogance. There is nothing wrong with the satisfaction of a job well done or confidence in your ability, but it is easy to become puffed up when everyone is telling you what a good job you did. We begin to think of ourselves more highly than we ought (cf. Romans 12:3) and may even begin to gloat and brag. These actions show our arrogance and a desire to seek our own glory rather than God’s (cf. Matthew 5:16, 6:1).
The second and less obvious is the pitfall of false humility. Praise can be uncomfortable to receive and sometimes we put up a front of false humility. We do this when we respond with something along the lines of: “It was nothing,” “I could do better,” or “It wasn’t that good.” These responses tend to make the one giving the compliment feel uncomfortable and awkward. It says the compliment was incorrect and the one giving the compliment has no taste and doesn’t know what’s good. Realize that wisdom and a job well done will often lead to praise (Proverbs 12:8). Frequently the best response to praise is to simply say: “Thank you.” If you really feel the compliment is unwarranted you could politely ask what they thought was great. This will give you input on what you are doing well and what you should repeat in the future.
The way we react to praise will show whether or not we are truly humble. It can be an opportunity to assess our strengths and shore up our weaknesses or it can be an occasion for stumbling into a pit of arrogance and false humility. A true statement: the vain seek praise, the weak are inflated by praise, but the wise are improved by praise.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 10:39 am and is filed under Bulletin Articles.

Leave a Reply