Hot Words

This was part of the Scripture passage in my inbox this morning:
The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.--Proverbs 27:21

I know I must have read this before; I've read through Proverbs many times. But this verse has never struck me before. Today, I realized how true it was. We gladly welcome words of praise, but through them our lives are purified, our hearts tested. Praise so often draws to the surface the pride in our lives, at least it does in mine. I suppose this is good; impurities are skimmed off when they come to the surface of gold and silver being heated. Praise lights that fire so that God may draw out the taint in our hearts.

It's starting to feel hot around here...
-J

(c) 2007