Category: Testing

Tested by Praise - Proverbs 27:21

10/2/2012

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

One of the wisest things ever said to me was said by a Australian professor at the seminary that I attended in Memphis, Tennessee. He told us that the most difficult test we will ever have in life is to experience praise and success. That will test you in ways you are not ready to handle - unless you have truly embraced the humility of Christ in your life. Today's proverb tell us the same thing - that we will be tested by the praise that is given to us.

The picture that is painted for us is that of a crucible and a furnace. These two things are used to refine silver and gold. The process begins with the base ore being put into the crucible. As the heat increases the valuable metal sinks into the crucible, while the junk rises to the top. The one refining the ore scraps the slag from the top of the crucible. Over time more impurities come to the top - and each time they are scraped off revealing purer and purer silver or gold. So the picture that is painted for us is that of a purifying process brought on by heat and stress on the metal.

In a similar way, we are tested when praise and success comes our way. We are faced with a choice when this happens. We can either believe our own press and think we really are awesome - or - we can be realistic about things and know that any goodness in us is solely due to God's grace and goodness. The opposite of this response is pride. We begin to take pride in ourselves and our accomplishments. We have the audacity to think we are the cause and the wisdom of our own works. Yet any good thing seen in us is the grace of God at work.

I've watched this process in the my own life and in the lives of others. Nothing tests us like praise that comes our way. I watched a very successful church that was praised begin to think they deserved the praise for what they were going. It was a trerrifying thing to watch God first remove His presence from the church - and then begin to discipline the church for their arrogance and pride. The moment we think that anything but God's grace is responsible for our success and praise, in that moment we have miserably failed the test.

A wise man knows that his first response to praise should be one of two things. Either he expresses gratefulness to the one who had praised him - or he immediately deflects the praise offered to God Who is truly responsible for what has happened. Let us therefore be wise and immediately take any praise given to us - and give it to God. May we realize that truly any good seen in us is a result of the grace and mercy of God. That is the way to pass the test of praise offered to us.

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Letting Junior Know What is Coming . . . Proverbs 1:10

8/1/2010

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My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. Proverbs 1:10

Here we are given an inside seat to a spectacle that takes place every day. This event is when a fool or group of fools approach a person to entice him to join with them in their ungodly schemes. This is something we need to see because as Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes, there really is nothing new under the son. Men have tried to get others to join with their gang to do mischief for numerous generations. The lies are pretty much unchanged - and yet they are good to know ahead of time so that we are not taken in by the offers of fools whose only true promise is to get us into serious trouble before everything is over. How young people need to read these words and profit from rejecting them ahead of time.

Here a father speaks to his son to warn him against such foolish company - and against their foolish offers to "cut him in on the action." His first instructive comment is to refer to those who do such things as "sinners." What is instructive about this word is the comment made by Zhodiates that this word is used, "to describe those who, by their actions, are under the wrath and judgment of God and face ultimate destruction." In Psalm 104:35 we are told that these folks will be consumed from the earth - and in Isaiah 1:28 that they will be crushed and will come to their end by the hand of God.

The father warns that these people will come to "entice" them. They will come with words to try to allure, persuade, and deceive. They want to convince this young man to join with them as they plan to do their evil deeds. This may sound all melodramatic to some who read this - but that is only because the world has done a good job of mocking this kind of talk. They do so by overdramatizing the father or the spiritual guide - making him sound stupid when he warns of such things. Their effectiveness has only dulled the minds of our children to those who truly will come to them with such wicked counsel. In the end they only make it easier for the criminal and harder for the parent or mentor. This father is doing a good thing in warning his son about this kind of interview. His advice to his son is not to consent. In the end the boy is going to have to make a decision on his own. Eventually every child will leave the home and will face temptation to do evil. If we do not instruct them - they will face this without godly counsel on their side. This father does an admirable job of letting his son hear the enticing words ahead of time. But the father does so with additional commentary explaining to his son just where such counsel will lead.

Hey dad, let me ask you a question. Are you preparing your son to face these things? Are you taking the time to let him hear the kind of things he is going to be told - and then put them into the context of where they will take him? There is a kind of Christian parenting that is going on today that does not think kids should be exposed to anything that is remotely wrong. I agree with this when it comes to exposing them to such things and encouraging them to do them. But what this godly father is doing is exposing his son to the reality of what wicked men will say to him one day. He is letting his son know the arguments - the offers - the lies that will be told to him. Then he is taking those statements and dismantling them before his son. He does so by showing his son where such lies will lead him. The warning his boy receives is a wise one - and one that we would do well to teach to our own children as well. When we think that placing them into a world without any form of tempation of proposed evil will protect them - we may be deceiving ourselves. One day they won't be with us - and an evil man will approach with his slick lies. What will they do then? Will they know how to stand and resist the lies? Maybe . . . maybe not. The only way we can prepare them for such a day is to teach them by exposing them to what will be said - as well as the sure judgment and destruction that comes with the lifestyle that will result.

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Hearts of Silver and Gold! Proverbs 17:3

3/17/2010

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The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts. Proverbs 17:3

In order to purify sliver it is put into a crucible or refining pot and heated to very high temperatures so that the dross can be scraped off the top. What is left is highly purified silver. Gold is similar in that the higher the purity the higher the value. Thus gold is put into a furnace to accomplish the same process. What this proverb says is that what the pot is to the silver and the furnace is to gold, God is to the hearts of men.

We read in the New Testament of Peter's comments in this same vein. "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6-7) James also tells us of the blessing of testing and trial in our lives when he writes, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4). So according to both this proverb of God and the New Testament, the purifying process that God uses to test our hearts is a blessing. Why then do we have entire doctrinal systems in Christianity that disdain this process and only want health, wealth, and prosperity to be our lot?

The answer to this is a lack of teaching that involves the entire counsel of God. Another reason for this also may be our affluent and oppulent lives in our world today. We seek to insulate ourselves from any bad thing happening to us - or any kind of negative setback. We have insurance and government protection to keep us from having the negative affect us too much. The problem is that God is absolutely committed to our hearts being refined so that we will be holy and godly men and women. What that means in the long run is that God is also committed to bankrupting our entire system if that is what is requires to eventually get to our hearts. There is a scary scenario - yet one that I fear is getting closer every day.

God tells us in Romans that all things do work together for good for those who love the Lord and who live according to His ways and purposes. What many don't do is read the next several verses where God says that His purpose is that we are conformed to the image of His Son - that we become holy men and women whose character reflects that of Jesus Christ Himself. For fallen men and women that means testing.

If we could hear silver and gold as it is put into the pot and the furnace - my guess is that they do not particularly enjoy the entire process - even though in the end they are refined and far more valuable. Neither do we find that process of trial and testing all that fun either. It is hard - and often it is stressful. It is a difficult thing to encounter - and many times it reveals rather embarassing sins in our lives. Yet as the dross is lifted off our hearts in this process - there comes out something that God can mightily use.

Am I volunteering for trials and testings . . . no, but I know that if I want to draw nearer to the Lord and be further conformed into the image of His beloved Son, they are coming. It is just a comforting reminder that in this process the Lord does not have it our for me. To the contrary, this is done out of His utmost love and desire for me to know Him better and relect the heart of His son. Remember this next time you find yourself in the refining pot. He loves you through it all - and more than anything else, all this is working to show forth the glorious perfections of His Son within you.

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Wavering, Waffling, and Wasted Water . . . Proverbs 25:26

11/25/2009

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Like a trampled spring and a polluted well Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. Proverbs 25:26

A spring or well holds such promise. When we come to one or hear of one there is the hope of clear fresh water. We can drink and be refreshed. Yet to come to one and find it trampled to where it is dirty and filled with mud and pollutants is such a disheartening thing. This is true in the realm of water - but how much more so when applied to the lives of godly men.

This trampled spring or polluted well is actually a godly, righteous man who surrenders and gives way before the wicked. Giving way has the idea of wavering, wobbling and shaking before one falls. The fall is imminent and that is what all the movement indicates is coming. The Hebrew also indicates it can be a foot slipping or a fire flaming out.

This picture in the Hebrew is applied to a righteous man who faces the true test of his righteousness. THE test is when he stands before the wicked. He faces standing in righteousness when it may cost him dearly. The test may be as little as the disagreement of others - and it may be as large as facing martyrdom for his stand. Regardless the situation, this righteous man chooses instead to give way - to wobble and totter in his views. He changes his mind - or acts contrary to it. His pollution and trampling come as a result of not standing firm in his convictions. He does not hold to the Word in such situations - but gives way before the world instead.

There are so many men and women in history who have given way before the wicked. They have chosen the way of peace - at least peace on this earth. There will be no peace for them in the end when they stand before God. But they do not want to rock the boat. The conclusion of such matters is that a life that could have been so refreshing to others is trampled and polluted. Now all it does it disappoint those who needed a refreshing drink. What they could have offered is ruined - because they chose to waver in their faith before the wicked.

There is hope for those who have thus fallen in the New Testament. Peter gave way before the wicked - and that could have been the final message of his life. Fortunately for him Christ came and offered grace and forgiveness. He called Peter to repentance - and then back to usefulness. In no way do I want to lessen the truth of this passage - that righteous men need to stand in righteous views when the wicked come wanting them to compromise. Godly men need to remain godly when the ungodly want them to "tone it down" and lower their standards (which most often means to lower the standards of Scripture). We do need to stand firm and hold to the Word rather than the world. But, when we do fall, it is good to know that when we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive them. Nevertheless, we need to be wise and stand firm when confronted by the wicked. To do otherwise may mean allowing a well or spring that could offer many a fresh drink of the water of the Word, nothing more than the muddy, polluted waters of sinful compromise with the world. There are plenty of places where you can be served a drink of that kind of swill. Yet in our world a drink of living water - that kind of refreshment can only be had from one who remains true to the True Spring - who remains true to the One Who can give you a drink from which you will never thirst again.

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Proverb A DAy

Tested by Praise - Proverbs 27:21

Letting Junior Know What is Coming . . . Proverbs 1:10

Hearts of Silver and Gold! Proverbs 17:3

Wavering, Waffling, and Wasted Water . . . Proverbs 25:26

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​Proverb A DAy

Tested by Praise - Proverbs 27:21

Letting Junior Know What is Coming . . . Proverbs 1:10

Hearts of Silver and Gold! Proverbs 17:3

Wavering, Waffling, and Wasted Water . . . Proverbs 25:26

Proverb a Day

Archives

Proverb A DAy