What Happens When the Heat Is On?

Stories of celebrities showing a lack of discretion and judgment are rampant in today’s culture. Why are so many talented and celebrated individuals suffering embarrassment and shame? Why are many of Hollywood’s best and brightest stars losing their sparkle? A star loses her shine when she is missing the right spark behind her sparkle.

Proverbs 27:21 says, “The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is tested by the praise accorded him.” What do a crucible and a furnace have in common? They are both made to withstand extreme heat. They house and even foster heat, allowing chemical reactions to take place in that which is subject to its fire. As silver and gold are put to the heat test, several things happen:

1. Their properties react. They experience great heat and pressure, which tests their true attributes and traits such as strength, stamina and substance.
2. Their impurities emerge. As impurities separate from the metal, they collect. This collection makes more visible the nature and type of impurities that were present in the metal.
3. Their appearance changes. They melt, becoming more pliable and able to be reshaped. Whoever has control of the metal during the heating process is the one with the power to reshape it.

As crucibles and furnaces are to silver and gold, praise is to men and women. Some Bible translations interpret this verse to refer to the presence of praise, but this may not encompass the full meaning of God’s original Word. For whether in abundance or absence, praise is an effective vessel for testing, purifying and molding. If someone is self-focused, she will likely be bothered by a lack of praise and/or become puffed up in the profusion of it. Whether a little or much praise is applied to a person, we can see the same reactions as silver and gold when the heat is on:

1. Test of Qualities: Their true character is tested.
2. Separation of Impurities: Impure motives and improper behaviors surface.
3. Reshaping of Personalities: Significant change occurs as pressure is applied, and alteration is determined by the one in control.

Stars (and all of us) melt into a mess under pressure when our sparkle is only superficially lit by self and selfishness. We are subject to the influence and reshaping of the oppressor when we are not controlled by the spark of the Holy Spirit. However, we are molded into something more beautiful when we remain in the hands of the Master Refiner.

“Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, I will refine them and assay them; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?”” (Jeremiah 9:7).

God wired us to connect with others, and made us to understand and desire praise. When we allow the Holy Spirit to have control of our lives, His active presence within us changes how we view praise – from something we want to receive for self-glorification, to something we desire to give away to others and offer up to God. This is the right spark of fire we must have behind our sparkle. We need the Spirit of God to rule in our hearts so when the pressure of praise is applied in our lives, we will shift our focus from self to the Savior.

The Proverbial Truth is: “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts” (Proverbs 17:3). How are you fairing today in the abundance or absence of praise? Are you melting in a heap or hardening into a self-idol? Or, are you radiating His spark more beautifully today than yesterday, by welcoming the Potter’s hands in reshaping you to be more like Christ?