The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise. (Proverbs 27:21)
The Message paraphrase says you can tell what’s in someone’s heart by how they react when they are praised—“The purity of human hearts is tested by giving them a little fame.”
The Amplified Bible says you can tell what’s in someone’s heart by listening to what they praise—“A man is judged by what he praises and of what he boasts.”
These are two sides of the same coin, and both are equally true. How we handle praise and what we praise both reveal what’s inside our heart. Both of these are responses to which we should pay careful attention.
Craig T. Owens 