The Bible warns us to beware of the praise of men. In Galatians 1:10 the apostle Paul asked, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” (NASB1995) In Proverbs 27:21, it reads, “The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, and each is tested by the praise accorded him.” (NASB1995) As extreme heat purifies metals, so also the praise from people is a test for each of us. How are we going to handle it? Will this praise by men influence us? Will we be corrupted by the praise or be humbled and purified by God through it?

Jesus Christ said, “I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?” (John 5:41-44 NASB 1995) Here’s one more example, Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:1-8 NASB 1995)

The Bible seems to make it quite clear that one needs to be careful with the words our fellow men speak to us. As I prepared for this blog, God brought to mind a passage of Scripture. When you read this passage of Scripture, read it (if you will) through the lens of people that allow the praise of others to speak louder to them than the still small voice of God. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 it reads, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” The tickling of the ears in this passage can be likened to the praise of men; while the sound doctrine can be likened to what God says about you. One is hearing what we want to hear (tickling), the other is hearing the truth (sound doctrine). Which one do you listen to? Which one carries more weight (sway, or influence) with you or over you?

Let’s not be like those who rebelled against God, those “who refuse(d) to listen to the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, ‘You must not see visions’ and to the prophets, ‘You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions.’” (Isaiah 30:9b-10 NASB1995) Let us not desire the praise of any human which is fluid; it ebbs and flows with changing circumstances. But let us desire the words God has already spoken about us in the Holy Scriptures which carry much weight and is unchanging. Such as:

Psalm 139 (select verses- NASB1995)

1-3a) “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.”

13-14a) “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;”

17-18) “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.”

23-24) “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”

Words are important, they can build a person up as easily as they can tear a person down. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”. (Proverbs 18:21a NASB1995) In my opinion the most important reason words are important is because “He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalms 33:9 NASB1995); God said, “Let there be…” and everything came to be (Genesis 1); and “by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God…”. (Hebrews 11:3 NASB1995; italics added for emphasis)

A verse to leave you with, the words of Jesus Christ, “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.” (John 12:43 NASB1995)