Fame’s Fire

The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him.

- Proverbs 27:21

The crucible tests silver, and the furnace tests gold; people are tested by praise that about them is told.

- Proverbs 27:21, a poetic rendering

When the flames of the spotlight touch a person’s heart, when they are admired by the multitudes, they step into a dangerous place wherein many have melted. When they grasp this fiery praise to heart, the fire burns holes through their souls. Bowing at the altar of Mammon to received the perceived power that fame endows, they become mere shadows; they’ve given up their character and soul, and it costs everything to even begin to get it back. And very few are willing to pay such a price for freedom from fame’s faux authority.

George Whitefield was one of the most influential preachers in the Great Awakening, a time when many people across the colonies of America and across England placed their faith in Jesus Christ and were fed up with the corrupt religious establishment of the day. In a certain city, the crowds were cheering for Mr. Whitefield and gathering to hear him so enthusiastically that he wrote in his journal,

“the tide of popularity began to run very high. I could no longer walk on foot as usual but had to go in a coach from place to place to avoid the loud hosannas of the multitude. They grew quite extravagant in their applause. Had it not been for my compassionate Jesus, popularity would have destroyed me. I used to plead with Him to take me by the hand and lead me unhurt through this fiery furnace. He heard my request and allowed me to see the vanity of all applause except His own.”

“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth.”

- Psalm 115:1