Five Minutes Praise Better Than Lifetime Of Criticism

Proverbs 27:21, “As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.”

Five minutes of praise will do more for a person than a lifetime of criticism. The Bible says that “a man to his praise” is as the fining pot for silver. What does that mean? Historically (and even still today in refineries) metal containing minerals (ore) from the earth are heated up to several thousands of degrees in a refining pot, which is a process used to separate the desired valuable metals from the mineral. This is how gold and silver are mined. As the minerals and metals heat up, the heavier elements sink to the bottom and the less dense elements float to the top. This is how oil and gasoline are also produced in giant refineries. Thank God for gravity! Likewise, the Bible teaches that praise is a tool, by which we can shape and refine those around us. 

The famous preacher Gipsy Smith (1860-1947) tells a wonderful story of when he was a young lad, and had just been saved. As a gypsy boy, he was used to being despised and shunned away by society, but an elderly Christian man befriended him with a few kind words of PRAISE which transformed his life:

“The dear old man passed on, and I watched him turning the corner out of sight forever. I never saw him again. But when I reach the Gloryland, I will find out that dear old man, and while angels shout and applaud, and the multitudes who have been brought to Christ through the gypsy boy sing for joy, I will thank that grand old saint for his shake of the hand and for his 'God bless you!' For he made me feel that somebody outside the tent really cared for a gypsy boy's soul. His kindness did me more good than a thousand sermons would have done just then. It was an inspiration that has never left me, and has done more for me than I can describe. Many a young convert has been lost to the Church of God, who would have been preserved and kept for it, and made useful in it, all for the want of some such kindness as that which fell to my lot that day.” —SOURCE

A woman that has been “raised to praise” by godly Christian parents will make a great wife. Such ladies are so rare indeed, almost an extinct species! The reason why there are so many divorces today is because of the horrible upbringing of youth. The average child views 18,000 murders on television by the time they reach adulthood. Young girls are bombarded by the media, at the earliest ages, with the wrong message that being “sexy” is the most important thing in life for a female. There's nothing on television which encourages youth to have proper courtship, avoid premarital sex, be virtuous and keep God's commandments. Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”