Taking Correction
Taking Correction
Through the years I have noticed a few things about people, and especially myself: Correction from others is a difficult thing. No one likes to be corrected about things they are doing that is either harmful, wrong or downright sinful. We all wrestle with the sin of pride and always want to be right whether we actually admit it or not. Yet, the plain reality is that we are wrong on many matters more often than we would like to admit. On this topic I am often reminded of a quote from Thomas Watson:
A humble soul is willing to take reproof for sin. A wicked man is too high to stoop to a reproof. The prophet Micaiah used to tell King Ahab of his sin, and the King said, "I hate him" (1 Kings 22.8). Reproof to a proud man is like pouring water on lime, which grows the hotter. A gracious soul loves the one who reproves: "rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee" (Proverbs 9.8). The humble-spirited Christian can bear the reproach of an enemy and the reproof of a friend. (The Godly Man's Picture, pp. 80-81)
The fact is that we often reject reproof based on the way it is delivered. Rarely do we evaluate the substance of the reproof as to its accuracy. Instead we justify our actions and the rejection of reproof based on the speaker or the way it is delivered. Now don't get me wrong. I think that it is important to deliver reproof in a gentle, humble fashion. However, we ought to consider any reproof in the light of whether it is accurate instead of evaluating it on the basis of the delivery. Oftentimes in my own life I have had to do this and though it is hard (painfully so) we must be willing to consider what is being said on the basis of truth and not the frail way it was delivered. If, after all, we are really interested in seeking holiness in our life as our first and primary goal then we ought to consider all rebukes and reproofs from that perspective. If God can use an "ass" to rebuke Balaam from disobeying His commands why can't He also use other "asses" our life to do the same? (Numbers 22). Sure, God will often use people who act unbecomingly and rudely in various matters but that does not remove our responsibility to listen to the reproof (even if it comes from an ass) and evaluate it on the basis of truth and our ultimate goal: to be obedient to the Lord God.
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We all need prayer for softer more concerned hearts in this area! I know I do.
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05/30/06 @ 10:51 
· http://www.rtrc.net Though the Bible places much emphasis on the speaker the listener is not void of responsibility even when the speaker acts like a dumb jerk. Truth is truth no matter how it is offered and if the rebuke is true it remains true even after the dumb jerk leaves their company.
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05/30/06 @ 10:59 Permalink
05/30/06 @ 14:45 · http://www.rtrc.net The one bringing the rebuke is not the issue as much as what is being said. If what is being said is true then it is true no matter how it is delivered. That is the first place analysis needs to take place. The rest of it can be dealt with after reflecting on the substance of the rebuke first. Of course this does not grant license to people to act like jerks when they offer rebuke to others it only means that if I am really interested in godliness then I will consider the substance over against the speaker.
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05/30/06 @ 17:37 There is one point I would like to make. This particular friend has often been very outspoken to many people (not just the friends and family with whom she has more liberty to speak freely). It has sometimes come across as not her place, perhaps because it was someone in authority over her (such as an elder of the church), or could have more properly been presented by the husband (as when the person being rebuked is a man, and the rebuker is a woman). The rebuke by such a person, one who has something to say to everyone concerning their weaknesses, must be taken "with a grain of salt"; one may want to compare that rebuke with the thoughts of one who doesn't have a reputation of seeking to point out and correct the faults of most everyone around her. This is not to say that you should dismiss the rebuke given by the one who is critical and outspoken towards many, but that we must give thought to the validity of that person's statements. Often, that type of person is the rare one bold enough to confront the sin of a really stubborn person. Praise be to God for that!
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06/01/06 @ 09:49 Leave a comment: