Don’t you hate it when somebody tells you that you were wrong? It’s only natural that we would not like it. After all, we want people to think we are smart, strong, solid in our faith. Besides, we think that we think better than others. We honestly believe that, all things being equal, we as individuals have a pretty good view of the world.
But Scripture is smarter than us. The word of God has a wise challenge for us. The wise grow from correction. Only the fool bristles every time he or she is corrected.
Proverbs 9:7-9
7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
This passage is hard for me. Of course it depends on who rebukes or corrects me, but it is hard. It’s funny, the more I love the person correcting me, the less well I personally tend to receive that correction. So, when I get an anonymous note about something, I can usually let that slide off pretty easily. But when my wife wants to tell me where I’m blowing it, I really don’t like it.
So, for me, this passage has a lot to offer. I need to learn that a wise man is teachable. A wise man grows wiser still when reproved. Only a scoffer, only a foolish, ungodly man lashes out or refuses to hear when approached with a problem. Similarly, only a fool gets grumpy or sullen when corrected.
How about you? How are you when corrected? Do you hear it? Do you receive it well and evaluate it fairly? Are people around you willing to correct you, or are they tip-toeing around your tender feelings and not willing to share with you the truths that would help you because you cannot hear them? May we all learn to be wise people who grow wiser still as we listen to one another and grow together in Christ.
Pastor Travis Peterson 