Letting God correct us

Proverbs 15:31 NKJV — The ear that hears the rebukes of life Will abide among the wise.

Being rebuked isn’t fun, nor does it feel good.

A rebuke can actually feel as if one is being harmed, but…

If we allow God to rebuke us we are abiding among the wise.

Why?

Because the wise understands the need to be teachable.

Proverbs 15:33 NKJV — The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.

To be teachable means to humble one’s pride and realize one is not always correct, not always seeing the entirety of a matter, not always able to deduce the best possible action or response.

It’s to see oneself accurately, to realize each of us has limitations.

There’s such beauty in humility.

The humble heart is open and willing for God to work in them.

The Bible warns of what the proud, the hardhearted are choosing when they refuse God’s correction.

Proverbs 15:10 NKJV — Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die.

Proverbs 15:12 NKJV — A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, Nor will he go to the wise.

Amos 5:10 NKJV — They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.

Obviously, these are not only circumstances one would wish to avoid, these are people most wouldn’t want to spend time with, let alone be.

There is another way.

Each of us has a choice.

Proverbs 13:1 NKJV — A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Not all people will give words of wisdom, but each one of us can find true wisdom from our Heavenly Father in the words He has given.

Proverbs 16:20 NKJV — He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your Word. Thank You for the book of Proverbs where we can find such easy to apply direction. Lord, please make my heart teachable today. Help me to have Your perspective. Please guide me in Your will. Lord, please keep falsehood and pride far from me, let me be on my guard to those things, that I might not sin against You. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for giving me life. Please help me to live each day for You. Amen.

The chastening of the Lord

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord , Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:11‭-‬12 NKJV

Just the first line is enough to ponder.

Do not despise the chastening of the Lord.

Which means there will be chastening.

Chastening is a verb.

It’s a “doing” which means to correct by punishment or suffering, and can also be defined as discipline according to Merriam-Webster.com.

The point is clear.

There will be discipline, from God, and the command is not to despise or detest it.

Yet, who has endured a discipline they earned with gladness?

It takes a humble heart to realize the consequences of our own choices and to thank God for bringing us what we deserve.

But, we must not stop there, the next section tells us something amazing about God and shows us why we should be thankful for discipline.

For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:12 NKJV

If we are receiving correction from God, it’s because He loves us.

His love is such that He’s not willing to stand by and watch us hurt ourselves and others through our unchecked sin.

Instead, He chastens us, to help us realize the consequences of our choices, and to teach us how ugly sin really is.

That kind of love is costly.

After all, He bore the most for our sin.

If God didn’t love as He does, He wouldn’t have paid such a high price to free us from eternal separation.

But He does love.

And because of that He chastens those He loves.

With this perspective it’s much easier to accept correction.

God loves us so much, He wants what is best for us and sometimes what is best is for us to experience the chastening of the Lord.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for such a love as Yours. You never stop loving us. Jesus, You alone paid the largest price for our sin than anyone ever. Thank You for doing that. The next time I’m feeling the discipline of the Lord, help me to not despise nor detest it, but instead be thankful for Your correction. Lord, I want to be cleansed from the things which would harm those around me and myself, please continue to show me what those things are, that I might repent. Thank You for Your love. It’s truly amazing! Amen.