accepting correction – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

Willing to be corrected

The one who corrects a mocker
will bring abuse on himself;
the one who rebukes the wicked will get hurt.

Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;
rebuke the wise, and he will love you.

Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still;
teach the righteous, and he will learn more. (Proverbs 9:7-9)

It’s easy, I suppose, to look at these verses and merely think about other people’s stubbornness. But what about us?

Are we mockers who hate those who rebuke us?

Or are we people who are wise, loving those who rebuke us? Are we people who, when instructed, become wiser still, always learning more?

To be honest, I can be a very stubborn person. I can think of many times when someone said something to admonish me, and I ignored it, or thought, “That word doesn’t apply to me.”

It usually takes God speaking to me, saying, “Pay attention! That word was for you,” to break through my stubbornness.

Which brings up another point.

As important it is to be open to the correction of others, it’s even more important to be open to correction from God.

And so Solomon says,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (10)

Lord, let me always be open to your correction. Whether it comes through others you send to me, or through your Word, or through your Holy Spirit living in me, give me a heart that is soft and willing to change. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pleasing the Lord

How do we live lives pleasing to our Lord?

Solomon writes in verse 3,

The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)

We can’t hide from God. Not only does he see all our actions, he sees our very hearts.

Solomon wrote,

Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD – how much more the hearts of men! (11)

In other words, if the grave and hell themselves are open to the eyes of the Lord, how much more are our hearts laid open before him?

So if we want to please the Lord, it cannot just be through our outward actions. We need to have hearts that are fully committed to him as well, because God sees beyond our actions to our very hearts and motives.

Solomon says as much in verses 8-9.

The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

The LORD detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

You can sacrifice your time by going to church. But what are you doing the rest of the time? Are you merely living for yourself?

You can sacrifice your money by tithing or even giving to charity. But what about the rest of your money? Are you spending it on things that would please the Lord?

Sacrifices without a true love for God means nothing to him.

As Solomon writes,

The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him. (26)

If God were to look upon your thoughts at this moment, what would he see? A person whose whole heart is set on pleasing him? Or on pleasing itself?

And when God brings discipline into your life, how do you respond?

We’ve mentioned this in previous blogs, but the same theme arises in this chapter time and again. The importance of humility and the willingness to accept God’s discipline.

Solomon warns,

A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence. (5)

And again,

He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (31-33)

So if you want to please the Lord, remember two things.

First, pleasing the Lord can’t be a once a week thing on Sunday. It’s impossible to be a part-time Christian. You either are one or you’re not.

God doesn’t only want a part of us. He wants all of us.

Second, if we’re going to please him, we need a humble heart that listens to him when he corrects us.

Only in practicing these two things can we truly please him.