WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
OCTOBER 23, 2023
TOPIC: ACCEPT CORRECTION
BY T. O. BANSO
âTo learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correctionâ (Proverbs 12:1 New Living Translation). Â
The natural man doesnât like to be corrected; he likes his ego to be massaged. Even Christians who are not growing spiritually hate correction or rebuke. But a humble person and a spiritually growing Christian accept correction. A child of God who is growing spiritually accepts correction from the Holy Spirit, the Word of God he reads or is preached to him, fellow Christians, and others he relates to.
Taking correction means accepting that you are wrong and doing the right thing. Those who accept correction donât feel bad being corrected; they are not defensive. They donât dismiss or deflect correction. They don’t discredit the people correcting them or go away feeling humiliated without taking correction. They accept correction and do the right thing because they know it is for their own good.
Sometimes correction may be presented in a way that is undesirable but those who have developed the attitude of taking correction donât react negatively to the style of the messenger. They rather consider the message. This positive attitude enables them to become better in life. Taking correction helps you to grow. âIf you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understandingâ (Proverbs 15:32 New Living Translation).
Recently, a pastor sent a message to correct two people. One took correction. She changed. The other person, a man, didnât change. He continued with the same behaviour. Nobody is above correction. When people correct you, particularly your superiors, you should thank them and do the right thing. Those who correct you help you to grow. âA wise son listens to his father’s advice, but a proud son will not listen to correctionâ (Proverbs 13:1 Easy-to-Read Version).
One of the reasons some people are not promoted in life is because they refuse to accept correction. As long as they continue to repeat the same behaviour or mistakes, they may never move forward. In the academic world, students who donât accept the correction of the supervisors of their theses donât graduate! Get rid of your destructive ego and accept correction. âSomeone who will not learn will be poor and disgraced. Anyone who listens to correction is respectedâ (Proverbs 13:18 Good News Translation).
David and Saul had different attitudes towards correction or rebuke. When Nathan confronted David with his sin of adultery, he admitted that he had sinned. âDavid said to Nathan, âI have sinned against the Lord.â And Nathan said to David, âThe Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not dieââ (2 Samuel 12:13 New King James Version). David didnât receive the punishment of death although he was punished.
Even when David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, he didnât ignore it. Rather, he said to the Lord, âI have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thingâ (2 Samuel 24:10b New International Version). God eventually forgave him although 70,000 lives were lost in a plague that He brought on Israel because of Davidâs sin (verse 15). David took correction.
In contrast, when King Saul offered a burnt offering and peace offerings instead of continuing to wait for Samuel to perform the sacrifice, he explained away Samuelâs correction and never admitted his sin. Consequently, the LORD did not establish his kingdom over Israel forever (1 Samuel 13:8-15).
On another occasion, when Samuel asked Saul about God’s command to him to utterly destroy the Amalekites, he first lied that he had obeyed God. When Samuel pointed out to him the bleating of sheep and the lowing of cattle he was hearing, Saul made excuses and passed the buck before he finally admitted his sin (1 Samuel 15:13-30). Â
Donât hate correction; accept correction. âTo learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correctionâ (Proverbs 12:1 New Living Translation). Are you stupid or wise? Those who hate correction cannot grow spiritually, intellectually, etc. Nobody is perfect and rejecting correction wonât allow anyone to be better than he is â he may even grow worse. âHe who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astrayâ (Proverbs 10:17 New King James Version). Rejecting correction can result in death, whether physical, spiritual or in any form. âHe who hates correction will dieâ (Proverbs 15:10b New King James Version).
Donât hate correction. Respond to correction. Wise people learn from correction. They donât react negatively to it. âSo don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love youâ (New Living Translation). Do you hate or love those who correct you? Whoever learns from correction is wise (Proverbs 15:5b). Are you wise? Accept correction.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, forgive me for my failure to accept correction at any time in the past. Holy Spirit, help me to humble myself and accept correction. I will not be defensive, deflect correction, or put up any other wrong attitude. I will accept correction and do the right thing in Jesusâ name.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
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