Listening to Rebuke

Most of us do not like being rebuked. In fact, the word "rebuke" is one we do not even like to hear when it comes to us receiving the rebuke. When another person tells us how we have sinned, it can be very painful. It can hurt our feelings. However, it can be very helpful. I believe we need to change our minds about being rebuked and about rebuking others. We all need a rebuke from the right person from time to time, because we all get off base, and we need to get back on track. Solomon brings out a great point about this. (Ecclesiastes 7:5) It is much better for us to listen to the rebuke of a wise man than to listen to the song of a fool. I pray we can see how that applies to our lives, so we can grow to be all that God wants us to be.

We get criticized by all kinds of people. Some of those criticisms are not valid, because they come from a person who doesn't know the facts, or a person who is being judgmental. We do not need to listen to those rebukes. The rebukes we need to pay close attention to are the ones that come from wise people. A wise person looks at things the way God does, and he or she is able to take in the facts, and give us what God would have us to know and do. Therefore, we need to always be open to the rebuke of a wise person. In fact, we need to surround ourselves with wise people who will be loving enough to rebuke us when we need it. This course of action is so much better than simply wanting to fill our minds with the song of fools. If we spend our time just listening to music and other media that is designed to be fun and entertaining, it doesn't lead us to be more like Jesus. It leads us to waste our time, and we never do achieve the goal of living a consistent Christian life. When we give an account to the Lord, He will rebuke us. Then, we will know we should have listened to the rebukes of the wise.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Ecclesiastes 8-11.