Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
It is sure that it is no fun to be corrected. I just hate it when I'm wrong. But because I am born with a sin nature, in an imperfect state--I am bound to be wrong a lot. And the question I have to ask is: do I want to stay wrong, or suffer the pain and embarrassment of being corrected?
In some ways, it seems easier to not be corrected. I don't feel stupid, I don't have to change, and I don't suffer the pain of consequences. I am in control, not subject to someone who may bring me correction. I am happy and carefree.
But in the long run, an uncorrected wrong brings embarrassment, suffering and consequences. They always come, even if they only come in the next life. Whether its having toilet paper on my shoe, or having foundational wrong beliefs about heaven and hell, uncorrected wrong causes more pain in the long run.
God seems to think that it's a good idea to correct us. He speaks a lot about correction being a good thing. He calls it a blessing (Ps. 94:12). He considers it part of his fatherly relationship with us. (Deut 8:5) . He corrects with judgement and not in anger (Jer. 10:24) He corrects us for our profit (Heb. 12:7) and that we will bear more fruit (John 15:7).
I hate being wrong. But not knowing I am wrong is far worse, and far more dangerous than the agony of being wrong uncorrected. It stings when Greg points out that my memory failed me on the story that I'm telling and my facts are wrong. It hurts when I trusted someone I shouldn't have and endure the betrayal. The pain and suffering from my eating and spending habits can be depressing and limiting.
But God offers hope. If we will hear him knocking, he brings not only the list of things we need to change, but the power to make the change, before it is too late and there is no hope for us. If we will let him cut us, He will heal us stronger than new.
In the end, it's not whether we were wrong about something--that is a given. It's if we took the cure in correction.
No comments:
Post a Comment