The Heart Attitudes: Part 4Sýnishorn

Heart Attitude #3 – Give and Receive Scriptural Correction

Proverbs 15:10, “Discipline is harsh for the one who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die."

Proverbs 15:12, “A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him; he will not consult the wise.”

Psalm 141:5, “Let the righteous one strike me -- it is an act of faithful love; let him rebuke me – it is oil for my head; let me not refuse it.”

As we said earlier in the week, no one likes to be corrected. It hurts our pride no matter how gentle and proper the correction may be. However, learning to receive correction graciously can allow us to grow in our faith and become better followers of Jesus.

Harold Bullock offers the following suggestions for receiving correction well. Control yourself, do not allow pride and anger to remain as you are being corrected. If the person offering the correction is walking with God, then receive and consider their correction. Do not demand a nicer delivery. In Psalm 141 the imagery is of being struck with a hammer by a righteous person. That does not sound nice! Regardless of the delivery, consider the truth in the message of correction. Receive the correction as a gift of kindness to you. God is giving you a chance to grow wiser because of it. Thank the person who is offering you the correction for being concerned about your good. Make sure you understand the correction before the person leaves. Do not try to defend your actions, just make sure you have the true picture of what they have shared with you. Finally, consider the correction.

If you know they are right, admit your mistake and ask forgiveness. If you are not sure, then think about their correction and seriously examine if they are or even could be right. Then ask the Lord to show you if they are right or if the correction was misguided or misunderstood on their part. He will show you which one is correct.

Discernment is needed to determine which correction is for your good from a friend. Sometimes, people may have gotten the initial action wrong or misinterpreted the events that led them to offer the correction. Try to glean something from every interaction with folks who are offering you correction. Remember it was probably not easy for them to approach you either!