The Case for Correction
Proverbs 19:27 CSB
27 If you stop listening to correction my son,
you will stray from the words of knowledge.
God’s Word does many things for us: feeds us, strengthens us, gives us hope and comfort. God’s Word will also correct us. Not condemn us, not hurt us, but offercorrection. But for some reason, correction is something we tend to shy away from. But shying away from correction can lead to straying away from the very knowledge that we need.
I believe we can shy away from correction for a couple of reasons. The first is that no one likes being told they are doing it wrong. We like to think that we are all good. But if we are honest, we know that when it comes to much of life, we are not doing it right. It takes a level of humility to admit we don’t have it all together and we need help. Particularly when it comes to spiritual truth and walking in God’s ways. We need correction. You, me, and everyone we know needs correction. If we are wise, we will actually seek correction. I would rather be corrected than to keep going in the wrong direction or a direction that does not produce much fruit. So one reason we stay away from correction is that it hurts our pride. One of the best things we can develop is a strong sense of self that does not wilt and fold up when corrected.
The other reason we shy away and stop listening to correction is our lack of belief. We don’t believe that we can make corrections. Maybe we have tried and failed. Or returned to an area where we thought we were free from, only to fall again. When we don’t believe we can make the necessary changes that correction calls for, we tend to stop listening. It hurts too much to hear correction when we don’t believe we have the capacity to do what correction demands. The problem with that approach is what our verse today says. If we stop listening, we start straying.
Don’t get me wrong. Correction can sting at times. But there is a difference between correction and condemnation. Condemnation leaves us with no hope. Condemnation can crush and cause us to avoid the presence of God. When condemned, we don’t want to pray, and we don’t seek out more correction. But know that God is not the One who is condemning us. He is never the One telling us we are hopeless and failures. His Holy Spirit is there to help us and get us on the right track. A sense of condemnation is the tool of the enemy or the product of our own heart. What we need to stop listening to is condemnation, not correction.
So don’t stop reading Bible 365. Don’t stop reading your Bible. The correction offered in the Scriptures can keep us on the right path and away from straying. And take it from one who strayed, God’s path is better.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for Your correction. You correct me because You love me and want what’s best for me. You are never trying to put me down. I value Your correction.