AVOIDING TROUBLE AND HEARTACHE
PROVERBS 13:18 NKJV
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
There are many verses that make their way to plaques and refrigerator magnets. This verse is not one of them.
And yet there is some great wisdom in this short verse.
Poverty and shame are two things most of us strenuously try to avoid. Poverty and shame create trouble and heartache.
The good news here is that this proverb tells us what to do and what not to do.
Do not disdain correction. The word disdain can mean to ignore or avoid. I don't think that we naturally gravitate toward being corrected. Correction can do damage to our pride. Correction can sting. But if we are talking godly correction, we should welcome it.
One of the challenges that can make us draw back from correction is the way it is delivered. If correction is administered in a harsh manner, it makes the message much harder to swallow.
If there is a low level of trust between the one correcting and the one being corrected, then the tendency to ignore the correction is there. But if we are talking someone we trust who has a good motive, we should welcome the help.
And correction is help. Godly correction that is in line with scripture and delivered in love is valuable. Those who recognize and receive valuable correction avoid the trouble and heartache. People wise enough to receive corrective help are honored.
APPLICATION:
Years ago, I jumped the gun on starting a church. My plan was to go back to my hometown and plant a new church there.
Joy did not have a good sense about this idea. She asked me to go speak with my Pastor, John Osteen. But I refused to go. I avoided what I knew could be a corrective word. And I was right about that. Years later, Pastor Osteen asked me why I did not come talk with him. He said he would have talked me out of that idea.
But no, I avoided that correction, and we, as a family, suffered poverty and shame,
The Lord was merciful, and He helped us come through. But you better believe I went to Pastor before we started The Ark. I had all the poverty and shame I could stomach.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Lord, for the correction in Your word and the kind rebukes of Your Holy Spirit.