EMBRACE RIGHTEOUS CORRECTION

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I call to You, Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to You. May my prayer be set before You like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.

Let a righteous man strike me — that is a kindness; let him rebuke me — that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.

Psalm 141:1-5a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I don’t know about you but I have found it’s far easier to receive praise than it is criticism.

Maybe it’s because of our innate need to be loved, approved, and accepted. Maybe it’s because of our pride that doesn’t allow us to accept correction. Maybe it’s a little of both.

All I know is that censure is a bitter pill to swallow most of the time.

Now, through many years of experience, I have learned to gauge criticism by its merit. I say this because sometimes people criticize for the sake of being critical. They choose to constantly find wrong in others and tell them about where they’re falling short, whether in work or in life. These kinds of people can really beat a person down to the place where their self esteem becomes seriously damaged, often leading to the person feeling they are inadequate.

This person is different from the kind of person David speaks about in the opening verses of the 141st Psalm as he writes these words:

Let a righteous man strike me — that is a kindness; let him rebuke me — that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.

David here is espousing a unique attitude about correction. He is embracing it, comparing being striked as kindness, rebuking as oil on his head. Yes, David accepted criticism but note who is bringing it to him. It is someone who is righteous.

Friends, we need to receive this word of God with thanksgiving and learn from the wisdom it brings us. For as we consider this matter of embracing correction, let us embrace it if it is righteous in nature for righteous correction is of God and His word and way.

David asked the Lord to watch him and observe his actions. He asked that a door be placed over his mouth so that his spoken words would be appropriate. He asked the Lord to keep his heart from evil temptations because he knew his actions would follow his heart. Evil in would mean evil out and trust me when I tell you that any man or woman has as much potential within them to be evil as they do good. We, like David, should be invoking the Lord’s help in guiding us righteously. That’s our first big step toward becoming the people the Lord intends for us to be.

The second step is to embrace correction when it comes righteously or rightly. How do we know when we have received right counsel and reproof? When it is in line with what God’s word says.

I say this because God’s word is the gold standard for living life. There is no higher requirement from which we can measure ourselves. If we are living fully in accordance with God’s word, in a way that is pleasing in His sight, then that’s what really matters. And if the criticism we receive is in line with the conviction we would receive from the word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit within us, then we need to embrace it and give thanks for it. It’s only intended to make us to be more like the person we should be, the person the Lord wants us to be.

This is why David saw correction as something positive. He was a man after God’s own heart and wanted to live his life in a way that honored and glorified Him. We would be well suited to follow his lead and learn to embrace righteous correction in our own lives. We really have nothing to lose in doing so and everything to gain.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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