Rebuke, reproof and correction are beautiful gifts from God that He dishes out to us through mentors, brothers, disciples and leaders. And as beautiful as the effects of rebuke are, many believers shun and ignore them. Why? It's simple. Rebuke hurts.
Psalm 39:11 says, "With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity; You consume as a moth what is precious to him; Surely every man is a mere breath. Selah." Rebuke and correction are a magnificent work in that they take out the things that should not be in us. The Bible calls this a process of pruning, where God removes bad attitudes, bad habits and bad mindsets to allow fruits to flourish.
All believers, whether young or old in the faith, need to hear rebuke from someone every now and then, and unwillingness to submit to rebuke is never a good sign. The greatest enemy of rebuke is pride -- a feeling that we already know enough to be right with God.
1 Timothy 4:15 tells us, "Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all." Growing in our response toward and acceptance of rebuke will mean growth in every other area of our lives.
There is always something to learn
The day we start thinking that we know everything we need to know is the day we stop growing in the Lord. No one is completely there yet, and everyone has room to grow and improve. Whether it's in the area of character, skill, gifting or Christian living, we all have room for growth.
Proverbs 10:17 says, "He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray." Denying ourselves the blessing of reproof does not only keep us stagnant, but will sooner lead to us floating away from God's call.
Look for God in every critic
"But what about the senseless and useless criticism? Should I listen to that?" While it's not wise to take in every bit of criticism for the sake of pleasing others, it's always good to keep an open ear for the sake of pleasing God.
Every word, no matter how insensitive or critical, will have a piece of God's voice in it when taken from the right perspective. It's a matter of absorbing it, taking out all the toxicity and filtering out what you can use to go from glory to glory. Proverbs 3:12 reminds us, "For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights."
Staying open to all rebuke will not cost you anything, but closing your door to all rebuke will cost you everything. Who is rebuking you today? Are you being held accountable by someone who can openly critique and correct you?
