Day 35 - 90 Days in Proverbs – The Corrected Way of Life
Proverbs 6:23b [ESV] reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
On day 34 we focused on the first part of Proverbs 6:23 about God’s commandment being a light and His teaching a light. Today, let’s talk about the latter part of the verse.
The word translated “reproofs” here means “rebuke, correction, reproof, punishment, chastisement.” I don’t know about you, but for me, it is a lot easier to accept and more pleasant to think about teaching and light, than it is about being rebuked or corrected or punished.
However, for a Christian, life is not all instruction and theory, and our lives don’t always stay on the right path. For us, life is also about understanding the thoughts, words and deeds that need to be corrected and removed from our lives. We cannot walk in the light - we cannot be the best light - unless we continually work to remove the sinful thoughts or behaviors that cloud our paths.
Christian lives are to lives committed to correction and change. We use the word of God to examine our lives so that we can make corrections.
2 Corinthians 13:5 [KJV] Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
We should also ask God to examine us, as we find David doing in Psalm 26:1-2 [KJV] 1 [[[A Psalm] of David.]] Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; [therefore] I shall not slide. 2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
David went on to make the case that he was living a right life. You and I might not be so bold as to say that. But, if you and I are striving to live a right life – to walk in the light – and continually submit to correction when we get off course, then we are each living a right life. We need not fear the examination and correction from God because His goal is for you and I have hearts that want to obey. We don’t fear the examination and correction of God, but rather we embrace it.
At Baptism, we accepted the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit now works in us to give us that right heart – one that wants that continual course correction.
How does that examination and correction come? It can come in many ways.
When we read the Bible, His words convicts us. How often I have read a passage and thought it was written just for me! A sermon may convict me that something in my life needs to change. A trusted friend or family member may bring something to my attention.
It’s human to want to avoid correction. It’s human to not want to be shown I was wrong and need to change or maybe that my behavior hurt someone else. It can be embarrassing to admit to someone I was wrong. It can be painful to see that a sin has tripped me up again. God knows that it doesn’t always feel good. He also knows that that benefits outweigh the momentary pain.
Hebrews 12:11 [NIV] No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Correction trains us to walk in the right way. When I learn to accept it and even to seek it, I can be assured that I am on the path to becoming perfect as my Father in Heaven is perfect. [Matthew 5:48]
Reproofs, corrections, and discipline are the way of life for a Christian. It is how we stay on the path of light and become more like our Father. The short term pain of correction is worth the long-term benefits of the changes it makes to my character.
Sisters, we must embrace the process.
Prayer — Father God, I want to become more like You. Therefore, please help me to seek and accept Your correction every day. Help me to use that correction to adjust my life so that I stay on the path of light. Help me to seek correction that yields a harvest of righteousness and peace. In Jesus’ name I humbly ask for your loving correction. Amen.
Your thoughts —
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