Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Attitude”
Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.” Proverbs 9:8 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Are you spiritually mature enough to admit when you are wrong and to accept correction?”
It’s a good question, really. Are you spiritually mature enough to admit when you are wrong and to accept correction? Many people aren’t. It takes a good measure of humility. Spiritually immature people often let their pride get in the way and they refuse to admit they are wrong and they resent words of correction.
The fact is that nobody is infallible. We are all wrong about things from time-to-time. The question isn’t whether or not you will be wrong about some things, sometimes; the question is whether or not you’re a big enough person to admit you were wrong and to be grateful that someone cared enough to talk to you about it.
In Proverbs 9:8 King Solomon observed that a small-minded, spiritually immature person will resent the implication that they are wrong and they will be angry at you for attempting to correct them. But a wise person will immediately recognize their error, admit it, and be grateful to you for caring enough, and for having the courage, to talk to them about it.
There is no shame in being wrong. But there is shame in staying wrong. And the longer you stay wrong the more damage your error is likely to cause. Arguments drag on when they could have and should have been resolved; relationships remain broken when they could have been healed; jobs are lost, ministries are harmed, resentment and bitterness take root; and all because stubborn people don’t have the spiritual maturity and strength of character to admit they are wrong.
Sadly, this is such a common problem that many books have been written offering guidance on what to do when you’re dealing with someone like this. Many years ago there was a book written by Gene Edwards with the catchy title, “Crucified by Christians”. It offered good guidance to Christians about what to do when another Christian did something wrong which caused you great harm but they refuse to admit it or to correct it.
One of the greatest things that can happen to any of us is to grow in spiritual maturity to the point that we are able to admit when we are wrong and to gracefully accept correction.
There is no shame in being wrong. But there is shame in staying wrong.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 