- Joined
- Oct 26, 2007
- Messages
- 12,538
Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise [man], and he will love you. Proverbs 9:8 NKJV
Everyone makes mistakes. How you deal with your mistakes shows the world whether you are a wise man or the other sort. Specifically, it matters how you handle someone bringing your mistake to light.
Being corrected is never easy. You may feel ashamed for blowing it. Shame could lead to anger or denial. You may want to cover up your mistake, ignoring it rather than dealing with it. Maybe you’d even blame someone else in an effort not to feel stupid.
Or maybe it wasn’t a mistake at all. If you are caught up in sin, being corrected for your intentional misdeeds can result in greater shame, more violent anger, and deeper denial.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. “Humbly admitting you were wrong, seeking forgiveness for your failure, and making restitution for your wrongdoing are the three steps to dealing with correction like a wise man.
God knows you’ll fail, but He doesn’t want you to be stuck in your failure. “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes” (Proverbs 24:16).
Rise up with humility and move on in grace.
Prayer: God, help me to be corrected like wise man, not scoff at my mistakes like a fool.
Everyone makes mistakes. How you deal with your mistakes shows the world whether you are a wise man or the other sort. Specifically, it matters how you handle someone bringing your mistake to light.
Being corrected is never easy. You may feel ashamed for blowing it. Shame could lead to anger or denial. You may want to cover up your mistake, ignoring it rather than dealing with it. Maybe you’d even blame someone else in an effort not to feel stupid.
Or maybe it wasn’t a mistake at all. If you are caught up in sin, being corrected for your intentional misdeeds can result in greater shame, more violent anger, and deeper denial.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. “Humbly admitting you were wrong, seeking forgiveness for your failure, and making restitution for your wrongdoing are the three steps to dealing with correction like a wise man.
God knows you’ll fail, but He doesn’t want you to be stuck in your failure. “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes” (Proverbs 24:16).
Rise up with humility and move on in grace.
Prayer: God, help me to be corrected like wise man, not scoff at my mistakes like a fool.
