Correction: May 1, 2013

Today's Word for Wednesday MAY 1, 2013

CORRECTION

DEFINITION: 

The act of correcting; something that is proposed or substituted for what is wrong; punishment; discipline.

SCRIPTURE:

A fool despises his father's instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent. Proverbs 15:5.

Do not withhold correction from a child. Proverbs 23:13.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

As we look back on how we were corrected as children and how we corrected our children, one thing stands out above everything else. When standards and boundaries were set and discipline for breaking those standards or boundaries were made clear, it made correction so much easier.

Correction is needed today for all ages. This is because we were all born into an evil world and doing things right is difficult because others, who do not know Jesus, do not have a godly standard of right and wrong. When people see others doing wrong things and getting away with it without correction, it is a temptation for them to follow suit and then excuse themselves by telling themselves it is okay because everyone is doing it. We also would like to add that just because one calls himself a Christian it does not mean that everything that person does is right and perfect.

Children constantly need to be reminded about the difference between right and wrong. As parents we are not to withhold correction from a child (above verse). Teenagers, most of the time, know when they are doing things that deserve correction and they try to keep what they are doing from being discovered by their parents. They cave in to the pressures of their peers and continue to do what they know they should not be doing. The minute a parent sees one of their children being wrongly influenced by a friend, a group of friends or an acquaintance, the parent must step in to rectify the situation.

Not everyone appreciates correction, but David did. He felt indebted to those who corrected him and realized how much he owed them. In Psalm 141:5 he said, "Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. Let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it."

Correction is a kindness. David suggests that correction is an act of loyalty. Loyal friends will correct one another, even when it is painful and disruptive to relationships. It is one of the ways we show love and help one another to grow stronger in the Lord. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 27:6, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." A true friend will give advice as to what a person needs to hear, not what they want to hear, even though the advice might be painful.

It takes grace, especially for a loyal friend, to give godly correction. But it takes even more grace to receive it. In II Samuel 12:13 David received correction from Nathan concerning his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. David immediately confessed his sin and repented. But for many of us, we would be inclined to refuse it under similar circumstances. We resent interference and do not want to be found out concerning things we are ashamed of and do not want to be known.

Growth through grace for the believer sometimes comes through the kind but unpleasant correction of a loyal friend. Think for a moment of times in your life a loyal friend, like a spouse, has corrected you. Did you admit that you needed to be corrected and did you allow the correction to be of help spiritually? In Proverbs 15:5 it reads that "He who receives correction is prudent and wise." We should never refuse correction even if it is painful. We learn through being corrected. Correction brings wisdom.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in James 4:17.

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

PRAYER:

Help our family to understand that correction from a loyal friend can help us change for the better and be more Christ like. Help us to grow in the wisdom that comes from Your correction and to live a godly life that is consistent with Your Word so we do what we know is the right thing to do.