So, I had a friend leave me a voice mail message last week. I just listened to it, four days later. We talk a lot, so I wasn't concerned about the message so much--she filled me in on what I had missed, so I skipped it. We had been talking about a situation she was in earlier that day, and the phone call was a follow up to that conversation.
Skipping that voice mail was dumb.
I have never been that encouraged AND convicted by a voice mail message at the same time.
Her message started off with, "thank you for rebuking me."
My first thought?
Oh no... what if I offended her?
My second thought?
Wait... she said "thank you for rebuking me" not "how dare you rebuke me" ... that's different...
It took my brain a second to catch up with her words. Did she really thank me for rebuking her? She did! Well... good deal, she heard what I was saying, and I wasn't completely off the mark, so that's encouraging! But wait... why was I so afraid I had offended her?
Am I truly so afraid of people that I would not lovingly rebuke someone when needed? Her thank you contained a greater rebuke to me--how many times have I withheld a rebuke when it was truly necessary out of a fear of man? I am pretty used to BEING rebuked (and rightly so!), but how often am I willing to be the one delivering the rebuke? You might be met with resistance, anger, and even hate that you would be willing to call another out on their sin (after all, who are you to rebuke me?), but isn't that what we are supposed to do, as the body of Christ? Isn't that what 1 Timothy 3 calls us to do--to teach, to rebuke, to correct, to train? All four elements are crucial; you cannot simply leave one of them out because it makes you uncomfortable. To do so is not honoring to the Lord, nor does it show a faithfulness to follow the teachings and commands of God as recorded in the Bible. We aren't given freedom to pick and choose from the word of God what we want to communicate to suit our own whims and desires. We are held accountable for what we share from it at all times, and what we choose to say--and what we choose to leave out--can have heavy consequences. James 3 says to not let many of you become teachers, because you will be held to a stricter judgement. That verse certainly gives me pause! Am I accurately and correctly teaching and applying the word of God when I speak with another? If I am, I will rebuke my fellow brother or sister in Christ when they need it--and I will accept a rebuke from a fellow Christian as well and be trained by it. These aren't minor details in a dusty book stored on the shelf--they are life changing truths that come alive from the Word of God.
You will do well to heed its instruction!
Is there someone to whom you need to deliver a loving rebuke? Have you been rebuked by another, and didn't respond so well?
The wonderful blessing is that you are being given another opportunity to do what is right and honor the Lord. Repent of your sin; turn, and do what is right. God gives grace to the humble, yet opposes the proud (James 4:6)--so humble yourself under His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6).
Skipping that voice mail was dumb.
I have never been that encouraged AND convicted by a voice mail message at the same time.
Her message started off with, "thank you for rebuking me."
My first thought?
Oh no... what if I offended her?
My second thought?
Wait... she said "thank you for rebuking me" not "how dare you rebuke me" ... that's different...
It took my brain a second to catch up with her words. Did she really thank me for rebuking her? She did! Well... good deal, she heard what I was saying, and I wasn't completely off the mark, so that's encouraging! But wait... why was I so afraid I had offended her?
Am I truly so afraid of people that I would not lovingly rebuke someone when needed? Her thank you contained a greater rebuke to me--how many times have I withheld a rebuke when it was truly necessary out of a fear of man? I am pretty used to BEING rebuked (and rightly so!), but how often am I willing to be the one delivering the rebuke? You might be met with resistance, anger, and even hate that you would be willing to call another out on their sin (after all, who are you to rebuke me?), but isn't that what we are supposed to do, as the body of Christ? Isn't that what 1 Timothy 3 calls us to do--to teach, to rebuke, to correct, to train? All four elements are crucial; you cannot simply leave one of them out because it makes you uncomfortable. To do so is not honoring to the Lord, nor does it show a faithfulness to follow the teachings and commands of God as recorded in the Bible. We aren't given freedom to pick and choose from the word of God what we want to communicate to suit our own whims and desires. We are held accountable for what we share from it at all times, and what we choose to say--and what we choose to leave out--can have heavy consequences. James 3 says to not let many of you become teachers, because you will be held to a stricter judgement. That verse certainly gives me pause! Am I accurately and correctly teaching and applying the word of God when I speak with another? If I am, I will rebuke my fellow brother or sister in Christ when they need it--and I will accept a rebuke from a fellow Christian as well and be trained by it. These aren't minor details in a dusty book stored on the shelf--they are life changing truths that come alive from the Word of God.
You will do well to heed its instruction!
Is there someone to whom you need to deliver a loving rebuke? Have you been rebuked by another, and didn't respond so well?
The wonderful blessing is that you are being given another opportunity to do what is right and honor the Lord. Repent of your sin; turn, and do what is right. God gives grace to the humble, yet opposes the proud (James 4:6)--so humble yourself under His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6).