Open Rebuke is Better than Hidden love


Proverbs 27:5 (NIV) Open rebuke is better than hidden love.

Reflection:

There are two scenarios here. The first one corrects you to bring you back to what's right because he loves you. The second one doesn't correct you because he thinks he might hurt you but the effect is you won't learn what's right. If you look at it long term, I'd choose the first one but you know what that's easier said than done.

Have you been corrected lately? Have you been rebuked before? Maybe because of something you did or maybe because of something you failed to do. As mature as we think we are, we always say it's better to receive feedback now than continue in doing what's wrong but again it's easier said than done.
When somebody rebukes us, it hurts us! We'd start to struggle. We'd love to just easily accept the feedback and try to change our lives for the better. Sadly, most of the time our automatic response is to reason out and defend ourselves (in our minds). We'd even start to fight back by looking for defects from the other person reasoning to ourselves that before he even judges, he should look at himself first.

Rebukes are good. Rebukes from your brothers and sisters in Christ are for the better. They are your keepers, remember? No one's righteous. No not one. (Romans 3:9) There will always be rough edges to clean and wrong attitudes to correct. Even the person who's giving the rebuke, he too is imperfect. But that's not the issue. The main issue is YOU. How do you respond to these feedback and rebuke? They may be done with right motives (to build you up) or with wrong intentions (to just discriminate and discourage you), it doesn't matter. What matters is your response. Respond to learn from these rebukes. Respond for the better. Respond not to retaliate but respond to succumb. It hurts but fight it. If you don't have anything good to say, just zip it. At the end of the day, all these feedback are for the better only if you learn how to take and accept them.

Indeed, I'd say open rebuke is better because that way you'll learn what needs to be changed in your life. Without it, we'd think we're already doing good but actually not yet. Most of the time these are really done because of love especially if it has been given by a Family member in Christ. For you, this is also a great way of showing love to your friends. Just make sure to do it in a loving and caring way.

Recommended Readings:


Nothing Can Separate us From God's love

Be A good Example | Be humble as He is humble

18 comments:

  1. Hi Mike, I liked what you wrote. We get a lot of that in our Church. If you have time you can check it out. It's called www.cfcindia.com . Thanks for signing up as a follower on my blog. Which call center do you work with?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I work with eTelecare Global Solutions. you?

    Recent blog post: Open Rebuke is Better than Hidden love

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amen Mike. Thanks for sharing.....blessings!

    Recent blog post: STIRRING

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very touching post. It is better to rebuke than hide your love.

    ReplyDelete
  5. There is a lot of truth in that... We are suppose to keep each other accountable, on the straight path. The key is that when you get correction, don’t have malice towards the other, pray to get your heart back to flesh and remove the stone that its causing you to slip!

    Thank you for sharing this one :)


    Recent blog post: When Enough is Enough, part 2

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good exhortation! I'm with you. I hate hidden agendas. Even though I'm sensitive, I'd rather hear it straight.

    Recent blog post: The Problem of the Door

    ReplyDelete
  7. I once read in the Bible this verse:
    "Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice."

    Proverbs 12:15

    -Irene
    http://lifelots.blogspot.com

    Recent blog post: The Teacup

    ReplyDelete
  8. If a rebuke is righteous, accept it. If it is false-hearted, throw it away.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks Mike! I relate to this so much. It is so hard not to retaliate and defend myself when someone rebukes or confronts me and I always have to remember what God ask me to do with it regardless of the intent of the person rebuking me. Though it is always much easier to accept from one of the brothers I look up to. This reminded me of my post about my first Christian Men's Group Meeting called Some Honest Men, here is the link if you would like to check it out: http://scottmcqueen.blogspot.com/2008/09/some-honest-men.html

    Recent blog post: I Fall Down, You Pick Me Up

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very good verse you have irene. It suits the topic

    Recent blog post: Open Rebuke is Better than Hidden love

    ReplyDelete
  11. Agree! It does need discernment though because we can't trust our own rationalization.

    Recent blog post: Open Rebuke is Better than Hidden love

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'll surely check that out Scott. I'm blessed you can relate to it.

    Recent blog post: Open Rebuke is Better than Hidden love

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello Mikes and All,

    Yes, well, if I were looking for self-satisfaction apart from God, I wouldn't be a follower of Jesus.

    God straightens constantly.

    They are sharp reprimands depending upon one's own emotional reactions. How harsh and disagreeable is the truth to one when that one loves the truth: Loves God?

    As you know, Mikes, I was "rebuked" by an atheist moderator working for Entrecard. I stood up ( http://www.realliberalchristianchurch.org/wordpress/?p=3103 ). I did it as moved by the Holy Spirit of truth.

    I know that people (not all) all over the world calling themselves "Christian" don't stand up for truth but for falsehoods such as, among other things, war, greed, and sexually harmful behavior.

    If a person won't stand up as Jesus stood up, that one might escape crucifixion. He or she will save the life of the flesh for a while but lose the light in the soul, which is the real life, per Jesus. Many self-professing Christian's run for the hills when it's really time to stand one's ground and brave it next to his brothers and sisters (if they are there) in the name of the LORD.

    When Jesus was on the cross and his mother and the other women were there, where were all his disciples? John was there. Where were Peter and the others? Nevertheless, Jesus forgave them while he was suffering for their sakes. That's real love.

    Peace

    Tom Usher

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your posts are really relevant to me ! Its teaching me alot as I am following Christ now! Please do continue posting!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...