Jump Start # 1238

NOTE: There will be no Jump Start tomorrow. I wish each of you a thankful day.

Proverbs 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.”

  This week we have been looking at things to be thankful for. Our list has been a bit unusual. We looked at opportunities. Yesterday, we discussed trials. Today, yet another important, but rarely thanked subject, rebuke. In Ecclesiastes we find, “It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man than for one to listen to the song of fools” (7:5).

Rebuke, it’s one of the three words Paul told Timothy to do as a preacher (reprove, rebuke and exhort). Rebuke isn’t pleasant and much too often we do all we can to avoid it, including coming up with excuses, dodging the issue, or blaming others. No one likes going to the woodshed. I’ve never heard anyone publicly thank the Lord for the times they were rebuked in their life. Maybe we should.

Here’s what is involved with rebuking. First, it is believed that you have done something wrong. Rebuke is not a compliment. It involves changing wrong behavior. It involves pointing out wrong in your life. Maybe your attitude wasn’t right. Maybe your behavior was out of line. Something is amiss in your life.

Second, what you have done or said, caught the attention of someone else. Now others know. They approach you about your wrongs. Hopefully, with kindness and with the word of God they point out your sin.  They do this because they care. They do this because they want you to be in Heaven. They do this because you are damaging yourself and others.

Third, we are stung by the rebuke. It hurts. We were wrong. A godly conscience produces guilt and shame.   It is here that the rebuke brings us back to the Lord. A good heart recognizes that things were out of line in our life. The rebuke leads to a course correction. It causes us to change. Many times, the adjustment is lifelong. We throw out a judgmental attitude that was hurting others. We put the brakes on flirting that would have led to an affair. We kill the porn in our lives. We stop being rude to others. The rebuke saved us.

It’s hard to be thankful for rebukes, but we ought to be. Can you imagine what would have happened had someone not jumped in and helped us? Can you imagine how far from Christ we may have fallen? Can you imagine the damage we may have caused? The rebuking is necessary.

There are different forms of rebuking. Sunday sermons can be a generic form. You are sitting in the audience and the preacher is hammering away on a point. Without any knowledge, he is nailing you. His points, the verses he uses, are like a shot to the heart. Right then and right there, you make up your mind to do better. You determine to change your ways. You have been rebuked. Sometimes we politely say, “Preacher, you stepped on my toes.”

We can rebuke ourselves as we read Scriptures. We see that our hearts are not like Jesus. It hits us. We determine to do better. We determine to change our ways. What has happened? We were rebuked.

Then there is the rebuke that comes personally from a friend. They care enough to say something. It’s hard for them to bring the subject up. They fear our reaction. They fear the friendship may end. But doing the right thing pushes them through that to talk to us. They point out what they have noticed. They remind us of our commitment to Christ. They tell us of the example of Jesus. They are right. We have been rebuked.

Too often, instead of thanking someone for helping us, we can turn on them. We holler at the preacher as we leave the church building. We find a loophole in the Scriptures that we manufacture to keep us from changing. And to our friend, we become unfriendly. The rebukes fail because of our heart. We go on our merry way, living in denial and refusing to change. Hard headed and stubborn, we can give rebukes but we can’t take them. Such is a sorry state to be in.

When a rebuke is taken to heart, it leads to repentance, faithfulness and commitment to the Lord. That’s the goal. That’s the good. We all need this. None of us are perfect, including the preachers. We need God’s word in our lives to keep us on course. We need those dear friends to remind us of our attitudes, words and actions that may be straying from the Lord.

Thank the Lord for the times people loved you so much that they spoke to you. Thank the Lord for their courage. Thank the Lord for listening ears that led you to apologize to God. Thank the Lord for the fellowship we have with one another. Accountability is a key to our fellowship. We need each other. It’s important to know that others have our back in support and they are there to help us stay in the game.

Thankfulness…for open doors, for trials, for rebukes. You won’t hear those around the dinner table tomorrow, but we know and understand their values. These are the things that have helped us, molded us and allowed us to continue on.

Be thankful in all things…

Roger