Proverbs 25:12

A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

Rebuke from a wise person is a good thing.

I know I sure appreciate it when someone I trust gives me a word of truth, helping me to see myself from an angle which I don’t normally see, or perhaps cannot see.

Why?

Because I want to become the best possible version of myself in Christ, and one way the Holy Spirit does this is thru wise people.

If you despise correction, or find yourself being always defensive, ask yourself why. Ask yourself, “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be better?”

John 16:8-11

I’ve always found this passage interesting and somewhat difficult to understand. I found Warren Wiersbe’s commentary  on it helpful to me. Here is his culminating paragraph on it:

When a lost sinner is truly under conviction, he will see the folly and evil of unbelief; he will confess that he does not measure up to the righteousness of Christ, and he will realize that he is under condemnation because he belongs to the world and the devil [Eph.2:1-3]. The only person who can rescue him from such a horrible situation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There can be no conversion without conviction, and there can be no conviction apart from the Spirit of God using the Word of God and the witness of the children of God.

A couple good reminders here. First off, it is our unbelief that condemns us, not our individual sins, for they have already been paid for. We only have to recognize what already is and receive. Accept what has been done for us already. I love the old hymn Jesus Paid It All.

Secondly, it is great to be reminded that there simply is no conviction in the heart of any person apart from the Holy Spirit. I cannot convict a heart. I can be a catalyst for the HS to soften a heart, which is awesome and quite a privilege, but I do not do it myself thru any emotional or logical appeal on my part no matter how eloquent it may be. The only way I can be a part of changing hearts is if I am a Spirit-pouring portable sanctuary of YHWH thru His Son.

Oh how we need the Holy Spirit’s guidance and to bring glory to God alone!

Soli Deo Gloria.