Hebrews 12:5
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Everyone must be corrected in life because no one is sinless or knows everything. The fact that you must be corrected is not a bad thing; correction is given to help you to be better at what you do. God’s Word teaches the importance of correction. God admonishes the believer not to despise chastening nor to faint when they are rebuked. God knew that humans are often filled with pride, and many who were good believers became disenchanted when they were chastened or rebuked.
God often rebukes a believer often through humans. Yes, God chastens His own, but He rebukes them through the preaching of the Word of God, or through the pastor giving a mild rebuke to the believer in a private manner. God cautions the believer not to faint just because they have been rebuked. Don't let the rebuke cause you to quit. Let me point out several thoughts about rebuke and its need in your life.
First, God uses humans to rebuke you, so don't get angry at God’s tool who rebukes you. Many preachers have lost church members because they rebuked someone through preaching, even though they did not know they were being the tool to rebuke someone. Many times a preacher is just preaching what the LORD gave him, but what God gave him became a rebuke to a person doing wrong. Don't be mad at the tool God used, for if you get mad at him, you are showing God that you are mad at God.
Second, it is love that causes someone to rebuke you. Hebrews 12:6 says, For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. God reminds us that His love for His children is what causes Him to rebuke and chasten. Let me ask, do you think someone enjoys giving a rebuke? The fact that they love you makes it harder to rebuke. I never enjoyed having to rebuke my daughter because I loved her. Likewise, I never enjoy having to admonish one of my church members because I love them. However, love will cause you to rebuke because you know if you don’t, what they are doing will destroy them. If you realized that someone’s love is what moved them to rebuke you, you would not be easily offended by their rebuke.
Third, rebuke or admonition is to help you to be better at what you do for the LORD. Anytime I have had to admonish someone, I have done it because I want them to succeed. My purpose in admonishing someone is not to hurt them, but to help them be a better tool so that they can succeed at what they are doing for God. If you looked at the rebuke as a lesson to help you succeed, you would realize that the one rebuking you is not doing it out of spite, but out of love with a desire to see you succeed.
The key is how you take chastening, rebuke, and admonition. If you get offended and harden your neck at these, it will hurt your ability to be used by God. On the other hand, if you have a compliant spirit to the admonition, rebuke, or chastening, you will find that it will help you to correct what you are doing for your good and success. Don't let admonition, rebuke, or chastening be the tool Satan uses to get you to quit. Let these things build you into a better tool in God’s hand so you can see greater success.
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