Loving Rebuke: Proverbs 28:23 He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue. (NKJV) In my early 20’s I worked on an inpatient psychiatric unit for adolescents. I was inexperienced and not much older than the teens on the unit. My goal was to be the “cool” counselor that would be positive and encourage these troubled youth. There was a more seasoned senior counselor on the unit who I perceived as harsh and mean spirited with his direction and advice for the youth. I could not understand why when one of the patients had a tough family, individual or group session that they always wanted to talk with the “mean” counselor. I asked him one day why he thought the kids came to him and he replied “Because they know I will tell them the truth”. This veteran counselor actively practiced Proverbs 28:23 and I was not. I fear many churches today are behaving as I did and not willing to be honest for fear of losing members. Ephesians 4:15 instructs believers to speak the truth in love. I know in my own life it is the people who rebuked my behavior out of love that stand out in my memory and whom I am thankful. Sadly, however, the majority of those people were not believers. Let’s stop being the church that flatters people with the tongue and start being the church that says “I love you enough to tell you the truth even if it hurts your feelings.” David Jones [email protected]
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 12:57:20 +0000
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