What Does The Bible Say About Criticism? Criticism is defined as “the act of criticizing usually unfavorably (badly).” I think this definition is one of the better ones. Most of the time criticism is a negative thing but constructive (helpful) criticism can be a positive outlet (way) to build someone up while still helping them through some flaws (mistake), mistakes or weaknesses they may have. Whether you criticize in a negative or positive way, the main thing to remember is that YOU have the choice to decide how you will criticize. What does the Bible say about criticism? Let’s take a look! Negative Is Foolish Ecclesiates 5:2-3 Be very careful when you go to worship God. It is better to listen to God than to give sacrifies (A gift to God) like foolish people. Foolish people often do bad things, and they dont even know it. Be careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about things you say to God. Dont let your feeling cause you to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth. So you need to say only a few things to God. This is saying is true: Bad dreams come from too much worrying, and too many words come from foolish people. Any kind of negative criticism is unnecessary (stupid) and foolish. As the scripture says, a fool has many things to say. People who are negative have an issue (problem) with pride (proud). They think they are better and smarter than you and by how they talk down at you make them feel good and it puffs (blow) up their oversized (extra large) ego. Their comments (notes) aren’t there to help you; they are there to make you feel inadequate (too small) and dumb. When they make you feel dumb, they feel superior (better) and that is where all of this negativity festers (get worse) from. They have a drive to overpower (overwhelm) you. But fear not! God is always with the humble (kind) and anyone who continues in this negative lifestyle is in trouble! Proverbs 8:13 If a person respects the Lord, then that person will hate evil. I (Understanding) hate pride and people that think they are better than other people. I hate evil ways, and lying mouth. Constructive Criticism/Be Smart Constructive criticism will only work on someone who wants to become wise and learn. To the fool this will only make him lash (fix) out more, mostly because of his own insecurity (worry) that you are right. Fools love to make you feel dumb, and they hate it when others make them look dumb. This is the key. A fool thinks you make them look dumb when you correct them. A wise person thinks that you are right and therefore will increase (grow) in learning and become a little bit wiser because of it. So, this takes some discretion (judgment) on your part. You need to be wise and know if it is even worth it. I have 2 people in my mind right now: a fool and a wise man. I know these 2 people and I know how each one will react (answer) when I correct them. This is how you must approach (come close to) this decision. You need to know in advance (move forward) how someone will react (answer) to you. A fool will not care what you have to say. Don’t waste your breath on them. Still love them and be kind but don’t bother with correction. Proverbs 9:8 So, if a man thinks that he is better than other people, dont tell him that he is wrong. He will hate you for it. But if you try to help a wise man then he will respect you. How Does God Criticize? Proverbs 15:31 If a person listens carefully when someone tells him that he has done wrong, then he is very wise (smart) Well, God is very critical of us because we have an issue called sin, which His own Son, Jesus, died for. Sin is no joke to God and He will be critical of us. In the book of Job you will see a conversation (talk) take place between Job and three of his so-called “friends”. The whole dialogue (talk) in a general sense consists of the friends berating (criticize) Job and Job defending (protecting) himself while complaining and wishing he was dead. Near the end God steps in with a lengthy (long) discourse (talk) on how unworthy and unwise they all are. He starts it off by saying, Who is this person that does not accept my wisdom (understanding), and questions me with worthless and ignorant word? Job be strong like a man, and get ready to answer the questions I will ask you. (Job 38:2-3) God’s whole discourse (talk) criticizes the men’s own intellect (brain power) and power which is pitiful (sorry) in the presence of God. God is a God of love and of wrath. He is a jealous God and He will criticize every single sin you have made if you die without accepting Jesus. He will be your judge at your last breath! However, God will gladly give us wisdom (understanding) and critique (study) us in a positive way if we will only listen. God’s reproof (blame) leads to life, but only the wise (smart) man will hear it and obey. And the wisest (smart) decision you will ever make while you are alive is choosing to obey God and accept Jesus as your Savior for the remission of your sins. “Criticism is futile (bad) because it puts a person on the defensive (protecting) and usually makes him strive (fight) to justify (protect) himself. Criticism is dangerous because it wounds (hurt) a person’s precious pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses (stir up) resentment (hate).” Conclusion Criticism is all about attitude. You can criticize others to make yourself feel good and make them look dumb. Or, you can constructively criticize others and help them become better people and wiser at the same time. You have to want to help others if you are going to critique (study) them in a positive way. So, make the choice today! Be positive! And if you are still wandering (traveling) through life without a Savior, please consider Jesus today! You will become blameless in the eyes of God the moment you choose Jesus. May God bless you as you continue to live a life worthy of the calling! Like you say, what other people think is none of my business? Please don’t ever feel bad for making a decision about your own life. Please don’t upset about other people who judge or criticize your life. You are not responsible for people happiness (joy). You are responsible for your own life. The people who want you to live in misery (sad) for (people) happiness (joy) should not be in your life to start with. Let criticism go! Romans 14:1-23 Dont Criticize Other People Welcome all the Lord’s followers, even those whose faith is weak. Don’t criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours. Some think it is all right to eat anything, while those whose faith is weak will eat only vegetables. But you should not criticize others for eating or for not eating. After all, God welcomes everyone. What right do you have to criticize someone else’s servants? Only their Lord can decide if they are doing right, and the Lord will make sure that they do right. Some of the Lord’s followers think one day is more important than another. Others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind. Any followers who count one day more important than another day do it to honor their Lord. And any followers who eat meat give thanks to God, just like the ones who don’t eat meat. Whether we live or die, it must be for God, rather than for ourselves. Whether we live or die, it must be for the Lord. Alive or dead, we still belong to the Lord. This is because Christ died and rose to life, so that he would be the Lord of the dead and of the living. Why do you criticize other followers of the Lord? Why do you look down on them? The day is coming when God will judge all of us. In the Scriptures God says, “I swear by my very life that everyone will kneel down and praise my name!” And so, each of us must give an account to God for what we do. Don’t Cause Problems for Others We must stop judging others. We must also make up our minds not to upset anyone’s faith. The Lord Jesus has made it clear to me that God considers all foods fit to eat. But if you think some foods are unfit to eat, then for you they are not fit. If you are hurting others by the foods you eat, you are not guided by love. Don’t let your appetite destroy someone Christ died for. Don’t let your right to eat bring shame to Christ. God’s kingdom is not about eating and drinking. It is about pleasing God, about living in peace, and about true happiness. All this comes from the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ in this way, you will please God and be respected by people. We should try to live at peace and help each other have a strong faith. Don’t let your appetite destroy what God has done. All foods are fit to eat, but it is wrong to cause problems for others by what you eat. It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that causes problems for other followers of the Lord. What you believe about these things should be kept between you and God. You are fortunate, if your actions don’t make you have doubts. But if you do have doubts about what you eat, you are going against your beliefs. And you know that is wrong, because anything you do against your beliefs is sin. KEEP CALM AND DONT CRITICIZE
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 22:33:52 +0000
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