5 Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers; 6 their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. They will say, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave."

None of us likes to be told we are wrong. We certainly don’t like to be rebuked or hit for doing something that is not right. Yet, the Psalmist here is saying that this is a blessing. Many times in the Proverbs the wise man says it is a sign of wisdom to be able to accept a rebuke and then make the correction. All of us need this at times.
The best source of reproof, rebuke and teaching is the word of God. James says that w e are to look at God’s word as looking into a mirror. When we honestly see ourselves in light of what God expects, we must then make the proper corrections. Too often we do as James says we ought not to do, that is we go away and forget what we have seen.

The apostle Paul tells those who are spiritual to gently correct those who are overtaken in a fault. This requires that if we are doing the correcting that we do it with the right attitude, that is in the spirit of meekness. We should never display an attitude of being better than others or looking down on them in contempt. Jesus says that we are to remove the log from our own eye before we attempt to take the speck of saw dust from our bother’s eye.

If we are the one being corrected, we must accept it graciously and not become defensive or bitter toward the one who loves us enough to tell us we need to change. Too often we want to find something wrong with that person instead of admitting our own fault. The only way we can grow spiritually is to determine what we need to change (according to God’s word) and then make the change. It is strange that we will pay someone to coach us (that is to tell us what we are doing wrong and h ow to correct it) in most areas of our lives and yet we react wrongly to spiritual correction. Perhaps this is why the scripture so often states that we are not to be deceived.

Lord, please help me to honestly see my own faults. I know that I too often do things and say things that I should not do or say. Please forgive me and help me to admit when I am wrong. Increase my faith so that I can trust your word enough to let it correct me and show me the right way. Give me strength to make the changes I need to make. I pray in Jesus name.

May God bless each of us as we conform to his will today.