Proverbs 1:23, ‘23Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.
Another version says it clearly, ‘23Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings’. Let us take heed to the rebuke and reproof and repent and follow the Lord’s teaching in our daily lives.
Galatians 2:20, ‘I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me’.
Let us consistently die to our ‘self’ and live a life worthy of our calling, a new life which God gave us and let us continue to grow spiritually. Let us be filled by His Holy Spirit to be able to crucify our ‘flesh’. As we continue to live in Him, through His Word, God gives us personal reproof to us, every day, reminding us to repent of our mistakes. He counsels and rebukes us at daily basis. Are we obeying? If not, the outpouring/filling of the Holy Spirit into our lives is getting hindered. Let us apply the Word to our lives, every day, in each circumstances of our lives. When our lives are attuned to each of His rebuke, counsel, advice from God, then He fills us with His Holy Spirit and will remind us the Word of God.
Importance of God’s Word
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ‘16All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work’.
All Scripture is inspired by God and if we take heed, it will help us to be a man or woman of God, fully capable, equipped for every good work.
Matthew 13:23, ‘23And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
if we repent on every sin that He shows, He will help us to bear much fruit and live a victorious overcoming life.
Blessings when we repent on His reproof:
1. Proverbs 25: 12, ‘Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear’.
2. Psalm 141: 5, ‘Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; It is oil upon the head; Do not let my head refuse it, For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds’
God is continuously encouraging, guiding and reproving us, through His Word, Elders, brothers, in different ways. Are we serious in accepting it? If yes, God’s Word will personally work in us, filling us with the power of His Holy Spirit.
We find many examples in the Bible:
1. Judas Iscariot:
Jesus is predicting His betrayal in John 13:21 onwards,
21When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” 26Jesus then *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. 30So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night. 31Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; 32if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately
Judas Iscariot had time to turn back to reproof, turn to the counsel of Jesus. But after receiving the morsel from Jesus, he went out into the night, immediately. After he left, Son of Man, Jesus is glorified. Judas did not turn back, when he had a chance to turn back to God. If we do not turn back to God after we receive reproof from Him, then the Son of Man will not be glorified in our lives also. We will also be a hindrance to the work of the Lord. Let us be humble, die to our ‘self’ and take the counsel of God seriously and let His will be done in our lives for His glory. As we turn to His Word, when we repent, then He will fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit and He will give us grace to overcome sin. He gives a right Word to apply in our lives at the right time!
When we are born-again, God has filled us with His Holy Spirit in a limited way; it is our responsibility to follow His commands and ask to be filled and to be overflowing, with His power of the Holy Spirit. When the cup overflows, we can also be a blessing to others. We need to be very sensitive to the minute details in our lives and continuously listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, to the encouragements we receive, to the reproof and to the corrections we receive.
34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus gave this commandment of loving one another after Judas Iscariot left, it is after Judas left, Jesus got freedom to speak with His true disciples. Individually, as His disciples, let us assess ourselves. When the corrections come, let us humbly submit to it and love one another.
2. David:
When Nathan came to correct David, David listened to him and he wholeheartedly accepted his fault and repented of his sin
2 Samuel 12:13,14, ‘13Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die’.
Proverbs 15:10, ‘10Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way; He who hates reproof will die’.
He who hates the reproof, he shall die. But if we accept the reproof, like David did and repent, as Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord will take away your sin and you shall not die’.
Jesus Himself is saying to His disciples in John 14:16, ‘I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.’ 23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. 25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
It is very necessary and important to take heed to the corrections and reproof that God gives us on a daily basis, and let us repent and turn back to God and follow His commandments, taking up our own cross, following Him, learning from Him and He will give us life and the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us come to God and the Helper, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and will bring to our remembrance all that Jesus taught. Let His Word become life in us.
Praise God.
