Rebuke: to express sharp, stern disapproval of. Granted there are many people who thrive on being this voice to others, there are not many who enjoy receiving it. But what if the greatest need we have, we’ll never see without a mirror and a second opinion? Such is one role of the Word of God, to say, ‘you are wrong.’ When we consider the reason for this need and the result that it brings, we understand how important rebuke is.
The reason we need rebuke is clear in Genesis 6:5, ‘The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’ Paul affirms this in Romans 3:10, ‘None is righteous, no, not one.’ There is a great need for someone or something to tell us when we are deceived into thinking that our intentions are always pure; the Word of God does this for us.
Scripture also teaches us the result of receiving this rebuke. Keeping our way pure, not sinning against God, the declaration of the Gospel, beholding the wondrous things of God, a soul consumed with longing for God (Psalm 119:9, 11, 13, 18, 20). Allowing the Word of God to rebuke us, Paul writes, leads us to be competent and equipped for the work that God has created us for (2 Tim. 3:17).
Prayer/Challenge
Begin reading Psalm 119 today and humbly consider the implications of allowing the Word of God to speak into your life the rebuke needed to shape and mold you into the well-equipped follower of Christ that God desires you to be.
