Proverbs 15:31, “Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise.”
My Mom is Italian and my Dad is Polish. Both of their grandparents came from the mother country. My parents were the first generation to marry outside of their nationality. Up until that time, their parents married within their own culture. So I grew up half Italian and half Polish.
The Italian side from my Mom would come out through her cooking, passion for life and loud way of talking. My friends said they could hear my Mom “talking” to me all the way down the street. So if you weren’t used to people being loud when they talked and you came into my house you might think we were always yelling.
My Dad’s Polish culture was less subtle but it would also come out if you knew what to look for. Polish people love to talk, but they have a habit of repeating things over and over again. My Polish Grandma would tell her same stories over and over again, not just because she was old and a grandma, but because that’s what my Polish family would do at events. They’d tell the same stories over and over again.
Sometimes my Dad would repeat something and then say, “Now let me tell you in Polish.” This was his way of saying he was going to say it again, but in a different way. With these cultures backgrounds in mind, if you came to my house and heard us talking, you might think we all needed hearing aids and lessons on comprehension! But that was what we called, “normal,” we felt at home in that environment.
King Solomon in today’s proverb gives the test to whether or not you will feel at home among the wise; the willingness to accept life-giving correction. Solomon used the image of people in a house sharing wisdom with each other and when one is corrected they accept it willingly because they see wisdom’s benefit. Correction doesn’t always feel good in the moment, but who wants to believe a lie just because it “feels good?” Not wise people!
Life-giving correction relates to things that are important in our lives. We shouldn’t take them lightly. God gives them to us through people to be more than just suggestions; they are His will for our lives.
If Peter hadn’t received Jesus’ life-giving correction about his views on the crucifixion, Peter would have been lost (Matthew 16:33). If a person in my church is dating a non-Christian, I want them to hear what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:14 and receive God’s instruction. If they listen, God will either save the person they’re dating when then let them know they need to breakup or He’ll bring someone else into their life who’s following Jesus. But no matter what, they will be spared from the disaster of joining themselves to an unbeliever. James Aughey wrote, “God’s correction is our instruction.”
I am thankful for the many times people have given me life-giving correction. God’s wisdom given through them prevented me from heading towards certain destruction. I am thankful that God placed them in my life because if they’d never been in my life I wouldn’t have had the chance to receive God’s wisdom through them. Sometimes being that open with people is humbling, but it’s so worth it. Don’t run away from the wise people in your life. Embrace their friendships and be open to their correction. The next time you’re being corrected by a godly person in your life, make sure to listen; God is giving you life!
Reflection
Action
- Repent of any pride you’ve had towards receiving biblical correction.
- Listen to and apply the wise instruction God gives you through other people.
- Pray that God will give you wise friends to share and receive life-giving corrections.
