Saturday, December 12, 2020

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 12 December 2020

 

Criticism

 

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”  (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

 

Today’s Morsel:  People do not like to be criticized these days. But really, corrective criticism is good for you.  If you never get your feelings hurt, you are not growing nor will you be able to endure in this life.  Someone needs to tell you that your deodorant is not working, and you need to be able to accept it and fix the problem.  You need to be able to sandwich every bit of criticism between two layers of praise.  Paul told Timothy to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  To reprove is to criticize and to rebuke is to criticize.  But to exhort is to encourage and inspire.  Just think how much stronger our encouragement should be when we are reproved and rebuked from all sides by our spiritual leaders and others.

 

Sing:  He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.  Surely, He bore all our sorrows and by His stripes we are healed.

 

Thought For Today: Sandwich every bit of criticism between two layers of praise.

1 comment:

  1. Amen. I've taught that principle to my son when he was little and he still remembers it today. Fix me Jesus cause I still need you today!

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