“Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.”
My first reflection on this passage is ‘don’t rebuke anyone unless you have a clear word from God to do it’ or if they are your direct responsibility to supervise. I know to many people who believe their spiritual gift is to rebuke others. They feel they always know better and others want to hear their opinion often. I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day where I found myself considering the men who, over the past 40+ years, have had the greatest impact on my journey. The greatest wisdom in my life tended to come through my wife Jennifer. Next were incredibly wise and godly men. One collective memory is how rarely they rebuked me. In looking back I would be tempted to say a few of them never did. Pondering that, I have come to realize they actually did but it was done with such gentle wisdom that it always felt more like a gift in a deep moment. I truly loved these men. They are almost all gone. I still have some of these people in my life and they are priceless brothers in my story. I’ve witnessed others who have occasionally been offered this wisdom only to reject or even trivialize it. Today rebuke sparingly. #BeTheEdge
“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” James 4:12 NIV
