Revelation Day 25 - Search Me, O God

DAY 25
Don’t Curse Correction
Psalm 26:2
 
How can we welcome correction in a way that moves us closer to God?

Ask yourself some hard questions:

• How responsive am I to correction? When someone, says, “You’re wrong,” what’s your immediate response? Are you defensive? Angry? Argumentative? Or are you curious: “Hmm, is there any truth in this?”

• How much time do I spend correcting others? Correcting others isn’t bad, but if we’re focused on that, then it’s harder to shift the focus back to ourselves. It’s harder to be objective about ourselves. Maybe it’s easier to have a critical eye because of your age (“These young people…”). Maybe you’re a parent, alert to kids doing silly, even dangerous, things. Maybe you supervise others or manage a project or organization. You’re responsible for keeping everyone in their lane. That’s good and useful, but it might make it harder to receive correction.

• How do I invite God’s correction? How often do you pray in the spirit of Psalm 26:2, “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind?” If you do, do you wait for an answer? Do you have relationships of accountability? Do you regularly share with another believer about your spiritual health, your successes, your struggles, your sins, and your secrets?

• When is the last time you truly grieved and repented of your sin? It’s possible to say, “Oh, yeah, I shouldn’t have done that,” but it’s also important sometimes to really get broken up about our sins - to really think about how our actions hurt someone and grieve God. But we can’t stop there. Yes, admit it’s wrong. Yes, feel bad about it. But don’t forget to change. What will you do differently the next time you face that specific temptation? How can you set yourself up to overcome it with God’s help?  

It’s easy to get lost in the weeds of Revelation but always step back and ask what the author was trying to do for the original readers. If you get an idea about that, you’re a lot closer to knowing what God may be trying to say to you. In this case, Revelation 8-9 talk about the dangers of sin, the need for judgment, and our need to be responsive to correction.

And that’s good news! You can overcome your sins. That’s the whole point of repentance. That’s the point of most judgment. That’s the point of Jesus. God doesn’t want you to be stuck in shame. God doesn’t want you weighed down by guilt. God wants you forgiven, free, and spiritually strong. Don’t curse correction. God wants reform, not revenge.

REFLECT
Take a few minutes to think about one or two of these questions.

PRAYER
Pray these words from Psalm 139 and sit quietly listening for the Lord.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.