NearnessNäide

When I was younger, I used to play tennis. To be honest, I wasn’t very good. I couldn’t serve properly, I could barely hit the ball, and when I did, it often didn’t even make it over the net. Why was I so bad? If I’m truly honest, it was because I didn’t like being told how to play. I resisted correction and ignored advice.

In this passage today, we are reminded of the importance of listening and accepting instruction—especially with the fear of the Lord in mind. Receiving corrections or rebuke can be hard. It exposes our flaws, confronts our pride, and makes us feel vulnerable. Our response is often to dismiss the advice, discredit the person giving it, or simply walk away.

But this passage urges us to take a different path. It tells us that accepting instruction leads to wisdom—it invites us to approach correction not with defensiveness, but with humility.

Let these verses guide our most inner thoughts. May our hearts be open to instruction, may we welcome rebuke when it comes, and be honest in our dealings with others. When we live with reverent fear of the Lord, it won’t remove the challenges of life, but it will anchor us in God’s presence. Trusting Him to carry us through. When we prioritise our relationship with God, we can find a deep sense of security that we are standing on solid ground.

Today, ponder this: Spend a moment in prayer and ask God to reveal a time to you that you perhaps did not take wise counsel, and ask God to help you accept the instruction with gladness and joy and to help you adjust where needed.