Let's Just Skip This One

Rebuking. It is next on our list from 2 Tim. 3:16-17 of things Scripture is useful for, but if you are like me it is tempting to skip over this one.

Who wants to be rebuked? Who wants to be told they are wrong and to stand down? Who wants to submit to “sharp disapproval or criticism because of [our] behavior or actions” (the dictionary definition of ‘rebuke’)? The answer is nobody! None of us likes to be rebuked, and yet, here it is as one of the four things scripture is “useful” for in order that you might be “thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

When our youngest daughter, Hope, was very small, Brooke would often take the kids hiking on local nature trails. Most times, these were excursions in familiar settings, but one day they found themselves on an unfamiliar trail and Brooke realized with alarm that little Hope was happily running toward a steep drop-off. If Hope didn’t stop immediately, she would be significantly harmed.

Brooke had time for a one-word command: “Hope, STOP!”

It was a stern rebuke without an explanation. There was no time to explain why, or for Hope to protest that she wasn’t doing anything wrong. There was not time for understanding or explaining, but simply a rebuke of her seemingly-innocent action and direction and an order to immediately stop.

Fortunately, Hope’s training and her trust in her mama caused her to stop immediately, just a few feet from the edge. Her instant obedience was not about understanding the danger but instead wholly rooted in her submission to her mother’s rebuke. She knew as a matter of training that if mom said to stop, she should stop, full stop!

I have a confession, and I wonder if you are in a similar boat:

When God rebukes me, my human nature wants to quickly check my surroundings to see if that rebuke is really warranted. I want to just double-check to see if God is overreacting. I want to trust but verify, because if God is overreacting, I’d really rather not receive the rebuke.

Here’s the kicker: My fleshly reaction is often not even about whether to stop; it’s about being offended by the idea of yielding to rebuke.

I do not like to be rebuked. I never have (you can ask my mother) and I probably never will (you can ask my wife). But I desperately need to be rebuked! Why? Because sometimes I am running headlong toward the cliff!

Here’s that hard-but-ultimately-comforting truth: You need to be rebuked too. But not just by anyone. Our passage says it is scripture that is useful for rebuking. This is not about self-loathing or false humility or withering under the negative talk of those around you. It is about trusting that your loving heavenly Father has sent His Word for the express purpose of preventing you from hurtling into harm’s way.

Ask yourself today: Does my training and my trust in the Father override my discomfort with rebuke?

My friend, it is critical the answer be ‘yes.’ It is critical that the Word of God be the primary authority in your life, because sometimes you are running with abandon toward the edge. Sometimes there is no time for explanations or understanding. Sometimes it is simply a one-word rebuke: “STOP!”

It is so very ‘useful’ if you have pre-determined to immediately yield to the rebuke of scripture. It is the difference between security with your Father and hurtling over the edge.

Don’t skip this one. God’s Word is useful for rebuking.