Day 6: Proverbs 9:8-9

“Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will learn more."



All right, we’re gonna talk about two things today. Being rebuked and being taught. Sounds like fun, yeah?


First of all, What the heck is a rebuke? That’s when someone calls you out when you do something stupid. I’m sure that’s never happened to you (in the last five minutes). What do you do when someone points out that you’re wrong. Do you pout? Do you deny being wrong? Do you get angry? Solomon says that only idiots do those things. A wise person is always looking to learn from their mistakes. Wise people also know that they’ll be learning from their mistakes a lot, because at the heart of it, we’re a bunch of foul-ups. So the next time someone points out the fact that you’re stuck on stupid, consider very carefully how you react. Learn from your mistake. Trust me, you’ll be mad a lot less, and you’ll learn a lot more.


In the same vein, If you’re going to be a Christian leader (and you are), then you’re going to have to adapt a very difficult stance on life: you can always learn more. This is pretty obvious as you go through your studies at school and learn new things everyday. Sometimes though, we start to think we’re smarter than everyone else, and we refuse to learn from anyone. Bad move. In fact, Solomon says here that a righteous, wise man will always be teachable. We have to constantly be looking for ways to learn. There is always someone who is smarter and more experienced than we are. We need to look for them, and ask them to teach us. This could mean a chat over coffee, or a mentor type of situation. It might also mean we need to read more books (I know, I can hear everyone groaning now).


And let’s not forget, everyone we meet has something they can teach us. Don’t think because you’re smarter, better educated, or are a leader that you can’t learn anything from the people you lead. The best leaders learn as much as they teach.


CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE: Always look for ways to learn. Whether through mistakes or from someone that knows more than we do, never stop learning. The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing as a leader.


Here’s a set of verses to meditate on today: Luke: 18:18-23.


Prayer: Lord, make me teachable. Humble me and show me where I am wrong. Help me listen to others who have something to teach me. Above all, give me a love for Your word. In Christ’s Name, amen.