King Asa was angry with the prophet Hanani and put him in prison because of the message he brought. 2 Chronicles 16
The more days and years I accumulate, the more I realize the wisdom that lies in taking correction with grace. The ability to accept the fact that you have done wrong and God has caused another to bring it to your attention in a loving rebuke. The process, if handled with the humility of God, does not need to be a process that involves anger, resentment, and harsh words. It can be a process that will glorify God and allow growth. But to see our world take correction is another matter. With the examples we see around the globe, no wonder we have a tendency to reject correction and be angry at the messenger instead of the message. Our world is so ready to kill the messenger, completely missing the truth that lies within the message. In 2 Chronicles chapter 16 we see King Asa stumble in his faith and as a result God sends the prophet Hanani, to rebuke the king in his ways against God. But instead of accepting the rebuke from the Lord, we see king Asa react just as we see most in our world today react, he rejects the truth of the correction. And in an abuse of his power, he retaliates against the prophet of God and locks him away in prison. Not a good day to be a prophet of God. As you face correction in your life, ask yourself two questions before you react. One, is the message true? Have you done something that requires correction? If you’re guilty, accept the correction, you’ve earned it. Don’t kill the messenger because the rebuke stings. Second, if you are a child of God and a follower of Jesus Christ, realize that the rebuke is Godly and not coming from a person but a person that God has entrusted to bring to light your transgression against God. Realize that the person is not personally attacking you but merely delivering the truth God has revealed to them. It’s never fun to accept correction, but within the rebukes of God comes genuine growth and maturity in Christ. Within the correction of God lies learning the ways of His wisdom. As you walk this life, you will offend, hurt, and emotionally deal blows to others, intentionally and unintentionally. But regardless of your intent, the damage is done. God will offer you correction not out of punishment, but out of His Fatherly love. Accept the rebukes of life with humility, grace, and love. For when the rebukes come, it is the very hand of God reshaping your life to be more like His Son Jesus.
“The Lord corrects the people He loves and disciplines those He calls his own." Hebrews 12:6
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