A Dose of Humility...

Have you ever listened to a preacher give the title of his sermon, only to realize that your toes are about to be stomped on...trampled...ground to a pulp?

This is exactly the predicament I found myself in one night last week during our yearly Super Conference at our church.

And the title of the message? How to Handle Correction.

Oh. Boy.

Do you remember in II Samuel 12 when the prophet Nathan confronts David about his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband? He used the story about a little lamb, stolen from his poor owner, to garnish the table of a rich man who was entertaining a traveller.

David was livid! How dare that man take something that was not his when he had plenty of his own. According to David, the man should be put to death after he restored fourfold because he did this thing, and had no pity. (2 Sam. 12:6)

Bingo!

I can almost imagine Nathan pointing his finger in David's face as he announces: Thou art the man, (2 Sam. 12:7) And he didn't just stop there.

Oh no...Nathan goes on to rebuke David on behalf of the Lord by reminding him of all that the Lord had done for him: annointing him as king, saving him from Saul, giving him his master's house with everything in it. What more did David need?

You would think with this dressing down David would have had Nathan dragged from his presence and put to death.

Instead, David simply says I have sinned against the Lord (2 Sam. 12:13)

His humble response in the face of correction provides a pattern of how we should respond: take it as from the Lord and correct it. It may be that the Lord is pointing out something in our life that is hindering us from drawing closer to Him...something that would make our walk with Him sweeter.

I'll be honest: my pride kicks in immediately and I want to say: Who do you think you are?

And that is exactly how you shouldn't respond: not with pride, but humility. But He giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble. (James 4:6)

I think I sat through that message anxiously waiting for the invitation so I could get to the altar and get it taken care of. I may have had to limp a little...my toes will need a few days to heal.

Simply Limping Along,