I do not like being corrected. I mean who does? Who wants to
know they didn’t do a good job here or their attitude needs an adjustment.
Especially when in our minds we do not see what the person correcting us sees.
Maybe it’s how they correct us or who corrects us that sometimes gets us so
angry. Maybe it’s the fact that we know we have to change and we are
embarrassed at the fact that God has to use others to tell us. We use the
opportunity to say things like “well I’m not perfect” or “He’s still working on
me” to make ourselves feel better. Whatever the reason, we do not like others
correcting us.
The
truth of the matter is though, that we aren’t perfect. Here’s another truth,
that’s why Jesus came. Another is that our pride gets in the way of our growth
sometimes because we fail to hear what is being said to us. Our response is to
become defensive. We fit in imaginary ear plugs and ‘smile and nod’ so that
others think we are listening. In verses 44-53, Stephen preached about the
wickedness in the hearts of men. He
rebuked the people and was chased out of the city. He continued to preach even
then and was stoned to death by the very people he preached too. They didn’t
want to hear what they did. They didn’t seem interested in hearing about a
Saviour either. It seemed like they wanted the source of their conviction to
stop.
We must
humble ourselves and take responsibility for our actions. We must understand
that we have not yet arrived, neither will we. From time to time we will slip
up, or display areas in our lives that need a little pruning, or God will
reveal to us things that we still need to work on. We must listen. We must be
able to take the correction, work on it and come out victorious. Humility is key…
The
term ‘fool for Christ’ just became real to me. We often look down on people who
stand on the side of the road preaching the Gospel in the loudest of
voices. We look down at the ones with
the signs on their backs saying ‘Jesus is coming soon’. What about the ones who
walk around with cards in protest against gay marriages, or the ones who go to
lay hands on a mosque during the month of Ramadan, to pray that the souls come
to Christ. The things these people do, we often see as nuances and embarrassing
are things that God calls us to. Stephen was a fool for Christ. In verse 56 of
chapter 7, looks into the sky and starts describing what he sees. To the people
standing there he must have been crazy, because no one else could see what he
saw. Sometimes God will give you a
vision that only you can see. Others will doubt you, question you, call you a
fool. Hold on to what you have seen. God vindicates His people. Hope in God
never fails. (Rom 8.)
With
the last breaths that Stephen had he asked that God forgive His murderers. Stephen cared about the lives of the very
people that took his. He cared that the souls of these people who treated him
the way they did. He was concerned about those who did evil against him, who
spoke evil against him. Love and bless those who curse you. Allow God to
vindicate you. God always has your best interest at heart. Rejoice in your hard
times and in the sad times. Love others with an unconditional love. The same
love that your Heavenly Father loves you with.
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