Are you willing to be Developed?

(Prov 15:32 MKJV) He who refuses instruction despises his own soul, but he who hears reproof gets understanding.

This morning we continue our current series. This verse flows in the same vein as the last. In yesterday’s message Solomon told us to be open to constructive criticism. Why? Why would, or should, someone willingly submit themselves to critical feedback? The obvious answer is so that they might grow.

Those that are serious about developing as a person and a believer and about maximizing their purpose and potential in life before their die, will need the feedback of God and others.

However, Solomon teaches us this morning that NOT everyone will be open to that type of feedback, because everyone is not serious about their development. People that don’t want to be developed or disciplined are people that despise their own soul; they don’t have a true desire grow.

I have met many with this laissez-faire attitude and I when ask them about what they want to do with their lives, what they want to become, what impact they want to make, or what their life’s purpose is, I often get answers like, “I don’t know,” “I don’t care,” “We’ll see,” or “Whatever happens, happens.”

But for the rest of us, for those that want to live and not just exist, we must be willing to receive and respond to the feedback we get from God and others about our progress or lack thereof.

For the word translated as “instruction” in this text, other translations use the words, “discipline,” or “correction.” The actual Hebrew word Solomon used is mucar. Mucar occurs 50 times in the Bible, mainly in Proverbs. One of the major purposes of the wisdom literature (the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, (some) Psalms, and Song of Solomon) of the Bible is to teach God’s wisdom and to provide mucar.

Mucar is a form of discipline that comes in verbal instruction and warning, so as to keep the person who is being taught from experiencing the repercussions of bad decisions.

Mucar teaches a believer how live correctly in the fear of the Lord and we would become wise in learning from God’s (and His people), heeding the warnings without actually having to live through the harvest of bad seeds. This type of Biblical instruction is training for life, but it is not always something we want to hear.

No one likes to hear correcting or piercing words, but the truth is that we all need them.

We need to be corrected when we are on the wrong road. We all stray from time to time and we ought to be thankful to God that He takes the time to speak to us in prayer and to send people our way that will help to get us back on His desired path for our lives.

So what does this mean to you? It means that you should love yourself enough to want to be discipled by God and His people, however, you must realize that true discipleship requires correction and discipline. Don’t fight the process. If you hate discipline you actually hate yourself. The more you allow yourself to be developed the more you open yourself up to the possibility of becoming the person the Father desires for your to be.

The space between the person you are today and the person you desire to become will be spanned faster once you determine to grow by any means necessary; discipline included.

Father, I love You and I love myself. I love myself enough to want to grow and develop into the best me I can be. I don’t have a nonchalant attitude about my life. I am determined to live my life on purpose. I want to maximize my purpose and potential before I die. Therefore, I declare, by faith, that I will submit to the process of discipleship. I will allow myself to be discipled by You and by those You have assigned to teach me. I won’t fight the process, but will rather submit to it. Even when the process is painful, and I need to hear things I don’t want to hear, I will submit to it because I know that You and those You send my way are there to help and not to hurt. Since I am willing to allow You and others to make a mark in me, I know that in the end I will be able to leave a mark in this world that will not be erased! In Jesus’ name. Amen!