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"Correction does much, but encouragement does more."
1. The Movie:
PriIn the movie “Private Benjamin” Pvt. July Benjamin is portrayed by Goldie Hawn, the plot depicts a sheltered young high society woman joins the United States Army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected.
2. Quotes from the Movie:
"All her life she's got everything she ever wanted and a few things she didn't."
“I did join the army, but I joined a different army. I joined the one with the condos and the private rooms. No really my friend Jim Ballot. I don't care what your mommas recruiter told you Benjamin, I am telling you there is no other army.”
“Excuse me is green the only color they come in?”
“Come on movit Benjamin, I don't want to see you stopped running unless you collapse, faint or puke.”
“Has anyone ever died in basis.”
"Personally I think you have gone temporarily insane. That is what we have told everyone.You had a collapse and you you are in a mental home. "
“I want to go out to lunch. I want to be normal again.”
I think this is a good illustration of our lives in Christ. We are the spoiled kids or think we are and then we become Christians we think it is going to be champaigne and caviar, but really we are at war with satan and we need to toughen up because we are in Jesus’ army now. When we suffer; we think it as a strange things that are happening to us (1 Per 4:12). So in essence we need to go through basic training as a christian like they do in the army. Are you willing to go through tough times so that you can be trained?
3. The Bible Scriptures:
As you have questions about things that you are studying or things that are happening to you, seek out some of your more experienced brothers and sisters and let them help you. They have been through many things you will go through. Lean on their wisdom and understanding.
When we are children Hans, we need to be taught things we don’t know, and we need to be corrected when we are wrong. You are inexperienced in Christ because you have never been in this live situation before, unless you believe in reincarnation (smile). There is much you don’t know and there are some areas where you need correction. That is true of every Christian (and every older one!).
How you take correction is going to make all the difference Hans in your growth in Christ.
Let’s see what the Bible has to say:
2 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones – Pr 2:1-8
– What is the message here Hans? How does this relate to the idea that I have died to my old self?
- Francois spiritual wisdom from God is; to understand the fear of the Lord and find knowledge of Him.
- If we have a healthy respect of God then we will learn His word, obey His teachings and live a wholehearted life devoted to God. That means that we have died to ourselves.
- Francois if we do not fear God we will live our lives to please ourselves living in sin Hans has not died.
- When we read; “He holds success in store for the upright” we think in a worldly sense, that means money, fame and power; but really it means spiritual success with God. I am just thinking the disciples who Nero crusified on crosses and setting them alight, do I think people in the world thought they were successful? I don’t think so.
- God will protect us spiritually if we allow Him to.
- The question I ask myself Francois is, am I willing to take advice or am I a know it all guy. I am the most wise person there ever lived, even more so than Solomon, because that is really what I am saying. You can’t tell me nothing. When your boss want to teach you something at work you are all ears, am I worldly or spiritual. My actions will show what I have decided.
- Francois I am just thinking what the impact of my life is on people. Am I helping them closer to God or not. That is what really determine if I am showing the way to life that is truly life.
9 The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. 10 Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die.
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
– Write down your own attitude being corrected Hans. Distinguish between those things that are left over from your earthly nature and those things that Jesus Christ is putting in your heart.
- Well Francois, I think sometimes I get mad outright to think who are you to correct me.
- I feel attacked and retaliate by being critical towards the other person correcting me.
- I might get self righteous and say to them an emotional statement like: “So you are perfect” or “I am just human”.
- Sometimes I have to go away and think about what was said and get my own conviciton about it
- If I love and trust the person saying these things to me I would realize that it took courage to say the things that they said and understand that they love me and want the best for me but some things I do hurt them.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Why are other brothers or sisters to bring the Word of God to you?
- To teach me Francois. We all need to grow in our relationship with God. For example: you constantly get input from your boss how to make the business better. The same with your spiritual life, we need constant input to grow.
- Well rebuking is a strong correction Francois. That comes due to your lack of effort or refusal to take the teaching / addressing the situation that has been given to you by your boss or my mentor / discipleship partner. That is when your boss calls you into his office and talk about the progress of your project or work that is not up to date. The question that comes to mind is; do I want to be your best for God?
- Correction is fixing the mistakes that you made Franxcois. Am I easy to apologize or fix my mistakes or do I hide them and hope no one finds out. How well do I take correction if it comes my way as we discussed before?
- Francois training in righteousness is just what it says, it is about training. Am I willing to be trained? In a work invironment I was always excited to go for training because that means time off from work, I go to a conferenece centre and sit and learn new things that can help me be better with my job. Do I understand that I have to be trained in righteousness, why should it be different from my job?
- Lastly God says that He wants us to be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Just like my training before, now I have new skills and understanding to do my job better. I have been taugh, my mistakes has been highligted, I got some input how to sort out my problems and I got training to deal with current and future situations. How awesome is that!
- I think my attitude should be one of humility and thankfulness that they love me enought to help me Francois be the best man I can be, just are you are doing here with me.
4. Close
- Francois I do understand now how important it is what my attitude about correction should be.
- If I do not have the right attitude of humility I will never grow in my person and in my relationship with God and others.
– Well Hans taking correction is never easy. It is like my daughter took the cats and went to sit with my wife, because she closed the door our small cats had a call of nature and dit not have their cat litter. So he did it on the floor next to my wifes handbag. Gross now someone has to clean it up. Ewww. (lukily my wife was that someone) But yes you have to clean up the booboo.
- Yes Francois that is true, but if we see the benefits of it, it is painful but worth the change.
– Great Hans, will you pray for us.
- No problem.
- Morning Father.
- Wow God what a lesson. I never had a spriritual perspective on correction and the benefits of it.
- I can understand it in a work environment but never thought about it in a spirtitual environment.
- Dad I am just like private Benjamin sometimes that I am clueless about what I am doing and the effect it has on people.
- Help me to accept the correction and have a good attitude about it.
- If I do not take correction it will be catastrofic with losing my job, how much more spiritually affecting my eternity maybe without God.
- My attitude should be to after correction or input not wait untill it is forced on me if I want to be my best for God.
- I am thinking if I do take correction I jump from a very low position of experience to a much higher one due to the input in my life. It is like that movie “Knight and Day“. With the person I gain experience and am in a great situation, without the correction I am in a bad place.
- I have never been is this lifes situation before so I can always allow some input in my life to correct the wrongs.
- I can either have a stinking attitude or one of humility that will help me be better.
- Help me to have the righteous attitude in my life of humility toward correction.
- Amen.
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