Wisdom Requires We Ask the Tough Questions - Proverbs 3:11

If I were to ask you - are you a wise person or a foolish person? How would you respond? If you reason that you are a wise person, then that means you welcome discipline from the Lord. Now let's ask the question again - are you a wise person or a foolish person? A wise person's mind has been transformed such that you can agree with the proposition found in our text today.

Think about someone who is great in their craft. It could be an athlete, carpenter, artist, piano player (it doesn't matter what craft). No one, who is great, rejected correction. It is never easy to receive correction, but those who excel are able to respond properly to correction. Consider a football player who is being corrected by a coach. The coach is not correcting as final judge, but as one who desires to see the athlete correct an element of his game. And this is how God treats His children. When God corrects us as a Father, He does so because He loves us.

Suppose, however, the athlete refuses to receive correction. Over time, the rejection turns into obstinance. What is the outcome? He will no longer grow and improve. The same is true with us. If we refuse the discipline of God, we will not grow in wisdom and mature. When we refuse the loving correction of our heavenly Father, we are spurning His love.