Today's Daily Lesson comes from Psalm 141 verse 5:
Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Most of us think of discipline as something we once needed but have outgrown -- something we left behind in grade school. But the word "discipline" is closely akin to another word we will never graduate out of but will rather spend our whole lifetimes becoming: disciples.
Part of being a disciple is being willing to submit ourselves to discipline, rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness from others. This is easy when we first start out and know that we don't know much. But it gets more difficult to take correction as we go along. Pride begins to get in our way. Correction triggers our shame mechanism and we flash red. And instead of being able to receive the it, or at least whatever truth is in it, we get defensive and lash back.
But here's a question for we who think we don't need any more correction: Why do the greatest professional of all time still have coaches? Figure that out and we've figured out why we still need discipline and correction and redirection from time to time -- even in old age.
To be corrected or even rebuked is no disgrace. It is a kindness -- like oil for the head, David says. And the mark of being a mature disciple is being able to receive it as such.
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