Rebuke & Praise

Ecclesiastes 7:5
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise
Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

How well do I take rebuke and correction? If rebuke is better than praise then I should seek out the one and avoid the other. Rebuke or correction lead to introspection, change and improvement if take to heart. Praise, if taken to heart, only blinds us to what must be changed and paralyzes us to change it. Given both I find that I often assign merit or lack of merit based my feelings rather than on the intrinsic value of both types of feedback. In other words, I attribute wisdom to the source of praise and folly to the source of rebuke. I deceive myself into thinking and believing that praise is good. This is pride and does me no good. When rebuked or corrected I must seek out the wisdom within it and apply it to my life. When praised, I must resist taking it to heart and remind myself with sober-judgment that I am not quite what I ought to be. I must humbly recognize the truth and rigorously apply it to my life.

Father - humble me. Give me a heart and ear for correction. Help me avoid flattery and resist the deception of praise. Make me sober-minded that I may continue to grow in You. Amen.