Wednesday, January 7, 2009

What do you do when you are wrong?

Brothers and Sisters,
 I received the following in an e-mail from Gary Smalley.  One of the most important things we go as Christians living under God's grace and mercy is to receive correction in love and also to recognize how easily we admit to being wrong.  This is really the work of reconcilation.  Gary Smalley has a lot of experience with these matters and he is very sensitive to protecting the feelings of others as well, especially spouses and family members.
    May this be a blessing to you,
Pastor John
 
 
 
Admitting Wrong

Do you ever admit when you're wrong?

I hate to admit when I am wrong. Don't you? We all like to be seen as having it all together and wise. The older I get the more I realize how much I don't know. Something more important is to admit my own sin and deal with it. Paul encourages Christians to be humble and mature in their thinking: "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature" (I Corinthians 14:20). Mature thinking involves realizing that we can never be 100% accurate in how we interpret another's thoughts, words, or behavior. Even if we are 99% sure, there is always a 1% chance we are wrong. Thus, we should adopt a more humble, tentative attitude about how we treat others and what we say.

One of the best ways to care for your most important relationships is to guard them from becoming infected by negative thinking and comments by others. We should focus on what Jesus taught and His attitude. Read over Philippians 2 today and then read it again and again. That will help you admit wrong when needed and be humble about how you treat others.

If you are wrong, admit it and seek forgiveness and see your attitude change!

Blessings,
Gary Smalley

Gary Smalley
Editor,
Smalley Relationship Center

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