Pour It On

“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” (Pr 1:23 AV)

Reproof is one of the easiest forms of correction which the LORD sends our way.  Reproof is simply telling another they are wrong.  Reproving is revealing why they are wrong and exhortation is how they might be encouraged to be right.  Reproof can be very subtle and gentle.  It doesn’t have to be a 2x4 up the backside.  Reproof can be as simple as a compassionate reminder that another is in error with the spirit of helping correct that error.  However, this morning we do not wish to dwell so much on turning at reproof as we do the blessings that come from it.  Often, we focus on the negative without expressing the positive, and in doing so, we incite rebellion in the heart.  God told Adam and Eve they could eat of every tree before He told them they were forbidden from only one.  The positive came before the negative.  So, the promise above is for the outpouring of the spirit and knowledge of the word.  Of these two, there is no comparison.

There are very few things that I was exposed to as a child in which I grew up to do well.  We had many experiences.  Through scouting, we learned an abundance of outdoor skills as well as life skills.  Leadership skills were something that I treasure to this day.  Those few things which did stick with me I worked at and repeatedly practiced until they stuck.  Those things which did last decades were those things that came at the influence of a mentor which I was willing to listen to and follow.  In other words, it took correction, discipline, and repetition for the privilege to enjoy the fruits of the effort.  It is the enjoyment which we need to heed to this morning.

One of the wisest things my father did, among many, we require we learn music.  He taught us music appreciation by exposing us to a wide variety of musical styles.  Now, as believers, we know there is such a thing as good music and bad music.  So, I am not suggesting as a Christian parent we should expose our children to every genre out there.  However, being exposed to different genres helped me to discern what good and bad music are.  My father also required us to learn to play.  We were required to start out on the piano and hack away at it for an entire year.  After that, we could choose the instrument of our own choosing.  Most of us picked up the guitar.  I had a sister who chose the flute.  Another who choose the clarinet.  A brother chose the bass guitar.  Still another, the banjo.  BTW, banjo players get a whole lot of harassment.  But I think it is envy.  A good banjo player is an amazingly talented person.  Let me continue.  Over the years, I could only go so far with the guitar.  When playing progressed to the ‘B’ family of chords and bar chords, that is where I stopped learning.  Because of a broken wrist, I did not have the mobility to make those chords.  However, this is nothing a capo can’t fix.  Years later; almost thirty-five years later; I found myself with the opportunity to play some gospel bluegrass with friends of mine.  I hadn’t touched a guitar in thirty-five years.  But the muscle memory was still there.  I remembered all those chords.  Then, the mandolin player gave me his instrument to try out.  He showed me a few chords.  Simple.  That led to purchasing a mando and off to the races I went.  I won’t be headlining anywhere soon, and I need lessons terribly, but the scale structure was much easier than the guitar.  Picking is really fun.

Here’s the point.  We fail in treasuring the blessedness of the fullness of the spirit and knowledge of His word.  These are things that are more valuable than any other experience we could possess in this world.  The pleasure to sit in the quietness of the morning with a hot cup of coffee, reading His word, and listening to the Holy Spirit is something that should be treasured, valued, and sought.  Life can be completely in turmoil.  But if I have my Bible and a bit of quiet time, life is more than bearable.  To have that still small voice which beckons me to draw closer is a far better treasure than any relationship this world can offer.  To be led in our decisions, actions, and our world around us; to see how the Spirit is moving even in the subtlest of all ways; to read the same passage of scripture hundreds of times and still get fed from it is a nothing short of a miracle.  Reproof is one thing.  It is not necessarily a fun thing.  My father constantly correcting me when I didn’t form chords correctly, was not a fun thing.  Sorry, Dad, but I still form ‘F’ incorrectly and the ‘G’ family of chords I cheat to make the seventh a whole lot easier 😉.  But, it was worth it to be able to pick up a mandolin and within four months able to pick and play!  What joy to have an outpouring of the spirit and understanding of His word.  It makes reproof a welcomed thing.