Day 89, Year 1 Gladly Correcting Your Own Mistakes

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.” (Psalm 37:8 NKJV)

“He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray.” (Proverbs 10:17 NASB)

The word “forsake” in the first verse, the word “ignores” in the second verse, and the word “forsake” (foolishness) mentioned previously (Proverbs 9:6) are the same ‘azab in Hebrew, meaning “to leave, abandon, refuse, or let go.” The previous discussion mentioned that when God’s people see the prosperity of the wicked (Psalm 37:7), they become envious and furious to do evil. This is an example of foolishness as people’s anger leads to sin. When they fret wrongly, they are inevitably bound and even embark on the path of perishing. Instead, we need to forsake the improper anger which stems from foolishness, which starts from confessing our problems before the Lord, such as being quick-tempered, and pray for His help to deal with them.

When we are angry, it is worth taking the time to understand why we fret in the first place. This might be due to wrong comparisons with others or even jealousy toward others’ prosperity. More fundamentally, it might stem from an excessive preoccupation with pursuing momentary worldly success and wealth. To forsake foolishness, we could investigate its root, usually in childhood, exploring why we accepted those wrong values, beliefs, perspectives, and poisonous emotions that stem from some bad guys around us.The second verse of today reminds us that God’s instruction and reproof are two sides of the same coin. What cannot be forsaken is not merely God’s instruction, but His reproof that brings life. “Instruction,” musar in Hebrew, also means “discipline, correction, chastisement, reproof, or warning.” In other words, we need to keep in mind what we did wrong and useful warnings to avoid missteps or danger so as not to repeat the same mistakes and be punished. For believers, accepting reproof is vital, as it indicates that we are willing to confront our own mistakes without escapism, listen to others, constantly minimize the chances of making mistakes, and correct our wrongdoings. This verse suggests we could be corrected and rectified through others’ suggestions and reproofs. While engaging in positive interactions with other Christians involves heeding and accepting reproofs, we could also learn from them and become wiser.

Reflection questions:

1) Are you a person who is willing to correct your own mistakes? Why?

2) What are some “foolishness” do you think you need to forsake? What might be their roots, and how can you grub them out effectively with God’s help?