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Corinthians 4:21
NKJV
What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love
and a spirit of gentleness?
NLT
Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you,
or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?
Mathew Poole’s commentary, says “Which will ye rather choose?
That I should come unto you as a father cometh to his child under some guilt
for which he must punish and correct him, or as a father cometh to his child
that hath done nothing provoking his displeasure, in love, and meekly? I am not
willing to come to you to correct and punish any of you by ecclesiastical
censures, which are a rod which Christ hath entrusted to me; I had rather come
in love and meekness, that we might mutually rejoice in each other’s society.”
I have read that this is one of the real challenges of ministry. How to confront sin in such a manner as to draw
someone toward Christ, speaking truth and love; and not be so harsh and
unforgiving as to push them away. Because
to be honest, harshness is at times our natural tendency. We rank our sins. My sins are littler than everyone else’s
because…well…they’re mine! If this is
our thought, then we’re messed up like a soup sandwich!
We need to consider ourselves through the God lens. God doesn’t rank sins. A sin, is a sin, is a sin to God. They’re all the same. So, that guy on TV who shot somebody? His sin is the same as my sin of
laziness. That’s pretty tough to think
about, but sin is anytime we miss the mark.
Billy
Graham once defined sin as “any
thought or action that falls short of God’s will. God is perfect, and anything
we do that falls short of His perfection is sin”
So if we look at
ourselves through that lens, then the question becomes…how do we want the Lord coming
to us when we sin? Do we want that big
stick up side the head; or do we want a loving, gentle reproof? Today’s verse starts out, “what do you want?” Well…what do you want?
I don’t want the stick,
cej
