When was your last update?

Pro. 10:17 - "Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray" (ESV).

Yesterday I was driving around Hendricks County on the west side of Indianapolis, using a GPS unit for directions.  The GPS told me I would be able to take my current road all the way back to my neighborhood.  Suddenly, the road I was on did not match my GPS screen!  The GPS showed a gray road heading straight ahead, but what I saw in front of me was open field with the road ending in a T.  I had to turn right or left or turn around.  We ended up going right and taking a detour before getting back on our original road.  The experience prompted a discussion about map updates for GPS units, their cost, their size, their inconvenience and whether or not they were worth it.

In Pro. 10:17, we could be compared to GPS units needing updates!  If we are receptive to correction and instruction, we stay on the road leading to life.  On the other hand, if we never accept correction and refuse instruction we not only get lost ourselves, we mislead others.

It can be costly and inconvenient to respond to correction in a godly way, but consider the alternative!  It will cost us inestimably more and harm us worse if we choose to refuse Godly guidance and continue in a direction away from God and his will.  The momentary discomfort experienced from receiving correction can't be compared to being lost for forever!  Beyond that, think about the others we will influence with inaccurate information.  Not only will we get lost, but everyone who follows our lead will also wander aimlessly.

So the question is, when was the last time you "updated?"  When was the last time you received correction in a godly way and by your example encouraged others to do the same?

Jeremy Dehut

(Originally posted 6/16/09)