当面的责备

"Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed." (Proverbs 27:5 NKJV)
"Better is open rebuke
than hidden love." (Proverbs 27:5 ESV)

Some people only love others when they get something in return, like a reward. But that’s not true love. True love isn’t about loving just to gain something in return. True love is sincere, kind, and given freely, without expecting anything back.

Hidden love can be beautiful, especially when someone loves others without their knowledge, giving without expecting anything in return. Unfortunately, some people hide their love so much, they never show it in words or actions.

What’s even better than hidden love is open rebuke. Rebuke is telling someone they did something wrong in a way that helps them learn and do better next time. Your parents might rebuke you because they care about you and want you to grow. When we see our siblings or friends do something wrong, we can correct them gently out of love, even when it’s hard or when they might not like it. To do this, we need to be honest, kind, and brave.

Imagine a mother watching over her child at night. When the child kicks off the blanket in his sleep, she quietly tucks him back in. This is good hidden love—a love that gives without being noticed. But when that same child does something wrong, she rebukes him so that he will grow up well. This is also love.

Here are 5 things for us to remember about open rebuke:

When others rebuke us, let us listen to them calmly and think about how we can learn from it. Be wise and accept correction because it helps you grow (Proverbs 12:1).
Open rebuke doesn’t mean scolding someone in the open, in front of many other people. No one likes to be embarrassed. Talk to them one-on-one if possible.
When correcting someone, be willing to listen. Ask, “Why did you do that?” before assuming.
Be gentle and sincere when correcting someone. You can show that you care by saying, “I want to help you because I want to help you improve.”
Finally, don’t just focus on other people’s errors. Be humble. Remember that you make mistakes too. The Bible encourages us to confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another, that we may be healed (James 5:16).

True love helps us correct one another in a kind and brave way. When we do this, our family and church will grow stronger, reflecting the glory of God!

Family Altar

Use these discussion questions and our prayer as a guide for your family altar.

Parents can lead the prayer and invite their children to repeat after them or encourage their children to take the lead, making family altar time a shared journey of faith.

Discussion questions:

Can you think about a time someone scolded you out of love? What did you learn from it?
Why is it sometimes hard to accept open rebuke, even when it's given out of love and care?
From today’s devotional, what is 1 way you can correct someone better to help them grow?

Prayer in words:

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Dear Lord Jesus, please help us be humble to listen to others who want to help us improve. Help us to correct others bravely and kindly, so that we can all grow. Lord, I know that You also want me to grow, so You teach me your words and guide me through my family and my teachers. You do this because You love me and I am Your child. We love You, Jesus. We praise Your holy name. Amen.

_{Adapted from Hsieh, Ezra. “}_{Open Rebuke}_{.” Living Bread, Word of Life Publishing House.}