Remember the old saying, “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it?” No matter how old it is, the truth and wisdom of this saying is still valuable today. There is a difference in ‘rebuking’ someone, and ‘exhorting’ them – certainly in your tone, and in the words you choose as well.
Rebuke: to express sharp, stern disapproval; reprimand
Exhort: to advise earnestly; thoroughly encourage or fill up with encouragement.
Can you see the difference? Paul advises Timothy on this matter:
“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” 1 Timothy 5:1-2
You can still say what you need to say, but if said in the tone of an ‘exhorter’ rather than a ‘rebuker,’ I believe your words will be heard and not ignored. Wouldn’t you rather be encouraged to do something right than rebuked for not?
Be an ‘exhorter’ today, and save your ‘rebukes’ for the devil!
Hebrews 10:24 ~ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…
1 Thessalonians 5:1 ~ Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up
Hebrews 3:13 ~ But encourage one another daily….
Thoughts from Solomons Porch,
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