CH3 - The Greatest Revelation: Reproving and increasing love

[Erudite]

I loved this new understanding of this idea. I'd always used this as a reason that it was ok to be mad at my kids. While that is still the case (it is ok), using all the approaching skills before this one makes it so that that anger is very carefully controlled and the purpose of its use is NEVER to vent because the child has inconvienced me personally, but anger is used to make the problem the child has caused clear to the child so that he/she can learn from it. If we are "lovingly instructing" (persuasion) with this skill, our anger is selected to be the means by which the hearer will be blessed...as Dr. Lund says "preserve the self-worth and separate the issue or behavior from the worth of the soul"....which I think is another way in which we will be emulating our Father in Heaven.

I am studying the Old Testament right now and it is interesting to see the "anger" of the Lord. It doesn't seem like the God I know and love. But in understanding this "reproving betimes with..." concept, I think that God has selected anger as the means that will best bless the hearer. His anger will result in their change. While He is not forcing them into action, He is making it enticing to change their ways. He also blesses them unbelievably and they don't ever seem to get the clue that if they'll be righteous the blessings keep coming, but here is God showing them an increase of love after being sharp.

You know what...I just underlined that part above, because it helped me put two ideas together. Remember when I said that we're always persuading (the what) and that long-suffering and betimes are the when? The HOW are gentleness, meekness, love, kindness, knowledge, AND reproving. All are ways to persuade. We can CHOOSE to persuade with meekness or with reproof. I guess we form a bit of a measuring stick in seeing how often we use reproof as opposed to gentleness or knowledge. Each is in fact appropriate for different moments. I loved that in a different post Joanie talked about being sensitive to others feelings. When we ourselves have the Spirit with us, He can guide us in choosing the approach that will be most effective as a persuasion tool based on what we have understood or observer from the hearer. Dr. Lund: "When an individual is able to reprove or criticize without losing the Spirit, he or she is partaking of the divine nature, the attributes of Jesus, and becoming truly Christlike."

[Joanie]

Thank you for making that so concise and understandable. Having the Spirit plus the knowledge really are the keys aren't they? This is great stuff!!!