TOPIC: HANDLING CRITICISMS
MEMORISE:
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Hebrews 12:11
READ: Proverbs 15:31-32
31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
MESSAGE
A lot of people think that being a leader means that whatever they say or do is final and should not be questioned. If you are making any progress in life criticisms will definitely come. When the Redeemed Christian Church of God was just a small church with headquarters in a small corner of Ebute-metta, no one criticized us. Now that we have branches all around the world, criticisms come in from everywhere. This is a sign of growth, and rather than being sad about it, l am happy that we have grown.
Some people will criticize you out of love because your success means a lot to them. Some will criticize you out of spite because they are envious of you and want you to fail. Either way, your attitude to criticism is what will determine if you will succeed or fail. Proverbs 1:5-7 says:
A wise man will hear and will increase learning: and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Beloved, be open to suggestions from your subordinates or people who you consider younger or less experienced than you. When they tell you that you are not doing something right, listen to them without getting defensive or aggressive. If you grumble and sulk for days because you were criticized, you need to speak to yourself so that you can last. No matter what people say about you, you must never give the impression that you are above correction. Moses was the anointed one who was called by God. He spoke to God mouth to mouth (Numbers 12:8), yet the solution to the challenge he had in ministry was with his father-in-law who did not have the same intimacy with God as he did. You may be the head of your home, Chief Executive Officer or pastor, but that does not mean you know it all.
Believe me, every criticism is an opportunity for you to become a better person. If you take it welI, you will become better. The choice is yours. Some of the decisions we made that helped us become better were responses to criticism. I know some of the critics meant harm, but God used them to show us how to do things better, and we are growing stronger for it.
KEY POINT
Always see criticism as an opportunity to grow, not an opportunity to fight the critic.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 18-19
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME
1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save me from its guilt and power.
2. Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All could never sin erase,
Thou must save, and save by grace.
3. Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace:
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
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