March 22, 2026 - How Positive Response to Correction Brings Great Encouragement

In the book “What My Parents Did Right,” there is testimony from 50 known leaders from an earlier generation who describe the impact their parents had on their lives. Dr. Robert Webber, who wrote extensively on worship, shared the impact his father had on his life. One incident deeply impacted his life. Robert shares that, by attending Bob Jones University, he developed a bad attitude toward the school's rules and dropped out. Arriving home, his father listened and was supportive, but when they tried to find another avenue for further education, all the doors were closed. His father then sat down with Robert and stated that he ought to consider returning to Bob Jones University. “Son, you need to learn that life is not easy and that, whatever you do in life, you will be working with people who don’t agree with you. Go back to Bob Jones and learn how to function in a context that is difficult for you.” I was thinking about what he said and how much sense it made when he added, “Besides, you quit. You ran away from a difficult situation. If you run away completely, you will set a pattern that will be hard to break. You may end up being a quitter all your life. I knew he was right and that returning to Bob Jones was exactly what I should do. I felt almost instant peace about my decision. Returning wasn’t easy, but it was right. In the next six months, God began to work in my heart in many ways, one of which was to lay total claim on my life for ministry. Since then, over nearly four decades of training and ministry, there have been many difficult times when I have wanted to throw in the towel and give up. Every time, though, the words of my father have come back to me, and in my heart and with my lips I reaffirm, “You are not a quitter.” Life is difficult, but it is also an adventure—and an exciting one at that. I’m persuaded in my own life that God’s calling demands steady, unmoved perseverance. This lesson—a lesson that lies at the heart of Christian discipleship—is one that I learned from a father whose wisdom in dealing with a rebellious son opened my heart to hear the call of God, “Come, follow me.” One of the great challenges in this present generation is that we do not want to be corrected. However, positive correction can be a source of amazing encouragement, growth, and a future resource to help us face greater challenges that often lie ahead in our lives. So, how do we handle correction in our lives, and how and why should we correct those whom God entrusts into our lives? What we will discover is the possibility for some incredible outcomes.