Listening to others has always been a challenge for people.  Even Christians find it hard sometimes to be a listener rather than the one doing the talking.  This is why James gave the admonition to hear.

James 1:19 (ESV)
¹⁹  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak…

Listening becomes even more difficult when we are hearing something we do not like, especially when it is something personal.  When someone is correcting us for some type of miscue that we have made or sin that we have committed, it is hard to focus on the truth we are being told because it hurts, and it is easy to allow our pride to get in the way.  We need to remember the words of the wise man.

Proverbs 27:6 (ESV)
⁶  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Friends wound us with admonitions when we need them because they love us.  It is easy to forget this and view helpful words as insults, causing us to reject sound advice.  Paul experienced this at the hands of the Galatians.

Galatians 4:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵  What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶  Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

From the overall tone of the book of Galatians, the answer to Paul’s question would be “yes” in the minds of at least some of the brethren.  They had deserted the teachings of Paul and accepted another gospel—a gospel that demanded one be circumcised to be saved (Galatians 1:6).  Paul quickly pointed out that this new message was really not the gospel at all (ver. 7).  I am sure that Paul’s epistle had a positive influence on many of the brethren, but some would, no doubt, view Paul’s words as accusatory and be angered by them.  They would be the ones likely to view Paul as an enemy, even though all he was doing was telling them the truth.

How do you respond when someone has to correct you for something, be it doctrinal or concerning some kind of deed you have done?  If you go astray spiritually, loving brethren will find it necessary to try to get you back on track.  Paul instructs all of us to do this (Galatians 6:1-2).  I know hearing the truth about us can sometimes hurt.  No one wants to be wrong or told that he or she is involved in wrongdoing.  The question is, how do we react when that happens to us?  We must learn not to be so defensive and to listen to what we are being told.  Wise counsel can save us from a lot of unnecessary pain and heartbreak.  Listen to these words from wisdom personified as depicted by Solomon:

Proverbs 1:24-26 (ESV)
²⁴  Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, ²⁵  because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, ²⁶  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,

Let’s try to be like Apollos.  He was a dynamic preacher, mighty in the scriptures (Acts 18:24, 25).  The problem was he only knew about the baptism of John.  When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preach, they knew that he was lacking in knowledge, so they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26).  Fortunately, Apollos was willing to listen, and it led to him doing powerful work for the Lord (ver. 28).

Being willing to listen to others when they offer us constructive criticism, is a wonderful skill to develop.  It just might save our souls.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.