Teaching.
Admonishing.
When we think of teaching we don't necessarily think of harshness, not that some teachers don't use harsh teaching methods to instruct their students. When we think of admonishing someone we almost definitely think of harshness. If I'm admonished by someone what comes to mind is a certain sternness. Yes, you can admonish someone nicely, it's done all the time, but a lot of time most admonishing results in hurt feelings. We take offense over a lot of admonishing because it makes us feel stupid. Don't tell me that! I know that already, what do you think I am, stupid? Sound familiar? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. Maybe the thoughts against being admonished are silent ones.
ad·mon·ish
[ad-mon-ish]
Show IPA
–verb (used with object)
1.
to caution, advise, or counsel against something.
2.
to reprove or scold, esp. in a mild and good-willed manner: The teacher admonished him about excessive noise.
3.
to urge to a duty; remind: to admonish them about their obligations.
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Bottom line most people I know do not like to be admonished, I'm one of them.
I read this verse…
Col 3:16 LET the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
…and I have to take a second to really think about what it is saying. Is the word of God really telling us to TEACH and ADMONISH each other in POETRY and SINGING????
Uhn?
We don't exist in a 'musical'. I really like musicals, a lot of them actually and I'm a singing type person. I'll sing at the drop of a hat. I've often found myself singing low even in stores, or at family functions as I'm cleaning up etc (this comes to mind because my niece grinned at me at a recent family function and said, "I remember that song." I wasn't singing loudly, or even in my normal tone of voice, just a low humming singing but that's me. The kids will say something and their words will jog a memory of a song and there I go singing that part o the song. I'm mentioning all this because I have asked the question a time or two to my children, 'Wouldn't it be nice to live life as a musical?' Of course that brought snickers even though both my children do enjoy musicals.
This verse tells us to teach and admonish in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Just think of what that might be like.
Clears throat gently… hums a few notes… looks at my daughter and breaks out into song…."Youuuuuuu need to fold those clothessssss or wrinkly they will beeeeeee....not only that....they look so messsssssssyyyyyy."
Yes, I'm being silly, but seriously, think about it.
The word of God tells us …
Col 3:16 LET the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Do you think that maybe, just maybe if we had to admonish someone in a song we'd take time to think about what we were going to sing to them? Would having to sing, or write a psalm, or a hymn give us cause to really think about what we were going to say giving us less of a chance to just go off half-cocked spouting out things we might regret? Especially if we are to teach and admonish with GRACE in our hearts to the Lord.
It's something to really think about. Not that I believe we are suddenly going to start singing out what we want to teach and most assuredly we are not going to sing out our admonishing to one another, but…. what if we kept this in mind and seriously considered what we would sing to someone. Let's try to do this just to see what life might be like. The next time you go to admonish someone try to imagine doing it in song with grace in your heart to the Lord.
May the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom! May we teach and admonish one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs…singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, in His amazing miraculous love and righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
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