Psalms 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
This passage of scripture teaches us that as finite beings who are being saved by the grace of God, we would be in need of instruction from time to time, as various errors and departures from the path of rectitude occur in our Christian experience. One of the things we should always hold dear is that we can be corrected by God, because one of the side effects of being both finite and fallen is that we can be wrong, and therefore will stand in need of instruction and guidance from The Lord.
When the disciples of Christ accepted the call to follow Him, they all came with extra baggage which needed to be unloaded through the guidance and instruction of Christ, yet God did not despise them on account of their short-comings and very serious character flaws. Instead Christ nurtured and admonished them as He saw fit, so that their growth in grace, and in a knowledge of the truth could take place without interruption.
But there was one who took particular offense at Christ any time his faults were pointed out, even though Jesus always made certain to do so in the most unambiguous manner possible, so that not even the other disciples could have figured out what was taking place. Judas became offended whenever Christ rebuked his covetousness and worldly ambitions, and his wounded pride actually prevented the grace of God from having the positive life-changing effect it has on anyone who is willing to listen and obey the voice of God. Let's read:
John 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
James and John had a temper problem, and Peter often suffered from "Foot in mouth disease" but God never gave up on them, and through the patient work of Christ and His Holy Spirit, they were able to climb the ladder of moral excellence, which it is our privilege to attain to through the merits and power of Christ. When in our Christian experience we make blunders, or take a course of action that is clearly in opposition to the revealed will of Christ, let us then bear in mind, that as an earthly father corrects the son whom he loves, so God also engages us with guidance and instructions, and if we are willing, He will not only show us the good and right way, but will enable us to stay the course in doing that which is right and pleasing in His sight.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which sums up the entire experience of our walk with God, and it is His will that a humble and teachable spirit always be cultivated and maintained, so that we could receive a deeper understanding of the God whom we serve. Let's read:
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
May God bless His words to our hearts, and may the humble spirit and mind of Christ be ours. God bless!