Encourage and rebuke with all authority. (Titus 2:15)
Expanded Passage: Titus 2:1-15
It’s a rare person who can encourage and rebuke with balance. But let’s face it, we need both. People need to be encouraged when they’re on the right path, and they need rebuke, warning, and caution when they’re straying off the path.
We need encouragement when life gets tough and hands us more than we think we can handle at one time. That’s when we need to hear things like, “You can do it,” “Don’t give up,” “Just hold on a little longer.” Rebuke is what we need when we’re tempted to rationalize, take our own way instead of God’s way, or when we think the rules don’t apply to us.
Phyllis Theroux said, “One of the commodities in life that most people can’t get enough of is compliments. . . . But compliments by their very nature are highly biodegradable and tend to dissolve hours or days after we receive them—which is why we can always use another.”
On the other hand, rebukes are not nearly as much fun. But they are nevertheless just as important if we’re heading in the wrong direction.
May God give us all grace to accept encouragement humbly and receive rebukes graciously. May we also learn to give compliments generously and give rebukes with courage and sensitivity, but only when necessary. If you enjoy giving rebukes, you should probably check your attitude.
Ask God to help you give encouragement and rebuke in proper balance.
Ron McClung is a retired minister in The Wesleyan Church who enjoys writing and loves interacting with his large family.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
