HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING A TEACHER?

SCRIPTURE:
For we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 
so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things
done while in the body, whether good or bad. 
(2 Corinthians 5:10)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about the fact that believers 
will also face a judgment of how they contributed 
to the earthly ministry of the Lord, or failed to do so?
Christians will avoid the judgment of those who have not received salvation, 
but will still be held accountable for how 
they lived as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.

Some may think, 
“What difference does it make as long as I am not going to hell?”
However, we must remember that anytime judgment is involved, 
some will reap unimaginable benefits, but others 
will miss out on attainable pleasures due to their own selfishness.

Some may have read about teachers in the book of James 
and thought, “I am glad I am not a teacher!”
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, 
because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1)

But the truth is, after we have been saved, 
we all become teachers, don’t we?
The way we live our daily lives, 
communicates to others what God expects and what He disdains.
As an example, someone might say, “It is okay for me to drink a glass of 
wine, after all, didn’t they drink wine during Biblical times?”

The truth is, they did drink wine as reported in the Bible, 
however there was very little alcohol content as it was mostly grape juice.
Some drank it because 
the water impurities caused them to have stomach problems.
But the more important point is, in today’s world when someone sees 
a professing Christian drinking wine, they often interpret that to mean 
that God approves the drinking of alcoholic beverages.
That is what we are teaching them!

Some children have become alcoholics 
as a result of seeing their parents freely drinking wine.
To some, wine is the first step toward drinking whiskey or taking drugs.
At the judgment, we will not receive blessings 
for teaching others that drinking alcoholic beverages is okay.

The question we must ask ourselves is, “Is there something else available 
for me to drink that quenches my thirst and does not contain alcohol?” 
If the answer is “Yes”, then 
the obvious reason for drinking wine is to get the effects of the alcohol.

Those who want to drink will find many ways to justify their actions,
but none of them will hold up in God’s court of law when He judges us.
Again, drinking alcoholic beverages is just an illustration of one of the
ways we can erroneously “teach” others; there are many more examples.

ACTION:
What are you teaching others throughout your daily life?
Are your actions guiding them toward the Lord, 
or steering them in an opposite direction?
You have all options at your fingertips, so choose wisely.
Don’t allow your own self-centeredness 
to sway you into teaching others the wrong lessons.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for thinking only of myself and overlooking 
how my actions can be teaching others the wrong things. Help me to resolve 
to eliminate the things in my life that cause others to ignore Your 
expectations of those who love You. Show me how to replace the wrong things 
in my life with things that are pleasing to You and will point others to 
Your Son, Jesus.”