AS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS, DO WE KNOW IT ALL, OR ARE WE TEACHABLE?
BIBLE PASSAGE:
“You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’
and rightly so, for that is what I am.”
(John 13:13)
MEDITATION:
If someone asked you to name the best teacher you have ever had,
how would you respond? If someone asked you to name the person
you look up to the most, whose name would you give? Hopefully, we
would all answer both questions with, ‘the Lord’. He is the One who
teaches us how to live, and the One we worship as our ‘Leader’.
He is dependable when teaching us how to live. The Lord (through the
Holy Spirit indwelling in all believers) will never lead us toward doing
anything that is contrary to the Word of God.
Some people say,
“The Lord led me to do this.”
or
“The Lord told me thus and so.”
If their actions are not aligned with what the Lord has told us in
His Word, then it is difficult for us to believe that they received
their instructions from the Lord, isn’t it?
Some claim the Lord spoke to them, but what they say is contrary
to His Word. That will never happen when the Lord speaks to His
people. God will never give us instructions or approval for doing
anything that is contrary to His Word.
When we find ourselves in a blind alley and confused about which way
to turn, if we are willing to do His will (no matter what that means), He
will reveal Himself to us. The prophet Samuel once said,
“Obedience is better than sacrifice”.
But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in
burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in
obeying the Lord? To obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
(1 Samuel 15:22)
Samuel knew that ‘connecting’ with God starts with obedience.
But there are some who choose to be disobedient in certain areas
and still claim that God has spoken to them. Why? Because they
want to do what they want to do, even though it’s contrary to His
Word; they try to convince others that they have received God’s
stamp of approval.
Some claim that God ‘advised’ them and their soul mate to live
together outside the bond of marriage. That is fornication and
God would never give His approval for that! God conceals His
will from those who claim to know what He is going to say, and
those who rationalize their interpretation His will to ‘fit’ their
selfish desires.
We are called to be obedient first; then listen and respond to what
He really says to us (which will always be aligned with His Word).
We should always remember,
“Where God guides, He provides”.
And when we are obedient and follow Him,
“Where He leads, He supplies all our needs!”
ACTION:
Have you ever noticed how some people are driven by a strong desire to
to impress others? Any topic that is mentioned, they claim to already know
about it. If a name is mentioned, they claim to have a personal connection
with the person (and sometimes it is nothing more than a casual acquaintance).
Why do some people feel it’s important for others to know they already
know about a topic, and that they have a connection with someone? How
does that information contribute to the conversation? It’s often an effort
to shine a light on themselves, isn’t it?
When someone is familiar with a topic, they might join the conversation
and add some information about it, but if they mention that they already
knew about it (or are personal friends with a person) it doesn’t contribute
anything of value to the conversation, does it?
In general, it’s not easy to have a conversation with someone who will
tell us they already know more about something (or someone) than we
do. When we hear about someone who is described as a ‘know it all’,
we will limit our conversation with them, won’t we?
But the more important question we might ask is, “Are they teachable?”
Jesus came to share the gospel with mankind and to teach us how to be
more loving; He also taught us how to live a life that pleases our Heavenly
Father. If we have a desire to live like Jesus, then we need to be ‘teachable’.
None of us know as much as Jesus, so we need to listen to His messages
more than we talk about them; we need to apply His guidelines to our
lives rather than spending time telling others about how much we know.
When we are ‘teachable’, we know that ‘one upmanship’ is not a typical
characteristic of those following Jesus.
This phrase rings true very often:
“Others don’t care how much we know,
until they know how much we care”
Some will forget the things we say, and some will forget the things
we do, but most will remember how we made them feel. If we are
frequently boasting about ourselves, then we leave little room for
communicating to others that we care about them.
When we are followers of Jesus, we need to learn, understand, and
remember how He made others feel. He didn’t speak to their brain
to impress them with His knowledge, He spoke to their heart because
He cared about them. That’s the example He has given His followers.
When we are ‘teachable’ it means we are willing to trade our ‘wants’
for what God requires of us. If we are ‘unteachable’, quite often we
are unwilling to be obedient to the Lord’s will, and His plans for our
lives. Why? Because His righteousness conflicts our unrighteousness.
There are some sins we enjoy, and that have become a part of who we
are, so we refuse to relinquish them as part of obeying God’s will.
Questions to consider:
– What percentage of my time would I say that I obey God?
Obedience is not just avoiding the things He disapproves of;
it also includes pursuing the things He has called us to do.
– Am I willing to let Him teach me?
– Who is the Lord of my life, Jesus or me?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for being my Lord and Teacher. Help
me to listen to Your instructions and teach me to follow where You
lead, even if I consider it inconvenient and I have questions when
it seems You are leading me where I don’t want to go. Teach me to
be more obedient to You, not only in the DON’Ts You have given me,
but also, in the DO’s. Forgive me for any times I have claimed that
I received instructions from You, when I was only trying to justify
what I wanted to do. Increase my worship and praise so I will truly
be more connected with You. I want to be so acutely attuned to Your
Word that every decision I make will align with Your Will for me.
Teach me to become less, so You will become greater. Alert me when
I appear to be a ‘know-it-all’, and help me to become a better listener
instead of trying to impress others with what and who I know. Teach
me to be more like Paul who said if he boasts, it will be about the cross
of Your Son, Jesus.”
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