Better Way / Better Day
Sunday’s Monday
Better Way / Better Day
God has had my focus this week on the subject of teachable and I think I know why. I am a full-time student of Jesus, attempting to learn all that I can about God, His Son Jesus and His Holy Spirit. In my quest to learn more of Jesus, God has shown me that I need not struggle, stress or loiter here, as I am not meant to accomplish this alone. Here, I can only speak for myself but in my very early years, I didn’t understand that “God IS THE GOD OF ALL!” As hard as it was for me to learn from the bible and church, I found that I could also learn things about Jesus (which I need to know) from a mentor (individual) or a group of believers (in a non-church environment), as well, I find Jesus teaching through nonbelievers and nature, after all Jesus is outside the church walls. All of this is confirmed in Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT), A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
I found in merriam-webster.com defines teachable as; 1a: capable of being taught, b: apt (suitable) and willing to learn, 2: favorable to teaching. My personal definition is, “a tenacious desire to know more”! We find God’s word instructs us throughout the bible to have a teachable spirit and for me, this is being accomplished through my surrender in humility, responsibility and accountability. God tells us in Proverbs 11:2 (NLT), Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Pride is the opposite of humility as it conceals the presence of a teachable heart “it is a haughty spirit of supremacy” which feels secondary to none, and sadly this is the category in which most of the world falls into today. Everyone is striving to be a self-made success! The truth in this statement can be found in 1 John 2:16 (NLT), For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.
Again merriam-webster.com defines responsibility as; the quality or state of being responsible: such as a: moral, legal, or mental accountability, b: reliability, trustworthiness. I read this yesterday and I have to share it as is, “We like to describe ourselves as disciples of Jesus. Yet the term disciple is more than follower, it is one who sits under the teaching and instruction of a master. We are not called to just follow along after Jesus, we are called to learn from Him.” Proverbs 19:20 (NLT), Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. Please know, that Jesus has left each of us with the same instructions in Matthew 22:37-39 (NLT), 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Most all of us know this, we’ve committed it to memory and have flippantly (faithlessly) placed it in our heart. Disbelieving, we are solely responsible for our actions!
Once again I return to merriam-webster.com to define accountability; 1: subject to giving an account (answerable): 2: capable of being explained: (explainable). God plainly refers to accountability in 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NLT), For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. This is bold, plain and unmistakably as scary it gets, “IF” you have spiritual wisdom to understand it. As I find in Romans 14:12 (NLT), Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. No excuses! No blaming! No lies! Individuals standing before God in personal judgement. I’m cautioned by this carnal quote, ignorance of the (God’s) law (instruction) is no excuse! God through Paul’s writing in Romans 2:5 (NLT), But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed and again in Ephesians 4:18 (NLT), Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
It is not the desire of God that anyone perish, He proved this when He sent Jesus His only son to pay our debt, as described in John 3:16 (NLT), “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. We through the great sacrifice of Jesus have been empowered to make a willful decision to yield to the promptings of The Holy Spirit, in which starts the process of softening our heart. John the Apostle tells us in John 3:15 (NLT), so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. A magnificent reward for being an obedient student (disciple) of Jesus, to which spiritual wisdom is the softener for a hard heart. We find that inside a loving relationship with Jesus flows a rewarding life of hope, peace and joy here on planet earth. God says so in Psalm 16:11 (NLT), You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
My prayer for you this week comes from The Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:9-11(NLT), 9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Amen
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!
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