Being Taught (by Jesus) In Order To Teach
The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens— wakens my earto listen as those who are taught. Isaiah 50:4 (NRSV)
In order to teach, I first need to be taught. In order to lead, I first need to be led. I can not give away that which I have do not have. As a young adult I remember asking God for a leader I could follow and be mentored by. His first response was that he was my leader and my teacher. It is possible that we can learn first and foremost from Jesus himself. Paul said, "I did not recieve it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I recieved it by revelation from Jesus Christ." (Gal. 1:12).
There are remarkable examples of this concept in Paul's writings. For example, in Ephesians 4:20, 21 it says "You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him..." Yet in the original greek it does not say you heard of him, but you heard him. Also in 2:17 it says, "He came and preached peace to you..." When did Jesus preach to them? When did people hear him? When Paul and others preached to them, they were not just hearing Paul, they were hearing Jesus.
Luke opens up his second book (Acts) saying that what he wrote in his former book was about all that Jesus began to do and to teach and then goes on to narrate what Jesus continued to do through his followers. Yet the book of Acts has no real ending but is continued to be lived out today by those who are taught by Jesus.
I enjoy being taught by Jesus because he gives me words that sustain the weary. The image here is of people who are tired and are perhaps hungry. This is why teaching God's word is more than an academic exercise, it can give people strength and change their lives. God himself can teach us what to say and what to do in order to strengthen others.
I was once asked if God always clearly speaks to me of which I replied, "Yeah, but I am not always clearly listening." This is the promise that the prophet Isaiah gives us: we can daily hear God's voice and be taught by Jesus himself. He does this through my times of prayer and bible study, but also through dreams, visions, godly counsel, circumstances, etc. A relationship with God is not something static, but something dynamic and ever changing. This is why I enjoy spending time hearing the voice of God daily.
that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens— wakens my earto listen as those who are taught. Isaiah 50:4 (NRSV)
In order to teach, I first need to be taught. In order to lead, I first need to be led. I can not give away that which I have do not have. As a young adult I remember asking God for a leader I could follow and be mentored by. His first response was that he was my leader and my teacher. It is possible that we can learn first and foremost from Jesus himself. Paul said, "I did not recieve it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I recieved it by revelation from Jesus Christ." (Gal. 1:12).
There are remarkable examples of this concept in Paul's writings. For example, in Ephesians 4:20, 21 it says "You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him..." Yet in the original greek it does not say you heard of him, but you heard him. Also in 2:17 it says, "He came and preached peace to you..." When did Jesus preach to them? When did people hear him? When Paul and others preached to them, they were not just hearing Paul, they were hearing Jesus.
Luke opens up his second book (Acts) saying that what he wrote in his former book was about all that Jesus began to do and to teach and then goes on to narrate what Jesus continued to do through his followers. Yet the book of Acts has no real ending but is continued to be lived out today by those who are taught by Jesus.
I enjoy being taught by Jesus because he gives me words that sustain the weary. The image here is of people who are tired and are perhaps hungry. This is why teaching God's word is more than an academic exercise, it can give people strength and change their lives. God himself can teach us what to say and what to do in order to strengthen others.
I was once asked if God always clearly speaks to me of which I replied, "Yeah, but I am not always clearly listening." This is the promise that the prophet Isaiah gives us: we can daily hear God's voice and be taught by Jesus himself. He does this through my times of prayer and bible study, but also through dreams, visions, godly counsel, circumstances, etc. A relationship with God is not something static, but something dynamic and ever changing. This is why I enjoy spending time hearing the voice of God daily.
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