A Teachable Spirit

Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. (Pro 19:27)

One of the most important attributes of a humble Christ follower is a teachable spirit. At one level, it should be obvious that when you stop listening you stop learning. But the danger is deeper than that. The real danger is letting pride overtake my heart. If I think I have nothing to learn from others, I will soon find that I am not listening to God, either. “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom 1:22 NASB) is how Paul described such men. My knowledge is always incomplete and imperfect in this life. I must continue to study God’s Word and to learn. And I must continue to read and listen to the teaching of godly men, as an important check against my own errors of interpretation. Lord, I want to have a teachable spirit. Convict me when pride raises its ugly head. Sanctify me by your Word – both to know it and to obey it. Amen.

Scholar's Snare

The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God. (1 Cor 8:2-3)

I sometimes hear Bible teachers who sound like they have it all figured out. They teach their interpretations as fact and it seems there is nothing in the Bible that puzzles them. Pride is a snare for these men. You can hear their pride in the way they speak of other interpretations and those who teach them. As a teacher and a discipler of others I want always to stay humble. I must remember that the Bible is infallible but none of its interpreters are – including me.

There is another snare in this focus on learning. It is that learning about God may become a substitute for loving God. Too much focus on the life of mind may drive out the desires of the heart. My passion must always be for God, and not for any idea or doctrine. I want to know him better, love him more, and follow more closely in his footsteps. When we love God, what we need to know will be made clear to us – which may be a whole lot less than what we’d like to know. When we love God we will find ourselves loving others. This is the life to which we are called. Not a sterile academic perfection but the gospel lived out in sacrificial love. Lord, forgive me for those times when I have been more concerned with being right than with being good. Teach me humility and compassion. Amen.

Rich Man, Poor Man

Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is Maker of them all. (Pro 22:2)

If there’s one thing the Bible is clear on it is that we are all equal before God, rich and poor alike. Passages like James 2:1-7 come to mind, but it is not just a New Testament message. The Law makes no distinction between rich and poor, except that the poor can bring a cheaper sacrifice. In Lev 5:7-13, for example, if you cannot afford a lamb for a sin offering you can bring two doves or two young pigeons. Those who cannot even bring two doves can bring a small amount of flour. Even more, the Law requires men to take special care of the poor: to aid the widows and orphans, not to exact usury, to free all slaves in the year of jubilee, etc. The Scriptures, in fact, spend quite a bit of time on this topic, and why? Because we need it! Throughout history, societies have stratified into an upper class and a lower class, the haves and the have-nots. Our pride deceives us into thinking that if we own more we must be worth more. People misunderstand God’s blessing. They think they deserve it. Now it is true that wisdom and righteousness often reap a harvest of prosperity. You don’t have to go far in Proverbs to see that. Just two verses past this one we read, “Humility and fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.” (v4) But nowhere does the Bible say that rich people are intrinsically better than poor people.

God calls us to love our fellow human beings, whatever their estate. Forgive me, Lord, when I overlook those who have nothing or envy those who have much. Train my heart to see the person behind the tattered clothes or the fancy car. Every one is a sinner for whom Christ died, and I should love them no less than you do. Amen.

Excuses, Excuses

All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. (Pro 16:2)

Each of us has an enormous capacity to rationalize our own actions. We tend not, as Paul urged us, to “look at ourselves with sober judgment.” (Rom 12:3) Instead, I tell myself “it’s only right,” “it’s only fair,” “I can’t help it,” “he deserved it” and so on. But God sees our true motives, and all too often they are selfish. If we are ever to become Christ-like, we must begin to see ourselves as he sees us. Paul declared himself the “worst of all sinners.” (1 Tim 1:15). Was he really the worst? Not likely. But he had grown enough in his knowledge of God to appreciate the vast gap between who he was and who he wanted to be – between who he thought he was and who he really was. Spiritual growth is always preceded by humility. If we do not humble ourselves, God will humble us. (Pro 16:18) It’s that important.

Older and Wiser

And Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. (Gen 47:31b)

What a great image! That’s the kind of old man I want to be! Jacob was 147 years old at this time. I picture a wizened old man with a deeply lined face. He is hunched over his staff, his robe drawn close around him. His eyes are weak, but wisdom is reflected there. He has suffered many hardships and done many foolish things, but God has been faithful and has blessed him. Jacob wrestled with God in his youth, but in his old age he worships. With the wisdom of old age he knows well both the sovereignty and the benevolence of God. Lord, you are worthy of worship! You are the great and mighty King, the Ruler of all that is. You created us and sustain us. You know every hair on our heads and yet you love us. Praise you, Lord. Glory to you, Almighty God.

I think a lot us are like Jacob. When I was young, I wrestled with God. I challenged him and argued with him. I demanded that he explain himself to me. And I insisted that I would only come to him on my terms. Like Jacob, I found out that approach doesn’t work too well. When we wrestle with God we are out of our weight class! But we were young and stubborn and we had to find out the hard way. Finally we figured out that the only right way to approach God is in humble submission, with a worshipful heart. Now we spend the rest of our lives practicing to learn how to do that. After 147 years Jacob had it down pretty well. I only hope I can get there, too – a little quicker if possible!

A God who can be encompassed by human thought is no God at all.

Teach Me, Lord

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. (Ps 25:9)

If I’m ever going to learn anything I have to be humble. The number one obstacle to learning is not having a teachable spirit. That’s true in school, it’s true at work, and it’s certainly true of our walk with God. Lord, teach me your ways. I confess that I often let pride get in the way of receiving correction. Forgive me, also, for setting boundaries on your truth – when I think it has to be my way and no other. I humble myself before you to learn from you. Teach me, Lord.

Blogger's Proverb

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions. (Pro 18:2)

This should probably be known as the Blogger’s Proverb. It leaps out at me because I delight in airing my own opinions. Hopefully, it cannot also be said of me that I “find no pleasure in understanding.” But the cautionary note is well-applied to all of us, because the delight in our own opinions is a symptom of pride. The blogger must beware more than most. Yet the proper corrective action is not necessarily to stay silent, but to speak in all humility. Every word motivated by pride must be left unsaid. Silence may often be the wisest course, but there is a time for humble speech. There is never a time for prideful speech. Lord, help me to share my thoughts for the right reasons and in the right way. Let me not speak except to be a blessing to others. Amen.

Who Is Your Captain?

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. (Pr 16:9)

God’s sovereignty over our lives is in view in several verses of this chapter (verses 1, 3, 4, 9, 33). I think this verse is saying that the choices I make are real and important, but God determines the outcome. Though we are free moral agents, our power to control events is limited. God’s is not. The lesson of this verse is that to plan for the future without taking God’s will and his commands into account is the height of folly. The vain man imagines that he is the captain of his ship, but the humble man knows he is only the wheelman, and he steers the course set by the captain.

The Humblest Man in the World

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. (Num 12:3)

What a statement! Moses fulfilled a role unique in human history, and God blessed him uniquely in his ministry. Yet he was more humble than anyone else. By comparison, how silly that I should be prideful about any of my gifts and abilities. God speaks to me through his Word and through his still, small voice. He speaks to his prophets through dreams and visions (v6). But he speaks to Moses clearly, face to face (v8). Lord, teach me to have the humility of Moses, so that I will be a vessel for your service like him.

Highly Regarded

The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people. (Ex 11:3)

It’s amazing that Moses was highly regarded by the Egyptians. Pharaoh was corrupt with power and saw only a challenge to his authority. But his officials saw Moses’ character. He had true authority, backed by supernatural power, yet he held that authority with humility and integrity. Lord, I want even my enemies to see my good character, even if they can’t abide what I stand for.

Falling at His Feet

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Rev 1:17)

We are far too protective of our own dignity and our old bones to ever fall down in worship these days. Yet there is something to be said for adopting a physical posture of complete humility as an expression of our reverence for the awesome power and majesty of God. John by this time had lived a very long and very hard life. His knees were no doubt far creakier than mine, and his bones more fragile. Yet he “fell at his feet as though dead.” Lord, please give us a glimpse of your power and majesty. May we humble ourselves before you. May we for once lay aside our inflated sense of our own dignity and importance, and so reveal by our actions a truer understanding of how very much greater you are.