January 28, 2024

Teachable and humble. Would those be words that describe you? I hope so. Those are the keys to a strong and productive walk of faith. A life that’s lived for God that is faithful and fruitful doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a result of BEING the kind of person that God can work in and work through. Both of the traits I mentioned earlier are significant to that end. Let’s unpack the first of those today.
Being teachable means being eager to learn. It’s the awareness that there is MUCH that God has to teach us that we don’t know. Being teachable has an active quality to it. Jesus uses the word “listens” in our passage. How many of us have stared at someone as they’ve talked but not really heard a word they’ve said? That’s because listening takes engagement. It’s paying attention to what is said or written. It’s thinking about it, processing it, and applying it to your life. It doesn’t have nearly as much to do with our intelligence as it does with our attitude. People who are teachable WANT to learn, WANT to grow and WANT to change. They believe God has something He wants to say to them that they need to hear, and they’re LISTENING for it!
Let that thought be a challenge to you today. You don’t become strong in the faith by owning a Bible. You become strong by reading it with an open heart and open mind. You don’t become mature by simply going to church. You become mature by seeking what God is saying to you while you’re there. It doesn’t matter what version of the Bible you read or how good your preacher is if you’re not really paying attention. Those who think they know it all won’t grow beyond where they are. Those who are listening for God will never stop growing. Are YOU teachable? That’s God’s Word for you today.