2.21.11 "The Teachable Spirit"

"The Teachable Spirit"

Leviticus 11:1-12:8
Mark 5:21-43
Psalm 38:1-22
Proverbs 10:8-9

"The wise man is glad to be instructed, but a self-sufficient fool falls flat on his face." Proverbs 10:8

To live the DREAM, we must be Empowered through Biblical Training. How does this occur? As we've discussed, "discipline" is the principle of "E", but is that it? If I discipline myself to attend church, sunday school and bible study am I Empowered? Not necessarily.

As a college student, I took MANY classes. Through some of them I was empowered. Some I was not. Why? Because of the material? It has to do with my teachability. No, not by ability to teach, but my desire to open up and allow the information take root.

We must have a teachable spirit to truly mature in Christ. What is teachability? First and foremost, it's a pride issue. It's a willingness to lay down "ego" for the sake of hearing what the Spirit of God may say.

As a minister, many come to me with the issues of life. Some come with a desire for God to move, and want to know the principles in his Word and how they apply to life. Others just want to keep you informed of their soap opera crises. Others basically just want to dump the struggle on someone, make their point, and leave the way they came, living the same life that got them to where they are now. Then they wonder why they keep "repeating the test".

We all have insecurities. For each of us they manifest in different ways. We know we have weaknesses, but we hate it when they are exposed. We don't like the way we feel when others see our weakness.

What happens in the discipleship process is that the light of truth shines on our weakness. We are only "Empowered" as we allow ourselves to be exposed to the truth, and allow the Lord to complete his work in us.

When we allow God to do this we die to pride. We humble ourselves. We become teachable.

Defensiveness is one of the obstacles to becoming who God has created us to be. When we are corrected we want to give the reason "why" we were in error as if there is some excuse. Look at Adam & Eve: "She gave me the fruit and I ate it" "It was the serpent..." For us it may be: "I'm tired and I deserve this..." "Well at least I'm not as bad as so & so..."

There's a significant amount of hypocrisy that wants to rise up in us when we can see the shortcomings of others and be so quick to want to "help" them see the light, but we don't want that light to shine on us.

There's a brokenness or vulnerability that is necessary to becoming truly "Empowered". It's not easy, but it beats the alternative: to fall flat on your face. It's so much better to be teachable than to have to be broken by our hardness of heart.

Ask the Lord to teach you today. Don't put up defenses against what he may show you.



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ