It seems to me that you can’t have a teachable spirit without humility and wisdom. And I say that because the book of Proverbs, speaks so much about wisdom and how it is a wise man (or woman) who keeps their mouth shut and listens and learns. Also depending on what translation you are reading it talks about a having a “teachable spirit” and the great benefits that come from that.
Over the years I have come to know quite a few people in the Body of Christ who have all types of degrees. I even know a man who many say is genius—but his people skills are horrible, so I really don’t see how his great “genius” benefits the Body that much? I deal with people who think their degree from seminary is the be-all and end-all. Truth is…it’s not! Why do I take this stance? Because we cannot be anything apart from the Messiah, we cannot have anything apart from the Messiah, accomplish anything apart from the Messiah and we cannot do anything apart from the Messiah...this is what the New Testament says, so therefore, those who put stock in their degree has forgotten how they got it and who made it possible.
I know a man who is a minister but also has a very prestigious title and position at a world renowned University. And too boot he has a PhD. But he is the most humble and kind person you ever want to meet. His love for God, his family and others is very obvious to all who meet him. And having a conversation with him is always a pleasure because not only does he have a lot to offer, but he also listens. Sadly though, not all who have worked to get a PhD feel the same way. They feel they have “arrived”. But no one in the Kingdom has made it! We all have a long way to go as long as we are alive on this earth.
Just last week I had a wonderful phone conversation with a friend whom I met many years ago when we were telephone operators for Bell Telephone back in the 70’s. We were hellions to say the least. We loved to party, we smoked, drank, cussed and she reminded me not too long ago—wore hot pants. LOL!!! We lost touch over the years and went our separate ways, and about 2 years ago she found me on Facebook. And guess what? She is minister for the Lord!!! She had retired from Bell and was a full time college student in seminary at the time. She has finished and gotten her Masters in Divinity. And what I love about her is that she is still an everyday person. She is not puffed up about her degree or her title and position in her church. And her degree and hard work did not give a false sense of “She has now made it!” She remains humble knowing that she still has much to learn about God and people. But I can’t say that about everyone I know who has as Bachelors or Masters. In fact some of them are such big No-it-All’s and you can’t tell them anything. But there is one thing I’ve noticed they all have in common—they are all unhappy and or unsatisfied people. Why is that? Because it’s lonely being at the top—especially when you have invented the position for yourself.
When I was in fulltime missions I went with a group of women to hear a speaker who had just written about women in the Presbyterian denomination and their position in the Church. The group consisted of wives of Elders and a few other women. The speaker talked about her life and struggles in her church and her home life and support of her husband and so on. And when the Q & E was over, I noticed that one of the young women with us was sitting in her seat crying. When asked what was wrong, she did share, and I shared a scripture with her to comfort her and she bit my head off in front of everyone saying, “You are quoting that scripture wrong and you better be careful of that! It says, “So and so, and I know what I’m talking about because I went to seminary and have my degree!” Well! I backed off and I’m grateful that I was at a point in my walk with the Lord that I could do that, because there was a time when I would not have backed down. I would have opened my Bible in front of everyone to show her where she was wrong and then commentated on how little her degree meant if she didn’t know that. But again, Praise God, I didn’t. But later on I did show the scripture to one of the women with us, only because she was new in the Lord, and I wanted her to see that what I had spoken was truth and how this was a great example of why we as individuals must read the Bible for ourselves, and not depend on what others tell us. And that having a degree from a Seminary really wasn’t a big deal to God, because He says to study the Bible and show ourselves approved unto Him. But this situation did give me insight as to why the young woman who had blasted me was such an unhappy person. She really didn’t know God or His Word. She had been taught in Seminary, but not to think, question and understand.
Being 60 years of age is great, and walking with the Lord over the years has given me a great testimony. And yes, I can tell you some things about Him that might blow your mind—but I still struggle at times to swallow my pride and back down. Humility is something we must all work at on a daily bases. God uses whom He uses for whatever His plan and purpose and therefore we cannot allow ourselves to be duped (by pride) to think we have arrived. Because we haven’t! For as much as I can tell you about God, it is nothing compared to what I don’t know about Him. As Paul said, “The more I know, the more I realize I don’t know.” [My paraphrase] But it is so true.
Again I ask, “Do you have a teachable spirit?” If not then ask yourself why? For a lot of us, we don’t spend the time reading our Bibles as we should. Going to a Bible study (especially one for women) or attending Sunday school will help us to stay in the Word. And having people in your life who love to talk about God’s Kingdom and all it has to offer is of a great benefit too. Just attending church on Sunday alone is not enough if you really want to grow in the Lord. And in order to grow (not get degrees) we must have a teachable spirit. That means you have to be able to learn from others, be corrected in love if necessary, and most of all be taught by the Holy Spirit of God. Because when we think we know it all with people we have the same attitude with the Holy Spirit.
Sisters, I hope I have provoked you to think about if you are teachable or not. And if you find you are one who falls in the category of “I got this or been there done that” then maybe it’s time to deal with the pride that grips you and holds you back. If you are one who has fallen into the trap of the world about how valuable your degree is and it causes you to be puffed up, then it is time to step back and see yourself as God does.
Everyone struggles with pride in their life, but there are some of us who are consumed by it and don’t even know it. And that is not a good place to be in the Kingdom of God because “Pride” is something He hates and talks about a lot. So, if you find you’re not as teachable as you may have thought, then take the necessary steps to move forward in changing that flawed characteristic that does not reflect the Christ in us!
Look for a blog next week, until then….be blessed!!
Love & Hugs
Ponnie
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