Learners for Life

“Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. 
Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”
– Proverbs 9:9

School has started for most kids and they are now getting back into the swing of learning and growing in their knowledge of life and academics.  I remember quite a number of first days of school – I was usually the one who was super nervous about starting a new chapter and getting used to new teachers and classmates (well, all except for the years I was homeschooled…my mom didn’t make me nervous :) ).

One of the biggest “first day of school” stories I can recall is the year I started third grade.  We lived in Kentucky and I attended my church’s private school.  It was their custom at that time that on the first day of school they would gather all students and parents in the sanctuary of the church and then bring a teacher up and read off the students that would be in his/her class.  Once your class was called, you went with your parent up to your new classroom.  You wouldn’t know who your teacher was until that moment.  I remember that in third grade I didn’t care which teacher I got – all except for one.  The students who had just finished third grade the year before had said that this one particular teacher was really tough and mean.  I knew I did NOT want her.  We got to the point in the “ceremony” to the third grade class.  One third grade teacher had been called and her class filled and now it was time for the “tough” teacher to get her students.  I prayed my name wouldn’t be called.  Last names were called…and of course, I had to wait until the end to find out if I was in her class (hazard of having a last name with a “y”).  Well, wouldn’t you know it – I ended up in this “dreaded” teacher’s class.  I was devastated.  My mom tells me that as she took me up to my classroom, I was fighting off tears.  What a miserable year third grade was going to be…or so I thought.

As it turned out, my third grade teacher was the most phenomenal teacher I ever had.  What those crazy fourth graders had told us about her was for sure not true and, I suppose, was just to scare us.  This third grade teacher is actually the person who inspired me to one day be a teacher and instill the love of learning and growing in knowledge in others – something I do to this very day.

One thing I have learned in these post-school years is that you never stop learning and growing.  I think that learning as an adult means learning about how to do life and grow in your walk with God.  In this last decade (so over my twenties), I have most definitely done a lot of learning and growing in these two areas.  I’ve learned a lot about myself, about others, about the Bible, about my job(s), and about living life as an adult, among other things.

Proverbs 9 is quite an interesting chapter.  The writer, King Solomon, personifies Wisdom and Folly as individuals and goes on to discuss how these two “individuals” “live their lives.”  I encourage you to read the entire chapter, but I want to focus on two nuggets from it:

Nugget #1: Proverbs 9:9: “Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser.  Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”  As growing Christians, we should take this straight to our heart.  It is super important that we personally be instructed and taught in how God wants us to live so that we can be wiser and righteous in our lives and walk with the God.  In order for our walk to match our talk (which makes our walk evident to the world), our talk/walk must be learned.  Additionally, we should heed these words and instruct and teach our fellow younger Christian brothers/sisters so that they too can be wiser and righteous.  Instruction/teaching (academic or not) should always be passed from generation to generation so that whatever is being taught is never lost…and this is especially important as it relates to God and His Word.

Nugget #2: Proverbs 9:11-12: “Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.  If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”  Who doesn’t want to have a long and fulfilling life?  These verses tell us that having wisdom will be a benefit to us and add years and days to our life!  How great is that?!  These verses also give a warning of what will happen if we reject or ignore wisdom – we will suffer for it.  Ignoring wisdom is very dangerous because it’s putting you in a place where temptations may (and probably will) abound.  So how will we suffer for our ignorance?  I would tend to say that it depends on situation, but whatever it is, suffering doesn’t sound good. 

From one teacher to another (or even to those of you who are mainly “students”), make special note of this: make absolutely sure that whatever wisdom you are imparting or learning is that which is biblical.  A lot of things can sound really good to the ear, but when the rubber meets the road – it doesn’t always line up with Scripture.  Look what Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:3 – “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”  Sometimes this is completely an accident, but there are sometimes where this is intentional (think prosperity preachers and the like). Part of you being the student (and we are all students of God’s Word) is to do your homework and take what you’ve been taught/what you're going to teach and check the source (the Word), because it’s author is inerrant and our ultimate Teacher.

There are many things I’m so grateful to have learned – these things have made me a more informed and knowledgeable person who is able to live and communicate with others in society.  Conversely, there are things I wish I didn’t have to learn – like about hurt and grief and loss.  All of these things combine, however, to shape and grow us into the people God wants us to be.  When we gain wisdom from what we are taught, we are then able to handle future experiences/challenges and help others down the road who may be going through similar situations.  I’m thankful, and I don't take it lightly, that I am able to do that as a teacher in ministry with children from all walks of life (a passion passed on to me from my amazing third grade teacher) because I am passing the wisdom of God onto the future generations so that they in turn can do the same.

Learning isn’t over when we walk across the stage with a cap and gown and diploma in hand. The reality is actually that we will be learners for life.

Prepare to be a learner for life!

Nuggets of God's Wisdom

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Recently I had the opportunity to substitute teach 1^st grade Sunday School.  For me it was like going back to my roots as 1^st grade Sunday School was the very first place I became involved in when I came to FBC Morristown.  Those were such joyous times as I looked forward to being personally involved in kids’ lives each Sunday and watching them grow in their knowledge and understanding of Jesus and His Word.  It is hard to believe that the very first 1^st grade group I taught is now in the ninth grade!  I feel extremely old!

The lesson for the week I subbed was about Psalm 104.  I initially wondered how on earth the kids were going to be able to relate to a psalm…I mean some psalms are a bit depressing and others hard for even me to wrap my mind around.  While a few of the psalms are very familiar to me, this one…Psalm 104…was not.  As I began to delve into the psalm, however, my worries about the kids understanding it were completely gone.  The entire psalm was about Creator God how great He is for creating such a beautiful world.  The psalmist describes with such imagery each facet of the earth…from land to sea to sky…and praises God for His greatness in creating it.  Psalm 104 is written with such visually appetizing words that you could almost close your eyes and paint a glorious masterpiece in your imagination. It is most definitely a perfect psalm to pair with the Creation story from Genesis!

Have you ever found new nuggets of wisdom in the Scriptures?  For me personally, I am increasingly amazed to discover new and exciting things in the Bible!  This experience with Psalm 104 is just one that recently happened to me, but there have been other passages or verses that I have come across that I never knew existed.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”  As Christians, the Bible is our manual for daily living and has been given to us by God to equip us in our walk with and talk of He and His Son.  It’s not designed for us to just read and then apply to one aspect of our life and move on – it’s designed for us to apply to all aspects of living and to learn new truths from throughout our entire life.  No matter the circumstance or situation, the Scriptures have something for everyone.  The psalmist praised God for the Scriptures so beautifully by saying, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  As the written Word of God, the Bible truly illuminates the way for us to go. 

The key to finding new nuggets of wisdom in the Bible is to read and study it.  Don’t let it sit on a shelf collecting dust…open it and discover new and exciting truths and/or passages that apply to you or that you can connect to other parts of the Bible.  One great (and easy) way to find how Scriptures connect with other Scriptures is to look at the cross references (those are the little book-name/verse references to the side of the passage/verse you are reading).  These additional references take you to other parts of the Bible that relate to the particular passage you are studying.  Another way you can connect certain truths to different parts of Scripture is to look at a concordance which is a book that lists different Scripture references that connect to one particular truth.  However you choose to delve into the Word, as you do, you will begin to see God’s grand design and how all things (from Old Testament to New Testament) connect together for His glory and honor. 

Grow in your Christian walk by digging deep into the Bible.  D.L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.”  He is so right.  Open God’s Word, discover new and exciting nuggets of wisdom from the Father and watch the transformation of your heart and mind begin.