Teach Me – Devotion 80

We are not always teachable.  We may think we are.  It may even be our intention to be teachable.  But to actually live there may be something completely different.  To be teachable means I do not always have the answers.  To be teachable means I am willing to listen to the voices that are different than mine to hear what I might learn.  To be teachable means I am open to other ideas that I have not considered before.  That’s not nearly as easy as it sounds.  So many of us are so ingrained in what we know that we become extremely defensive over anything which sounds different.  We hinge our lives on what we think we know so are unwilling to actually consider there are ideas different than our own that may hold value.  It is difficult to open ourselves enough to hear someone else.

This seems to be where the religious people in the Bible found themselves.  They were confident they knew everything there was to know about God.  Any push against that was unwelcome.  They were willing to do whatever it took to institute their own beliefs and silence any dissenting views.  Ultimately this also meant they silenced Jesus – or at least attempted.  He was a dissenting voice.  He lived a contrary life.  His views pushed many beyond where they were willing to go.  They were willing to kill him just to silence him.  Their opinions of God meant more than listening to God.

I fear we could easily find ourselves in that same place.  We are so determined that we are right that we might miss what God is trying to tell us.  I am not asking anyone to change their reading of the Bible.  I am not asking for anyone to change anything about their beliefs.  I simply invite listening, with the acknowledgement that we may not know everything.  We may find we are actually hearing the voice of God if we will simply listen.  May God teach us his ways rather than our own.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 86:11-12

¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
¹² I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery