The Impact of Teachers

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.  (John 14:26 KJV)

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As September nears its end, I would like to consider the impact teachers have on the lives of their students.  The impact can be positive or negative—coloring the whole of life.  A teacher’s impact or lack of impact can encourage a student to achieve great tings or fail to live to his or her fullest potential.

My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.  (James 3:1 KJV)

It is an awesome responsibility to teach; something not to be taken lightly, especially when it comes to the Word of God.  In fact, as we read in the Scripture passage from James, those who teach will be held to a higher standard.  This should cause us to pause and deeply and soberly think about the responsibility in teaching the Word of God. 

Photo Credit: C. Meissner

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.  (John 14:26 KJV)

As Christians the greatest (and best) teacher we will ever have is the Holy Spirit.  Open your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit’s instruction and learn from Him.  The Holy Spirit is an amazing teacher, as long as we remain open and attentive to His gentle presence and soft voice. 

What have you learned recently from the Holy Spirit?

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For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.  (Deuteronomy 30:11 KJV)

In planning, teachers develop learning objectives for their students.  Ideally, these learning objectives match the abilities of their students—challenging them enough but not too much.  The same could be said for those us who have the courage to teach Sunday school (any age level).  A plan is created for class with flexibility to address needs as they surface.

It seems to me that God, like a good teacher, challenges us to bring about our full potential.  Teachers hope their students will actually use and apply what they have learned in future classes and throughout life; God expects the same from us.

Be open to God’s teaching.  What is God trying to teach you?

Photo Credit: C. Whitlatch

What teacher had the greatest impact on your life?  I imagine you can recall at least one by name.

                

Please join with me in prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for the men and women who have the courage to teach.  We pray Your blessing and anointing upon those who have accepted the awesome responsibility teaching requires.  As we open our hearts and minds to the instruction of the Holy Spirit; help us to be good, attentive students of Your Word.  Guide us as we live our lives in the ways You have instructed us.  Thank You for Your perfect instruction that fits our abilities.  We are thankful that Your desires for us are not beyond our reach.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

Spiritual Mentors

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.  (Colossians 2:6-7 KJV)

Yesterday, September 1, 2016, marked the beginning of another school year in my community.  It is a time to meet new people, learn new things, and grow intellectually and socially.  A new school year is a fresh start of sorts, much like the start of a new calendar year or month (or even day!).  This time of year seems to call us back to our school days (no matter how long we have been out of school)—the busy days of summer fun give way to a school year with busyness of its own—hopefully this time will also cause us to desire to return to time in the Word (if we neglected that during the summer).  For some ideas to get started on reading the Word, please see my 50 Day Spiritual Adventure for 2016 (first post appeared September 1, future posts will go up early on Sunday morning September 4-October 16). 

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.  (Philippians 4:9 KJV)

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God’s Word is full of wisdom for the whole of life.  We are wise to read, study, and apply it to our lives.  Moreover, seeking out a mentor to guide us in our walk is extraordinarily beneficial and assists our spiritual growth.  We grow, too, when we mentor others.  Learning and growing should never end, even when we supposedly reach the end of our student days.  I, along with many others, have discovered that even when we teach, tutor, or mentor that we learn along side the person(s) we are teaching or mentoring.  With all of this in mind, today’s post will take a brief look at mentors and mentoring; currently, I am planning a month long consideration of learning and education.  

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And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.  

(2 Timothy 2:2 KJV)

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

(1 Thessalonians 2:8 KJV)

What is mentoring?  Who is a mentor?  When you pause to consider it, mentoring is seen in both the Old and New Testaments.  For example, Moses had Jethro, Timothy had Paul, and the disciples had Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Mentor too. 

Simply put, a mentor is:  “someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.”[1]

For our purposes here, a mentor is also one who is farther ahead on the faith journey than the person he or she is mentoring; the mentor may or may not be chronologically older.

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.  (Hebrews 13:7 KJV)

I imagine all of us have or had special people in our lives—people who came along side (possibly seeing something of worth in us) and built us up, encouraging us to develop our God given potential.  Mentors truly are special people who freely give of themselves, building into the life of another person.

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.  (Proverbs 27:17 KJV)

For many of us, those people were Christian teachers, coaches, pastors, or mentors who helped us grow in our walk with the Lord.  Mentors really only need a willing heart and be just a bit ahead of the person being mentored.  The benefits of mentoring relationships are priceless.  Ideally, both sides of any mentoring relationship learn and grow together.

And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.  (Acts 8:27-31 KJV)

Perhaps, you remember the person(s) who led to your decision to invite Jesus into your heart.  What characteristics made this person unique?  What did they have that caused you to seek them out as a mentor?  My guess is—it was not dependent upon looks or money; it was most likely something intangible.  In the verses (above) from Acts, we see Philip, empowered by the Holy Spirit, in a short-term mentoring relationship with an Ethiopian eunuch; leading to the Ethiopian’s salvation.  This spread the gospel into Africa!  Please do not discount the power of one simple meeting.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.  

(John 14:26 KJV)

Spend some time in the week ahead (and through this month) reflecting on these special people and being thankful.  Just think:  you may be on someone’s list! 

If you think you would like to have mentor, I encourage you to pray and see who God puts on your heart to ask.  Likewise, you may also desire to be a mentor for someone in your life—I encourage you to take the matter to the Lord in prayer and see who He places on your heart.

Who is your mentor?

Who can you mentor?

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  

(Matthew 28:19-20 KJV)

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.  

(1 Corinthians 11:1 KJV)

Please join with me in prayer:

Dear Lord, cause us to remember all the special people who have taught and mentored us in our faith.  Thank You for their comment and time spent in preparation, as they guided our faith walk as we matured.  Grant us the wisdom to lead others to Christ and help them grow in their faith, realizing that You are the One who brings about the growth.  Our thankfulness for all we have in Jesus overflows.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

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[1] From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentor  

The Names of God: Teacher

And, behold, one came to him and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? (Matthew 19:16 KJV)

A few weeks ago, I introduced the series, Knowing God Through His Names:Introduction, considering how we could learn more about God and come to love Him more deeply through studying His names. The first name we considered was elohim—God who creates. This week we will think about another name of God—Teacher.

Schools across the nation have recently started a new school year—in my community schools opened August 31. Teachers and students alike are getting use to new people, new activities, and learning new things. The sense of possibility is crisp, much like the cooler air of autumn mornings that are coming.

My First Grade school picture, age 7

The sense of possibility that teachers and students experience is available long after we take our last test, write our last paper. As Christians, we are to never stop learning or growing as we walk with the Lord. It is here, I believe that we will find our best teacher ever: Jesus! He willingly and patiently repeats lessons until we understand, until we get things right.

You call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. (John 13:13 KJV)

My Second Grade school picture, age 8

If and when we stop and deeply consider it, we will realize that God teaches us in many ways and at many times. May we grow in our awareness and receptivity of what God is teaching us!

Have you ever thought about God as Teacher?

What is it about Him that makes Him a Teacher?

What comes to your mind as you consider God as Teacher? What can we learn from Him to guide us in teaching others about Him?

My Third Grade school picture, age 9

God instructs and communicates with us in Truth—it is up to us what we do with that instruction.

Just think: God is the only Teacher we will ever have who teaches us the Truth and who teaches us perfectly.

Take some time this week to consider God as Teacher. Explore the Scriptures and see what you discover (see John 15:13, for example).

My Eighth Grade school picture, age 14

If we are open, we have a lot to learn from the Lord!

High School Senior picture, age 18, Photo Credit: A. Furney

Please join me in prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for being the perfect Teacher and for providing an excellent example of who a teacher should be and what a teacher should do. Thank you for communicating the Truth to us, the Truth that only comes from You. We open our hearts and minds to Your instruction. Instill in us a strong desire to learn and grow as we walk through life with You; may we never stagnate in our journey with You. Help us to be attentive and obedient to your instruction. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim