Teachability
BEFORE we return to our studies in Principles of Spiritual Growth, I’d like to take one more detour regarding “heart attitudes” and teachability. I often tell students of CCA that I can tell immediately when they walk into a classroom if they are in a “teachable” mood, ready to “listen forward” or not. Again:
TTUBUBC
That The Uninformed Be Uninformed By Choice
IN my mentoring, I tout the importance of consistent Bible study and scripture memorization; the importance of understanding scriptural principles with the ability to think biblical doctrine in a systematic manner. This is often referred to as developing a Biblical Worldview, thinking God’s thoughts after him, or bringing every thought captive to Christ, (2Cor 10:5). Solomon prayed for wisdom, and the Lord richly rewarded him for that wise request. James encourages believers to do likewise at the beginning of his letter (James 1:5).
WISDOM can be found in the abundance of available Biblical instruction, including in our observation of God’s dealings with individuals throughout recorded history. It is imperative that we the take time and consider well those places where wisdom resides for our musing and discovery. I was reminded of this again from another Mark Hamby offering titled, Wisdom of Samuel. What caught my attention, wanting to share with you, was the last line and quotation: “the world has not yet seen what God can do through one man, one woman, or one child, wholly committed unto Him.” I recall this quote as one of the very first collected in my collection of quotes started so many years ago. It is a little piece of wisdom shaping thought that made an impression at the time; collected, recorded, and added with others becoming wisdom gems often recalled to mind and shared with others in teachable monents.
THERE is value in what others have learned; pithy little statements can become rich resources for mirrored thought and musings. Over the years I’ve collected nearly 1,200 little sayings, but the numbers “out there” are nearly limitless. I now have books with quotes from some of my favorite historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln; and books of compiled quotations like Gathered Gold by John Blanchard. There are websites now dedicated to the collecting and/or searching for significant statements and quotations. Again, pithy bits of mirrored thoughts and wisdom musings that resonate valuable lessons learned.
WELL, here I am rambling again. All this is to say, there is much to be learned even in the common grace wisdom taught to others, if we remain teachable to the wisdom that abounds, and remain cautious to the foolishness that is all so prevalent as well.
SO, for today’s reading I give you another consideration from Mark Hamby.
With highest regards in Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10; Isa. 30:15; Jas. 1:2
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Wisdom for Samuel
by Mark Hamby
In the book of 1 Samuel, we read that Hannah asked the Lord for a child and was rewarded. She vowed to consecrate Samuel to the Lord’s service, and brought him to the temple when he was weaned. Many of us know the story–but have you found the hidden treasures buried within?
The Scriptures report:
“And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men” (1 Samuel 2:26).
What comes to mind when you read this verse? Perhaps you’ll recall verses describing Jesus, who grew in “wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Do you see the similarity?
Yet there’s also an interesting disparity between the two descriptions. The Scripture does not report that Samuel grew in wisdom. Why?
The next chapter tells of Samuel’s encounter with the Lord. Sure that Eli is calling him, Samuel rises, only to go back to bed and hear the voice again. But we’re informed of something very important during this narrative:
“Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him” (1 Samuel 3:7).
Samuel was serving in the temple, and yet it appears that he did not yet know the revealed Lord in a personal way–thus his lack of wisdom. This stands to reason since the book of 1st Samuel is set during the days of the Judges, when every man is doing that which is right in his own eyes. This is also a day when a whole generation (including Samuel) grows up without knowing the LORD, nor the works that He has done.
But everything changed when God called Samuel’s name in the night hours. It was then that God revealed Himself through His Word. We are told that,
“. . . Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground . . . For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh, by the Word of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 3:19, 21).
The years of gross moral decay during the period of the Judges now come to an end because one child took the Word of God seriously. The same can happen today, for, as D.L. Moody once said, “the world has not yet seen what God can do through one man, one woman, or one child, wholly committed unto Him.”
