I HAD an array of character traits that I would pick from to assemble my Character Curriculum when I was principal at Covenant Christian Academy. Over time I pretty much settled into a select group of virtues, occasionally rotating one or two in and out year to year. But there is one I never change out or substituted for another – Teachability.
A COUPLE of things to note about Teachability: 1) it was taught as a subset under the character trait heading of Orderliness, along with Wisdom. 2) Spell check doesn’t like it. It is not a word found in most dictionaries, and word searches usually come up with the substitute spelling teachable or some other variation. In the character curriculum it was defined as being eager to learn and to be corrected. The scripture reference connected to it was, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law,” Psa. 119:18.
IN my many years managing projects and people I’ve found being teachable to be a critical component and important character trait. When persons walked into a room – be it a classroom, project or team meeting room, I could tell right away if they were engaged or not, ready to “lean into it,” teachable. Body language speaks volumes. If a person arrives distracted, sits – or better yet -slumps down in their chair with arms folded, unprepared and unfocused it is quite evident. I’ve often been tempted to invite them to go elsewhere rather than waste their time and mine in their posture of unteachability.
THE Lord speaks to such attitudes of the heart in the Parable of Sower. The stony, hard, weed infested ground is, – well, unteachable. Teachability is a choice, a matter of the heart, Heb. 4:12.
AGAIN, this is the point to Isa. 30:15c, But you would not…
WE’VE been looking long at Isa 30:15 in the past several comments. It is a precious proposition with an abrupt rebuke.
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.
But you would not,
In my Bible I’ve pencil a little cross reference verse, Isa 28:12
To whom He said, “This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing;” yet they would not hear.
“YET they would not hear” – “But you would not,”
Looking back again to Isa. 30:15, notice that the verse does not end with a period but a comma. As referred too in the previous comment, there is more to be told and a greater context to unfold. But for the moment, here is another reading and lesson from None But the Hungary Heart #1-25 – Author of Peace.
In the inexorable riches of Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10; Isa 30:15; Job 2:10; Jas. 1:2; Prov. 21:30
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1-25. Author of Peace
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33).
The day we were saved, total war was declared between sinful self and the Holy Spirit. Lasting peace will come when we rest in Calvary’s conquest of sin and self, and allow that victory to be applied by the faithful Spirit of God.
“The Holy Spirit does not reason from what man is for God, but from what God is to man. Souls reason from what they are in themselves as to whether God can accept them. He does not accept you thus; you are looking for righteousness in yourself as a ground of acceptance with Him. You cannot get peace in this way. ‘But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (Rom 5:8).
“The Holy Spirit always reasons down from what God is, and this produces a total change in my soul. It is not that I abhor my sins; indeed I may have been walking very well; but it is ‘I abhor myself.’ The Holy Spirit shows us what we are, and that is one reason why He often seems to be very hard and does not give peace to the soul, as we are not relieved until we frankly, from our hearts, acknowledge what we are. Until the soul comes to that point He does not give it peace-He could not; it would be healing the wound slightly. The soul has to go on until it finds there is nothing to rest on but the Cross- proved goodness of God; and then if God be for us, who can be against us?’’ -J.N.D.
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7)
