Word of the Week - Teachable

“People who despise advice are asking for trouble; those who respect a command will succeed. The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain; those who accept it avoid the snares of death.” Proverbs 13: 13-14

We all desire to flourish and experience the abundant life that Jesus tells us is available to all His followers. In order to flourish in life we must continue grow and develop in all areas of life. I am convinced that the key to experiencing growth in our lives is based on this principle of being Teachable. The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing. If we are not growing in all areas of life then the natural law of Entropy sets in and we start to decline, which ultimately leads to death. I think we would all agree that we don’t enjoy being around people who act like they know everything and have been there done that, and seem to have no capacity for hearing or learning from others. I surely don’t want to be that person. On the other hand, isn’t it refreshing to be around people that listen well and seem to sincerely want to improve and grow and value what is being shared. In order to be Teachable we must be humble, have a desire to grow and welcome input and correction. This is not the easiest thing for most of us but it truly is how we maintain a posture to flourish and continue to grow towards our God given potential. Personally I find it really freeing to realize that I am not expected to be all knowing, that place is reserved only for God. I simply need to posture myself toward God and others with a curious and willing spirit to learn and grow, which I actually find to be the most enjoyable and rich experiences in life. I believe this is the “life that is truly life” Paul talks about in 1 Timothy 6:19.So what are some of the characteristics of being a lifetime learner?

1. We should initiate in pursuing counsel from God and others,
2. We should take counsel to heart and actually implement the counsel we receive. James 1:22 says to “be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves”,
3. We should always be working to improve and get better in every area of life, and
4. We should be an example for all those around us to encourage and inspire others to be Teachable.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5.Happy Mother’s Day,-Duane 

Word of the Week - Love

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

According to God’s Word, the greatest of all godly virtues is Love.  The highest form of Love is sacrificial Love and there is no greater demonstration of this Love than what God did for us through the Cross, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.  The virtue of Love is very expansive and is well defined in the 13^th chapter of 1 Corinthians “the Love Chapter”, see more on this below from prior Word of the Week post in August 2016.  Love encompasses all other godly virtues such as humility, self-control, wisdom, courage, grace, faith and hope.  Love is a gift from God.  We cannot necessarily create it but we can receive it through our abiding relationship with Christ and become a conduit to pass it on to others by pouring out our lives through Love.  This is Christian ministry - Simply taking what God has done and is doing in our lives through His love and grace and sharing it with others in Love.  As we receive God’s Love through His amazing grace through faith, He pours love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit; “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5.  In sum, Love is the first and supreme fruit of our abiding relationship with Christ and the godly virtue that most glorifies and multiplies Christ.  “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on Love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14 I hope you have a blessed week and experience the amazing love of Christ.

-Duane