Tag Archives: learning

Did you ever try to teach someone and fail? (Luke 24:25-26, 38-39), January 16, 2017

Today’s Podcast

Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Have you ever tried to explain something to someone and they just didn’t get it? How did it make you feel? I bet Jesus got pretty frustrated at times, too. Particularly when His time was running out.
Scripture
1. Luke 24:25-26
2. Jesus: Come on, men! Why are you being so foolish? Why are your hearts so sluggish when it comes to believing what the prophets have been saying all along? Didn’t it have to be this way? Didn’t the Anointed One have to experience these sufferings in order to come into His glory?Jesus: Why are you upset? Why are your hearts churning with questions? Look—look at My hands and My feet! See that it’s Me! Come on; touch Me; see for yourselves. A ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see that I have!
Devotional
1. Sometimes I’m a really terrible teacher. I enjoy teaching most of the time, but occasionally I’ll teach a subject that comes pretty easily to me and I think it should to everyone. I forget that it doesn’t. All of us have things like that, of course.
  1. I’ve had people try to teach me how to fix cars. It’s a hopeless cause.
  2. Plumbing is the same way
  3. I’ve learned to hire others to do some of those things around the house because it’s a lot cheaper than doing it myself
2. When I think something should be crystal clear and it isn’t
  1. Try to restate in other ways
  2. Try to review in ways to solidify in memory
  3. Try to relate to things they know and understand
  4. If unsuccessful, patience runs thin
3. End of the story with two men Jesus met on road to Emmaus
  1. Talked on the road
  2. Knew the news about crucified Galilean
  3. Knew rumors of Messiah
  4. Jesus kept hinting about the tie in between the prophecies and the Galilean they heard about
  5. Connect the dots
4. Are you guys stupid? What have you already said? Wake up!
  1. Finally put things together
  2. Finally understood
  3. Then recognized Jesus for who He was
  4. We sometimes think these guys are stupid. Why didn’t they recognize Jesus?
    1. Weren’t expecting to see Him
    2. Maybe saw Him on the cross, broken and bleeding
5. How different are we?
  1. We have all the evidence of who He is, but don’t recognize Him
  2. We don’t believe what He says
  3. We don’t trust His words
  4. Are we stupid or something?
  5. Maybe we need to pay more attention to His classes
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Do a little tilling (Luke 8:5-15) October 16, 2016

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Hebrews 11-13

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 8:5-15
Jesus: Once a farmer went out to scatter seed in his fields. Some seeds fell along a trail where they were crushed underfoot by people walking by. Birds flew in and ate those seeds. Other seeds fell on gravel. Those seeds sprouted but soon withered, depleted of moisture under the scorching sun. Still other seeds landed among thorns where they grew for a while, but eventually the thorns stunted them so they couldn’t thrive or bear fruit. But some seeds fell into good soil—soft, moist, free from thorns. These seeds not only grew, but they also produced more seeds, a hundred times what the farmer originally planted. If you have ears, hear My meaning!
His disciples heard the words, but the deeper meaning eluded them.
Disciples: What were You trying to say?
Jesus: The kingdom of God contains many secrets.
They keep listening, but do not comprehend;
keep observing, but do not understand.
I want you to understand, so here’s the interpretation: The voice of God falls on human hearts like seeds scattered across a field. Some people hear that message, but the devil opposes the liberation that would come to them by believing. So he swoops in and steals the message from their hard hearts like birds stealing the seeds from the footpath. Others receive the message enthusiastically, but their vitality is short-lived because the message cannot be deeply rooted in their shallow hearts. In the heat of temptation, their faith withers, like the seeds that sprouted in gravelly soil. A third group hears the message, but as time passes, the daily anxieties, the pursuit of wealth, and life’s addicting delights outpace the growth of the message in their hearts. Even if the message blossoms and fruit begins to form, the fruit never fully matures because the thorns choke out the plants’ vitality.
But some people hear the message and let it take root deeply in receptive hearts made fertile by honesty and goodness. With patient dependability, they bear good fruit.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

So there are two perspectives from which to view Jesus’ story as He tells it to the crowd that day. Are you the one sowing the seed or are you the soil on which the seed is sown? It’s important to understand that each of us are in both positions all the time if we are part of the kingdom of God. Now why would I say that if we have already heard the word and accepted Christ as Lord of our life? What would make us continue to need to hear this story and apply it to our lives?

Let’s think about the story from the sower’s perspective first. Sometimes and in some places sharing the word will result in only pain and suffering for those who share it with nothing good in return. The hearers are like the hard path Jesus talked about that seed takes no root at all. Sharing the word at those times is a waste of breath and effort. Like arguing with a drunk. Nothing you say will be comprehended or remembered because of the circumstances at the time. Every once in a while you know you’re in that situation, but those don’t come around often.

If I’m honest, most of the time, I think I find myself among rocks and thorns when I’m sharing with people in the world. Either the truth takes little root because of the cultural background of the individual and there just isn’t any comparisons to help make the transition from what they have heard and believed all their life to the truth of God’s word. Or they are so tied to the pleasures of this world and the lies Satan gives us that they don’t want to give them up for any reason. They want the temporary pleasures more than they want eternal life. They want their way and self control more than their willingness to let God control their life. We still should share the message with these because the seed does take root. Some will grow. Most will be choked out because of the rock or the thorns, but some will survive even in that environment. We must share with them and pray that God will rescue them from their situation.

Then there are those you share the word with that are eager to hear. They need to know God’s truth and want hope that nothing and no one can give except God. They want freedom from the burden of sin they carry. The guilt that sin piles on our shoulders that can never be relieved except by the grace of a merciful God. These listen intently to the testimony we give as we share what God has done for us. These are like the rich, moist, fertile soil that produces a bountiful crop at harvest time. These are the people we must find and to whom we must share boldly and openly. These are the ones who will grow to become sowers themselves and reap their own harvests one day.

How about the story from the soil’s perspective? Why would I mention that even believers must take heed to this story? It’s because we never quit learning. God never leaves us as we are because we never attain the perfection He wants us to attain in this life. Remember we live in damaged bodies. We inherited these afflicted frames through the sin scarred world in which we live. So there is a lot of work to be done to help us become more like Christ.

Studies tell us it takes 10,000 of focused practice to become an expert in any field. But to have complete mastery over that same field take much more than that 10,000 hours. There’s a difference between being an expert and having complete mastery over something. God wants us to have mastery by giving Him complete mastery. The problem is we have remnants of that Adamic nature that plagues us as long as we live in these bodies of clay.

So as God gives you instruction, will you be like the hard packed path and not listen to Him at all? Or like the rocky and thorny soil and let your wishes over ride His so that His new truth for your life doesn’t take root and help you become more like Him? Or will you let your life always be like the rich, moist, fertile soil so that whatever God shares with you will germinate, grow, and return a harvest a hundred fold in your life? The good news is you get to choose the type soil you let your life consist of. You’re the farmer of your heart. How about doing a little tilling today?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Get the right teacher (Luke 6:39-40) October 6, 2016

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 28

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 6:39-40
Jesus: What happens if a blind man leads a blind man? Won’t both of them fall into a pit? You can’t turn out better than your teacher; when you’re fully taught, you will resemble your teacher.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever thought about Jesus’ words about teachers and students? It can be pretty scary when you think about our education systems today, don’t you think? I’m not saying we don’t have intelligent teachers, but often they are not allowed to teach well because of the constaints put on them by the federal and state laws enacted by people who know little about education. Ask some of the classroom teachers and they will tell you what’s happening in today’s classrooms. That’s a discussion for another time, though.

The point, though, is that students can not gain information or education or skill beyond what they are taught. Some very few can advance beyond their teachers, but those are rare gems that are not average. It’s like those rare gems on a high school football field or basketball court. Parents push their kids to be the best athlete on the team at the expense of their school grades and everything else in life when in reality the professionals that make those multi-million dollar salaries we hear about are few and far between.

In fact, in 2013, the probability of a high school basketball player making into professional basketball, not as a star, but just making the team was 0.03%, that’s 3 in 10,000 players. It’s a little better in football, 8 in 10,000 and the best chance of making it onto a professional team, baseball where you have 50 chances among those 10,000 high school players. Of course, you must remember all those farm teams are also professional teams, so don’t expect to get spotlighted on television even if you are one of those few in those crazy probability statistics.

So if we think about Jesus’ words are really understand that we won’t be smarter or more skilled than the person that teaches us, who should we find to teach us about life? Who should we find to help us understand what’s really important and how to live successfully in this world and prepare for the judgment we know is coming one day?

We could latch on to one of those fly by night guys that tell us something we like to hear, but when we look closely at their lives, we find the chaos and disappointment and misery within their household and in themselves. We find a lot of their rhetoric is just that. No substance by which we can find real understanding about who we are and what God wants from us in this place.

We can look to those the world says are successful for instruction. But again, we will often find emptiness, self-centeredness, a lack of real peace and joy in their lives. It’s not the abundant life Jesus talks about, one in which we find peace and contentment because we are fulfilling the purpose for which God created us. They will teach us, but they won’t teach us the right stuff to get us to heaven and in touch with the One who can get us there.

We can chase false prophets that make us feel good about ourselves. They tell us our sins are just the natural expression of the natural instincts of all animals. We can’t help but do the things we do because we are just a higher order animal, no better than a dolphin or an ape. They tell us that we just had some gene mutate along the way and so we evolved at a more advanced rate than our other animal counterparts. We can learn from them, and never find the truth that God created us to rule over the rest of His creation and be its caretakers. We can ignore the truth of sin as the real problem we must resolve to find real peace and purpose in our lives. But we can learn from those folks if we choose.

We can learn from other religions and let them tell us about reincarnations, nirvana, and that god is found in all creation. We can learn from scientists that there is no god, but a mathematical explanation for everything that happens. Just do the math and the science and you’ll figure it out. Only no one has figured it out yet with all our science and all our math, because we tend to leave the piece of the formula “God spoke” out of the equation.

But learning from all these other sources will fall short of what you really want to know. Because none of those sources are God. But when you learn at the feet of Jesus, you learn from God Himself. You learn from the Master. What better source to learn all there is to know? Jesus is right, we can not be better than our teacher, we mimick their understanding under their instruction, but what if we learn from the expert among experts? What if we sit at the feet of the One who knows everything and can do the impossible? Isn’t that the right place to learn?

Easy answer. Be a student of the right teacher.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.