[Note: As part of our devotion/Bible discussion time at beginning of our council meeting tonight, I shared a brief review of Tuesday’s message as well as some additional thoughts on teachability.]
Psalm 51 reveals the teachable heart of David. It’s the psalm he writes about his repentance following his sins involving Bathsheba and Uriah. In it, David prays, "But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being" (51.6). God wants us to have teachable hearts!
Here are some assumptions I make for myself. What about you? Are they true for you as well?
- I don’t know it all.
- The more I learn, the more I discover how much I don’t know.
- We all makes mistakes. Mistakes are a vital part of the learning process.
- Discipleship requires teachability; teachability requires hunger, passion, patience, perseverance!
Are there assumptions or truths that you would add to this list?
In his book, Visioneering, Andy Stanley says there are two questions he wants everyone to be able to answer.
- What are we doing?
- How do I fit in?
Those are great questions. My goal is for everyone in our congregation to be able to answer those two questions. But only teachable people will be able to. Only teachable people will be able to hear, discern, and embrace God’s vision and then to discover their own unique God-given role in the big picture vision God has given us.
Jesus says, "Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise …" Are you teachable? If so, you are "like a person who builds a house on solid rock." But those who hear and ignore Jesus’ teaching are not teachable. Bad news: they are like people who build houses on sand. (See Matthew 7.24-27)
Having a teachable heart begins with a heart that is in right relationship with God. I love what David prays in Psalm 51. I think it should be our prayer, too. It’s a prayer that only teachable hearts can pray …
"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me." (51.10)