“…when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.” Proverbs 21:11
I was studying some Bible passages recently that say, “teach me”. There’s several of them in the Psalms, such as “Teach me thy way” (Psalm 25:4), “Teach me thy statutes”(Psalm 119:12), “Teach me to do thy will” (Psalm 143:10), and there’s other “teach me’s” in the Scripture. It struck me as I was studying through those that in order to do all those things, I have to be “teachable” to begin with or I’m not going to learn how to do those things.
Having a teachable spirit is such a good trait to have. It means we are able to receive instruction. Proverbs 21:11 says,
“When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.”
When we learn something new or even are reminded of something we already know, it makes us more knowledgeable. It helps us live more wisely. I doubt if any of us have a teachable spirit all of the time, and I was thinking about some of the things that hinder us from being teachable.
- We think we know it all.
Thinking we know it all can really hinder our learning. When we are in that mode, we don’t allow anything to soak in. It’s like we have this coating on us that blocks out everything we should be absorbing.We can never learn enough about Christ or know our Bible as good as we need to in order to serve the Lord the way we should. How can we ever know it all when it comes to Christ?“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33
- We don’t listen closely.
Do you ever do that? Half listen? I know I do sometimes. If we are not careful, we may just miss some very important points that we’ll need down the road.When dealing with the Christian life, we have to listen closely to the Lord too.“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” John 10:27
- We are too busy talking ourselves.
When we are rattling on ourselves, we miss out on some learning experiences. Sometimes we have to just stop and listen.“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Psalms 141:3