God Is Wise, So I Am Teachable

Excerpt taken from I Am Transformed: 40 Days to Unleash the Power of Your God-Given Identity by Sons & Daughters

 

REST

Take a moment to focus your thoughts on God. There is no rush, no hurry, no better place to be.

Mentally release into God’s hands anything negative or painful that you are feeling. Cast your cares on him, for he cares for you.

Then tell yourself, I am safe and loved. I am holy and whole. I am wise and teachable.

READ

You Might Be Wrong One of the best things about social media is that it gives everyone a platform to express their opinion about anything and everything. Right? It’s awesome.

Except when it’s not.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but sometimes those opinions can get a little . . . intense. We’ve all seen more than a few narrow-minded posts, spiteful comments, and ignorant replies. They get our blood boiling and our brains spinning. How can someone possibly think that?

Responding is useless. We know that. But the temptation is too much to resist sometimes. After all, what if our carefully crafted, semi-sarcastic response is exactly what that person needs to finally understand the point they seem to be missing?

So, we compose our thoughts, type our comeback, and hit Send. It doesn’t help, of course. But at least we feel a bit better after blowing off steam. Until they reply, anyway. Then the crazy cycle continues.

We all have opinions, and that’s a beautiful thing. It really is.

Even when those opinions clash and even when they are not expressed with wisdom or tact, at least we have the capacity to reason, to debate, and to grow. And that’s a gift from God. He wants us to learn, and he often uses other fallible human beings to challenge or adjust our assumptions.

The problem arises when we forget that our opinion is simply that: it’s ours, and it’s an opinion. Ours means it’s personal. It’s a belief we stand by and a mindset we hold to. Other people can and should have their own opinions, and we need to respect each other enough to walk in love even when we strongly disagree.

Opinion means it’s not fact. This is hard to accept because we all want to be certain about what we believe. We assume that if we study, reason, and learn enough about a particular topic, we will arrive at the truth. Then we will never have to study or reason or learn again.

Let’s be honest though. We are finite, fallible, fickle human beings. We don’t know everything, because we’re not God. Even the truths we think we know must be held with an open hand because we might be wrong.

That shouldn’t discourage us—but it should humble us. Even more than that, it should point us to the One who does have absolute truth.

God doesn’t deal in opinions, guesses, estimates, or assumptions. He never has to change his mind or backtrack on his statements, because he’s never wrong. He is the ultimate source of knowledge and understanding.

God doesn’t keep his wisdom to himself though. He shares it with us. James wrote, “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” (1:5). And even Solomon said, “The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Prov. 2:6).

That doesn’t necessarily mean God will give you the perfect comeback for that online debate, but it does mean he will help you live wisely and well. If you are willing to learn, he will show you how to make good decisions, how to handle your money, how to love people better, how to find inner peace, how to establish good habits, and more.

That wisdom rarely comes in the form of an audible voice from heaven. God typically uses less dramatic channels of communication to shape us, including—as we noted above—humans with opinions that don’t line up with ours. He also uses the Bible, which is the best and most objective source of his wisdom. And along with that, God’s Spirit (the spirit of wisdom) guides us into all truth as we collect experiences, counsel, logic, common sense, and more. God is committed to our growth, and he uses whatever means necessary to speak to our hearts and minds if we take the time to listen.

So, what is your role in this process? First, be teachable. That means holding your opinions with an open hand, allowing God to lead you, and being willing to change your mind. Second, seek wisdom. This is your responsibility, not God’s. Personal growth requires hard work and a good dose of humility. You’ll get out of the growth process what you are willing to put into it. Third, respond quickly. It’s not enough to just know what’s right—you also need to put your understanding into practice by making real changes. And finally, keep growing. Learning comes in stages. Just because you learned something today doesn’t mean you won’t need to learn it again tomorrow.

How about you? Where do you need God’s wisdom today? Choose to be open, teachable, and humble. Then get ready. Answers will come. For further thought, read Proverbs 4:1–9 and James 3:13–18.

REFLECT

1. How would you define wisdom?
2. Is it easy or hard for you to change your mind? Why is that?
3. If you could learn about any topic or grow in any area, what would it be? Why?

respond

Think about God’s vast wisdom and imagine yourself as a continual learner, receiving from him. What does it mean to you that God knows everything? That you are always growing? That God’s truth brings so much life and freedom? Use the space provided to describe or illustrate these truths in whatever creative way feels best to you.

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Taken from I Am Transformed: 40 Days to Unleash the Power of Your God-Given Identity by Sons & Daughters. Copyright ©2022 by Sons & Daughters. Used by permission of Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

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