Tag: Teach

Hope in weakness

“Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge”

“For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Psalms 31:1   In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!  For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

Romans 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Isaiah 49:23  Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”

Proverbs 22:17  Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

2 Samuel 22:3  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

Psalms 71:3  Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Jeremiah 14:7   “Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.

2 Corinthians 12:9  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2Timothy 2:24  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,  and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

At the time we are asking God to be our refuge, fortress, strength, power, rock, savior, shield, and come speedily to our rescue we also have to know too that His power is made perfect in our weakness.  It is in this weakness we find hope.  This hope comes to us as we finally get to a place where we have exhausted all of our own efforts to see that what we are facing is much bigger and complex than we can have influence on.  I recently heard a person say “I finally turned it over to God, and when I did I had this peace come over me.  I am fine with whatever comes”.  Why is it we are slow to bringing it to God and quick to try to keep it in our own power?  We don’t find peace in our own power do we.  It is only when we have surrendered it fully to God do we find hope, peace and rest.

Understanding Instruction

so that the people understood the reading.

Nehemiah 8:7
And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

Leviticus 10:11
and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses

Malachi 2:7
For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 2:36
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 7:51
“You stiff- necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

Can you imagine what it was like to live in a time where the Holy Spirit did not indwell you. (this assumes you have repented of sin and trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness) There are two points that come to mind today.  We know that Jesus promised to send a helper (the Holy Spirit) to us after His resurrection.  The Holy Spirit will guide and lead us into all truth, convict of sin, and confirm in our heart where God is leading us.  In the time of Nehemiah people did not have this indwelling and required instruction to be explained so that they could understand.  This is much like our understanding of what was being preached/taught prior to being saved.  We could not understand or connect the promises of God to our everyday lives.  However upon receiving the Holy Spirit we are given this gift.  It is not all at once but a life long learning – precept upon precept, line upon line, promise upon promise, application upon life’s journey.  The second point is that the people chose and wanted Nehemiah to teach them.  Since Christ’s death and resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are given great opportunity to grow in our understanding of God, His purpose, and how to live in this world so that we can be used by Him.  It seems our lives get so caught up in everyday stuff that we lose sight of this gift.  And because we do not guard our selves and keep Him first we lose sight of our purpose.  How can the Holy Spirit speak to our heart if we spend no time in God’s word?  How can we know our true purpose if we neglect the source of our leading?  How can we grow if the only food is what we hear in a 30 minute teaching from our pastor?  The answer is we will not grow.  As Paul said “You are infants on milk when you should be eating solid food”.  It is good for us to see people of Nehemiah’s time who chose to be taught as an example – And for us to commit to spending time each day feeding on God’s word with a desire for Him to teach us.

More Than Hearers

These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you

How is God speaking to our heart?  Are we listening for His guidance and leading?  Are we willing to follow what He is telling us?  Do we search His word and feed our soul with it so that we honor and glorify Him?  We must be more than hearers of His word.  We must desire to be lead by Him for His purpose not ours.  Daily put into practice what you hear through His word.  Be more than hearers only – be disciples and servants of Him.

Matthew 23:3
For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others

Romans 2:21
you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself

Psalms 50:17
For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you

Nehemiah 9:26
“Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you