: this post is a part of the 3.31 IMPACT series ::

If you would like to be encouraged further in living a live a life of impact, grab a copy of Impact My Life: Biblical Mentoring Simplified.

Focus

Psalm 119:9 MSG
How can a young person live a clean life?
  By carefully reading the map of your Word.
  I’m single-minded in pursuit of you;
 don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart
 so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God;
 train me in your ways of wise living. 
I’ll transfer to my lips
 all the counsel that comes from your mouth; 
I delight far more in what you tell me about living
  than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
 I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
I relish everything you’ve told me of life,
 I won’t forget a word of it.

Decision

Do you like it when someone tells you how to solve a problem? Or do you resist instruction and find yourself annoyed at being advised?

When you think about your future, would you like a wisdom to guide you or do you think your emotions will get you through?

Our God-given personality plays a big role in how we approach learning, growing, and developing as an individual. Some of us more naturally receive the wisdom offered in the Bible and through the counsel of godly men and women. Others, like me, prefer to learn the hard way — through personal study and all too often, by trial, error, and unfortunately, disaster.  I’ve learned, however, that while the motivation to study the Word for myself and learn from life lessons is a good, my resistance to godly teaching leads to my downfall.

Being teachable is a mindset. It often requires laying down our pride to listen to those around us — not just pretending to hear what they are saying while secretly wishing they would shush up.

Being teachable doesn’t mean adapting to everyone’s opinion or perspective. It means listening and weighing what others have to say according to the Word of God.

Being teachable also requires an investment of time, sacrificing a bit each day to read the Word, which is steeped in relevant instruction for how to live life within the blessing of God’s provisions and plan.

[Tweet “The Bible is a guide book from our loving Father, pointing out the best path to take.”]

It’s not a rule book designed to stop us from having fun and pursuing exciting opportunities. On the contrary, it’s the Bible gives us the wisdom we need to find the path of peace we crave throughout our lives.

Surrender

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for not being teachable. I know I resist the input of others and prefer to go my own way. I admit, reading the Bible at times feels more like a chore rather than something I delight in. I hate walking away from reading Scripture without any understanding of the words that passed before my eyes. Please Lord, open the eyes of my heart to understand your Truth and open my mind to receive your wisdom. Help me Lord to be teachable, listening to the counsel of others but carefully weighing it against the Truth.  In Jesus’ Strong Name, Amen.

Reflection

Are you teachable?  In what area of your life do you need to receive fresh wisdom? Do you need to invest more time in reading the Word in order to gain that wisdom?