1 We All Teach
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:7
I like to have a verse to use as a theme for the daily devotions and as I was praying about which direction God would lead me, He seemed to put several verses in my head and heart about things we should learn and teach. While we may feel like we can't get up and teach a class, we are all teachers. Our peers, family, and friends learn from our words, actions, and reactions to things around us. This verse in Deuteronomy tells us to diligently teach our children when we sit in our house, as we go about our daily walk, when we go to bed and when we get up. Our children learn from God's Word in church, but it is our responsibility to teach them throughout the day, every day, about the things of God. Let's look at some of the principles in the Bible that we should be learning and teaching.
2 Love The Lord Thy God
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:4-7
We looked at verse 7 on the Home page as our theme, but I thought it would be good to look at the previous verses to see what God was commanding the children of Israel to teach their children. These verses are so important they are mentioned by Jesus in the New Testament. "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-31) This is the most important thing for us to learn and teach. We serve the one and only, true and living God and we are to love Him with all our being. When we put God first in our lives, everything else will fall in place.
3 Salvation
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
This may be the most well-known verse in the Bible. We should learn and teach this verse, but it is not enough to simply memorize the verse. We must believe this in our heart and accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. Here are simple steps to salvation following the Romans Road.
A -- Admit that you are a sinner. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
B -- Believe in your heart. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9)
C -- Confess with your mouth. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 10:10-11)
We are looking at things we should learn and teach. Salvation is the most important thing we need to know. Accept Christ as your Lord and Savior and don't be ashamed to tell others about Jesus.
4 To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required
“And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:47-48
When I was only 8 years old I learned that, "To whom much is given, much is required." I was in the third grade and our spelling books had challenge words with each chapter. I went home from school and complained to my mom that I had to do extra work. Some of the kids in my classroom did not have to do the challenge words. My mom taught me this lesson then, and I have always remembered, "To whom much is given, much is required." She explained that God had given me more knowledge than some, and because I was capable of doing the harder work, I would have to work more. Even though I was very young, I have never forgotten that lesson, and I tried to teach it to my children as they were growing up. Now, this can apply to more than school work. If God has blessed you more financially, then you should give more to the Lord's work and to those less fortunate than yourself. When John the Baptist preached repentance he said, "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." (Luke 3:12) Another verse which further expounds the words of our Lord above is James 4:17. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Once you know right from wrong, you are responsible to do what is right. You have been given the truth that Jesus came to save you from your sin, and you will be required to one day give an account of what you did with that knowledge.
5 Have You Learned To Be Content?
“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:9-11
Are you content with the blessings God has given you? Paul was thanking the church at Philippi for helping to supply his need, but he wanted to tell them that he had learned to be content. We can also read what Paul told Timothy, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." (I Timothy 6:6-11) It would seem logical that the rich with this world's possessions would be the most content. But I think the opposite is often true. Those who have more, seem to want more and more and are never satisfied. We should learn to be content with the blessings God has given us and share what we have with others just as the Philippian believers shared with Paul.
6 Learn The Scriptures
“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” II Timothy 3:14-15
Paul doesn't tell us in these verses who taught Timothy the holy scriptures as a child, but he does talk of the faith of Timothy's mother and grandmother in the first chapter of this book. "Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." (II Timothy 1:4-5) We should read and study God's Word and learn verses which can help us. Psalm 119:11 tells us, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." God can speak to us in the time of temptation through the Holy Ghost and His Word. God's Word can also be a guide. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105) God's Word can also be a comfort. Once when I had to go into surgery I repeated the 23rd Psalm over and over in my mind and this brought peace to my soul. You may have learned some memory verses as a child, just like Timothy. As you read your Bible, make a list of the verses which might be a special help to you and work to remember them.
7 Teach Us To Pray
“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” Luke 11:1-4
I don't see anywhere in the Bible where the disciples said, "Lord, teach us to heal people and open blinded eyes." After Peter got back in the boat I don't see where he asked, "Lord, teach me to walk on the water." They didn't ask God to teach them to multiply the fishes or turn water into wine. But they did ask Jesus to teach them to pray. How awesome and inspirational it must have been to hear Jesus pray. As He taught them to pray He began by showing the necessity of a personal relationship with God. He acknowledges that God is His Father and we too, must be born again and become a child of God. Next we learn that our heavenly Father is holy, and we are to pray for His kingdom and His will. Then we see that we are to ask God for our needs day by day. We are not told to pray that we will win the lottery. We also are to ask for God to forgive us for our sins, and we are to forgive those who sin against us. Last of all, we are to pray that God will guide us and deliver us from evil. Before you go to bed tonight, take time to pray, and talk to your heavenly Father.
8 Study
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly deviding the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15
We have been looking at verses which tell us things that we should learn and teach. In elementary school, if you wanted to make 100 on your spelling test, the best way to do that was to study. If you are preparing to be in a Christmas play and have lines that you will recite, you will need to study to learn your lines. In our verse above, Paul tells Timothy to study the Word of truth. It is also important to practice what we study. You may have a complete set of wonderful cook books. You may study the recipes and buy all the ingredients. But you can't really learn to cook until you practice cooking. As we read the Word of God, we need to put His Word to practice in our lives. We can read in Galatians 5:22 & 23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." As we read and study verses like these we need to follow through and show love to others, and be longsuffering, gentle and good. Just as we are reminded in James 1:22-25, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." It is great to read the Word of God. But we need to study and practice so that we won't be a "forgetful hearer'.
9 Teach With Love And Compassion
“And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they and no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:30-34
The apostles had been sent in different directions to teach the people, and now they had returned to Jesus. They had all been busy in the Lord's work and He was leading them to a desert place to rest. But when the people saw which direction the ship was headed, they ran around the lake on foot and met them on the other shore. Jesus and the disciples were weary and tired, but Jesus saw the multitudes and had compassion on them. (This is the beginning of the story of how Jesus fed the five thousand men, plus women and children.) Why did Jesus take time to teach and feed this multitude when He had gone away to rest a while? He had compassion. Jude 22 tells us, "And of some have compassion, making a difference:" I had some teachers in school who had the knowledge to teach, but they lacked compassion for the students. I still learned the book work, sitting in their classrooms. But the ones who had a greater impact on my life, who taught me more than just book learning, were those who had a love and compassion for the students. Paul told the Corinthian believers, "Thought I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." (I Corinthians 13:1-2) If we don't have love and compassion toward those we teach, we are nothing.
10 Be Still And Know God
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalms 46:10
I really like this verse, "Be still, and know that I am God..." We have often heard parents tell children, "Be still." As children of God, He is telling us, "Be still." It is really hard to listen if you have a lot of other noise around you. If your phone rings while you are at an exciting ball game, you won't be able to hear the other person very well over the noise of the crowd. If you are using the vacuum and someone rings your door bell, you may not hear it. We have so much noise in our lives every minute of the day that many of us never have a quiet moment to hear God. We pray our quick prayers before we eat, and when we go to bed, but we don't take time to hear God speak to us. Find a quiet time to listen to what God is trying to tell you. Go to a quiet room and read your Bible without the television or radio in the background. Read your Bible just before you go to bed and meditate on His Word until you fall asleep. I like to meditate in the car. Many times God gives me my devotional thought for the day as I am riding to work in the morning. The first verse of this chapter says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." It is wonderful that we serve a powerful, holy, Almighty God. Don't wait until your day of trouble to call on Him. Take time to get to know Him today, and every day.
11 Wisdom
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." James 1:5-6
I was 20 years old when my first child was born. I had not had any experience around babies and I didn't know anything about raising children. I read books about childcare and went to the parenthood classes at the hospital. But most of all, I prayed. I prayed a lot. There are many things that you can't learn in a book. As a parent, you learn by experience what is meant by each cry. You learn that sometimes he cries and you can't find a reason. You learn by experience what foods he doesn't like as he spits out spoonfuls of mashed green peas. You experience great joy as he takes his first steps and begins to sleep through the night. You can't find this wisdom in a book. But you can pray for wisdom. King Solomon prayed for wisdom to rule God's people, and God granted his request. He was the wisest man that ever lived. Pray for wisdom and guidance in your life. Pray that God will give you direction and lead you in the right paths. Pray that He will give you wisdom to teach those who are following in your footsteps.
12 Be Kind
"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32
When my children were young, I constantly prayed for wisdom. Now I pray that God will give me a kind and understanding heart. I pray daily that God will remind me of this verse and help me be kind to those around me. When I hear someone make rude comments about another person and I am tempted to agree, God reminds me of this verse. You can't be kind to others by talking bad about them. When I am walking with another person, kindness nudges me to hold the door for her. What a difference it can make to those around you when you show kindness to them. Several years ago I was listening to the song which begins, "And so this is Christmas, what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun..." God used this song to ask me, "What have you done?" As I looked over the past year in my life, I could not think of many things that I had done for others. At that moment I decided to do something nice for at least one person every day. I still have a long way to go. I still make mistakes and sometimes say things I shouldn't say. But each morning as I get up I pray that God will teach me kindness, so that I can be a blessing to those around me.
13 Teach Us What To Say
“And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Exodus 4:10-12
Many of us have a problem with our speech, but it is not that we are slow to speak. Most of us just blurt out the first thing that comes to our mind. I know that many times I say the wrong thing, and often wish that I could draw my words back in, but once I have said it, it's out there. I understand the hesitancy of Moses here. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the children of Israel go. These people were slaves and built the beautiful cities of Egypt. Why would Pharaoh listen to Moses? But God told Moses, "Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." We need to pray that God will teach us what to say. Just as often as I say the wrong thing, I neglect to say the right thing. Many times I pray that God will let me be a witness to others, but I just can't find the right words to say. I need to pray that God will teach me what to say and give me boldness to witness for Him.
14 Teach Me Thy Way
“Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.” Psalm 86:11
Psalm 27:11 also says, "Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies." When I turned 16 and got my driver's license I really didn't want to go anywhere by myself, because I was afraid I would not know the way. My family didn't go many different places and I was fearful of getting lost in unfamiliar places. Now, my sons pull up MapQuest or one of the other online map programs and print out a map of directions to guide them. The Bible is like a map to guide us in the right way. We need to pray like the Psalmist, "Teach me thy way, O LORD..." First we have to know the way to heaven. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:1-6) Jesus is the way. We must believe on Him and receive His free gift of salvation to enter into His kingdom. Next, we need to know the way to walk as we journey through this world. I John 1:7 tells us, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Are you walking in the right way? Are you walking in the Light?
15 Teach Me Good Judgment
“Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.” Psalm 119:66
We know the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20. We know that we should not worship idols. We know that we are commanded to honour our father and mother. Everyone knows, "Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal." But sometimes we are faced with decisions that are not found in Exodus or Leviticus. How can we know what to do in those situations? We need to pray for God's guidance. In this verse the Psalmist prays for good judgment and knowledge. This would be a good prayer for all of us. You may be asked to compromise your beliefs in school or on the job. What will you do? Pray that God will give you good judgment and knowledge. Since my sons have gone off to college I try to pray often that God will give them good judgment. We have been talking about things to learn and teach, but there are some things in life that we can't teach. Soul searching situations will arise in our lives. Pray that God will teach you good judgment and knowledge.
16 The Lesson At The Potter's House
“The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter: saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:1-6
God wanted Jeremiah to give a message to the children of Israel and He sent him to the potter's house. God used a simple object lesson to teach His people. Our learning begins with simple object lessons when we are very young. We saw a bottle. We tasted the milk and our mother said, "Bottle". We soon learned what was meant by the word, "Bottle". We learned to count and add using blocks. Some lessons are hard to learn. We know that if we stay out in the sun too long we will get sunburned. Yet, how many times do we go on vacation and enjoy the sunlight too long, only to find ourselves in misery the next day? The children of Israel had a hard time learning to obey God. Over and over God let them go into captivity and over and over He sent a deliverer. If you feel like you are held captive by your circumstances, look up to God. Look to see if God is using things around you to teach you a lesson. Isaiah said, "But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." (Isaiah 64:8) Let God make you into a vessel of honor. "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." (II Timothy 2:20-21)
17 The Good Shepherd
"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:11-15
Just as God used the analogy of the potter and the clay to speak to the children of Israel, Jesus tells us that He is the Good Shepherd. Jesus taught the people with simple illustrations. In verse 9 of this same chapter Jesus said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Nothing could be more simple. As we look at things to learn and teach, we need to make sure we are teaching on the level that our student can learn. A kindergarten teacher would use one method to teach the students how to count to 50, while a high school calculus teacher would use other means to teach students math. The teacher needs to use the level of teaching that is most effective for those learning. I have heard some preachers who seem to want to impress the congregation with their big vocabulary. What good does it do to use big words that the people can't understand? Jesus wanted to show that salvation is offered to all people and He wanted all to understand. We are the sheep, and Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He gave His life that we might live. We just have to believe and trust in Him. It's that simple.
18 Teach Me Lord To Wait
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
We used to sing a song with this verse. "Teach me Lord to wait, down on my knees, 'Til in thy tender Spirit you answer my pleas; Teach me not to rely on what others do, but to wait in prayer for an answer from You." The chorus was the verse in Isaiah above. I think waiting is hard. We pray for God to heal someone and we don't really want to wait, but we want him to be healed now. We pray for God to supply a need and we want to get it today. When we pray for saving grace, God answers immediately and we are saved instantly. God does not promise to answer all our prayers that quickly. Sometimes God says, "Yes" and sometimes God says, "No". There are many more times when God says, "Wait". Pray for guidance and wait on the Lord. Many times we pray that God will lead us, but we run ahead of God and don't wait on His answer. "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)
19 Teach Us To Number Our Days
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12
Today is November 1st. It is hard to believe that another winter is fast approaching. The days are getting colder and shorter. I have already heard some counting down the number of days until Christmas. When we played tag as children, "It" would always say, "Ready or not, here I come." In the same way, Christmas will be here soon, whether we are "ready or not". And with the passing of the Christmas season, comes the passing of another year. We read in the verses above, "...we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." (Psalm 90:9-10) Our lives on earth are short compared to eternity. "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (Psalm 90:4) Our days are numbered. One day we will all be called out to meet our Maker. Are you ready? Have you accepted the Lord as your personal Lord and Savior and trust in Him for eternal life? Do you make each day count? Be wise. Don't live recklessly like there is no tomorrow, but live each day to the fullest and give Him your all. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)
20 Learn By Example
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” I Corinthians 10:11
We have been given many stories in the Bible as examples. One way to learn and study the Bible is to ask yourself what God is trying to show you by the story. We can look at the story of Jonah and know that we can't hide from God. In the book of Judges we see God's judgment and deliverance. In the New Testament we see rejoicing when the lost sheep has been found, just as the angels rejoice when a sinner accepts God's gift of salvation. We learn by example. We also teach by example. You have probably heard the old saying, "Actions speak louder than words." What we do and how we act says a lot more about us than what we say. We can, and should, be a witness for our Lord. But our words won't mean anything if we don't live a Christian life. Be a good example and let your light shine, so that others will follow.
21 Learn While You Are Young
“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;” Ecclesiastes 12:1
The older I get, the harder it is for me to learn something new. I may think that I understand what I am doing, but I may forget by tomorrow. Yesterday I was working in a computer program, and because I had been out of it for an hour or so, I had to use my password to get back in. I don't know if I typed it in incorrectly, or just forgot what my current password was, but I could not get back into the program. I had to email someone for a new password because it locked me out after several tries. Some days I just can't remember things. I think Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes after he was older as he looked back on his life. He tells the reader, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth..." This chapter is such a poetic picture of growing old. Vs. 2, "While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened..." Lights get dim in our old age as we begin to lose our sight. Vs. 3, "In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble," (our knees get weak) "and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few..." (our teeth fall out.) Vs. 4, "...the sound of the grinding is low," (our hearing fails) and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird..." (our voice gets higher). Vs. 5 "Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish," (our hair turns gray) "and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail..." Learn the scriptures while you are young. Serve the Lord while your body is able to give Him your all. The last verses of Ecclesiastes tell us plainly, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Verses 13 & 14)
22 Teachers Of Good Things
“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.” Titus 2:1-8
We talked about how we are to remember the Lord God and learn while we are young. What if we are already growing older? Here in the little book of Titus "the aged" are given instructions. We are to live a good life, above reproach and "be teachers of good things". I have thought of this verse often as I was bringing up my children. I tried to teach them how to help out around the house. It is good for boys, as well as girls, to learn how to wash clothes and be able to cook a meal. But our teaching goes far beyond the functions of daily living. We are to be examples of Godly living. We are to be a "pattern of good works". Look at your life. Are you a "teacher of good things"?
