Because You ARE a Teacher – Be a Better Student!

“Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.”

II Timothy 2:15 Amplified

Maybe you’ve read this verse before and dismissed it by thinking to yourself, “Well, I’m not a teacher so it really doesn’t apply to me. After all, doesn’t James 3:1 say: Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

To that I would answer, yes James 3:1 certainly does say that.

But in context it speaks of those who teach from the office of a teacher.

The reality is that all of us, in one way or another, are teachers.

Are you a parent? Then you are a teacher?

Are you an sibling? (particularly an older sibling) Then you are a teacher.

Do you have charge over anyone where you work? Then you are a teacher. Does anyone who does not know the Lord know that you do? Then you are a teacher.

Every action, every word, every behavior of ours teaches others.

In most of these cases it goes beyond that of simply being a role model.

You are teaching others.

Even if you refused to acknowledge that you are a teacher it does not excuse you from being a student of the Word of God and rightly dividing it.

I know you will recall the words in Acts 17:11 “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

The Bereans were not examining the scriptures because they were suspicious that Paul was a heretic.

Rather, they wanted to confirm for themselves the truth of what he taught.

When was the last time you opened your Bible and studied a topic that you had questions about?

When was the last time you looked into the Word for answers before you went to someone else?

When was the last time you took home the outline from Sunday morning and dug deeper in the scriptures?

When was the last time your spirit had something to eat that you prepared? That is one very important way that we grow.

The parent can hold the babies arms but the baby must take the step.

That is how we move from being an infant to becoming a mature believer. Step-by-step!