Teacher

As Christians we have all heard Matthew 11 verse 28 quoted. “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” We hear it in sermons, we read it in blogs, we see it printed on journals, we hear friends use it as encouragement when we are going through tough times. It’s beautiful. The idea that we can “take rest” in Christ amidst the chaos and pain of life, is a powerful notion. However, I think there’s something just as important that God wants us to hear, and Jesus says it in the very next verse. Verse 29 says, “Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” So often we quote verse 28 while neglecting to meditate on the truth that Jesus drops in verse 29. “Let ME teach you.” What a powerful command!

We live in a day and age where there’s so many things we can learn from. If you are a part of the Christian community, then you already know of all the incredible authors and preachers there are out there. One of my personal inspirations is Lisa Bevere. We all have pastors, friends, and mentors as well that pour into us and teach us through the wisdom that God has blessed them with. While I do believe that God is and will continue using these people as ways to teach and guide us through personal and spiritual growth, I believe that God is also desiring us to sit in His presence and allow HIM to teach us. When God is the source of knowledge and wisdom in which people are teaching and preaching, this is good! But even better is when we can learn and grow on our own directly from the source Himself.

God is calling us to go to Him with our burdens in verse 28, but it is in verse 29 that He is telling us HOW to do that. He’s saying don’t just come; learn. We can read all the books, study all the things, hear a million amazing sermons; but if we don’t allow God Himself to penetrate our souls with the teaching of His word and HIS whispers in our hearts, then we will never truly find rest.

What if among all the noise and all the conflicting opinions and messages that we hear, at some point we allowed GOD to teach us? What if TODAY you put down that self help or theological book just for a moment, stopped watching a dozen Sunday sermons on zoom, closed your eyes and said, “Lord. I’m here. YOU teach me.”

What if.