WISE TEACHING

WISE TEACHING
March 7, 2018

Prayer: Oh Lord, we need Your wisdom today. We thank You and praise You for Your promise to give when we ask.

Scripture: Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 NAS

As I read this verse, I got tickled trying to imagine all of us teaching and admonishing one another with hymns. I doubt any teacher has ever called a student to their desk singing “Would you be free from the burden of sin.” Nor a student who replied by singing, “Just as I am.”

Have you ever started the day with, “Tune your hearts that all may hear” or “Trials dark on every hand?” My daughter got herself in trouble one night and was sent to her room. When we came upstairs to discipline her she was actually playing, “Amazing Grace” on her keyboard.

Please do not misunderstand my funny thoughts for disrespect. I want you to understand the importance of using the wisdom of God’s Word when teaching, giving encouragement, discipline, and especially advice. Our thoughts and ideas are useless unless founded on the Word of God. As a matter of fact, our advice can be downright dangerous if not based on God’s Word.

A friend of mine was sharing with me and another friend a frustration about a situation with her husband. Her other friend piped in with, “What you need to do is throw him out for a while and tell him to get it right or get out!” WHOA! Not only was her advice not Scriptural, it could have cost my friend her marriage and turned that family’s world upside-down. Fortunately, I was able to speak God’s words into the conversation and squelch the ungodly advice.

We all want to speak and teach with wisdom; so how do we use the word of Christ in all teaching and admonishing? The first part of this verse is key – it must richly dwell within you.

The original Greek words for “richly dwell” were plousioß – abundantly and enoikeo – to dwell in (inhabit) and influence for the good. The only way anything can abundantly reside or inhabit you is for you to seek it out and spend time learning it. Just like our students at test time, we cannot hope that the right answers magically come to us if we haven’t studied the material.

My Dad was very proud of a set of Encyclopedias he bought for my brother and me. In any situation where we did not know the answer or needed help understanding a subject, he would always say, “Look it up.” The same advice applies to us today but with the Bible not World Book. Need wisdom? Look it up!