A good deal of the things we know and do, we know because we heard about it from someone with whom we are acquainted and interact with; our family, friends, coworkers, classmates, etc. Think of all the bands, movies, TV shows, trends, fashions, fads, deals, events, shops, hangouts, churches, clubs, groups, sayings, etc. etc. that You find out about this way. It's immense! Indeed, it seems to me that the good majority of the things we care about we've learned this way.
Why is it, then, that this pattern that seems so normal in most other areas of life has a tendency to stop when it comes to the topic of what the Lord is teaching us? It would seem all the more important in an area as vital as this and that is the reason i believe the enemy does all which he can to stop us from it. Could it be that we've not learned what we've been taught well enough to have confidence in it, or that (Heaven forbid, but do consider it) we're not learning anything?
If our reason be the first, we ought to dig into the lessons He's currently teaching us (as well as the one's He taught us in the past) until we've truly learned it and can fruitfully multiply it to others. Otherwise, we're in danger of being judged as the servant in the parable of the talents who, after being entrusted with something, "went off, dug a hole... and hid [it]." -Matthew 25:18. He accepted what was given him but did nothing with it. If this servant was judged "wicked and lazy"(v26), how shall we likewise be judged when we do similarly?
We must be very sober if our reason be of the second sort, for if we're not growing closer to and learning more about our God, we're growing colder to Him. There is a general tendency for the things which we neglect to fall out of order and into a worse and worse state of disrepair the longer we ignore them; if we stop working out and eating right, our body becomes less healthy and strong; if we don't tend to our garden often enough, it grows wild and not at all like we want it. It is ever more important then that we tend to and grow in our relationship and understanding of Jesus and the life He has put us in. Or do we take it lightly when He tells us in John 15:2 that "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit"?
Neither option is available to us if we wish to count ourselves true Christians and followers of Christ. Let us take seriously the lessons that God is teaching us. Let's get excited about them, dig into them, and talk about them. As we do, we'll learn better, learn faster, and learn more than we can now guess at.
So. What are You learning?
