JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"We Are All Teachers and Leaders"

Proverb 9:9, 10  "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.  'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.'"

Ephesians 4:11, 12  "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

2 Peter 2:1  "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction."

2 Timothy 4:3-5  "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

Hebrews 5:12-14  "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

James 3:1  "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."

Insight: Every person will teach in some capacity.  We all need to be the best teachers we can be.  Teaching someone is also leading them because teaching is leading someone into truth.  Prepare yourself to teach and if you prove yourself faithful with one person or two people, God may entrust more to you.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and make us like You.  Thank you for wanting us to teach and lead.  Help us imperfect vessels do your perfect work.  Thank you for the roles that we have.  Increase our godliness and character.  Increase our abilities and gifts, so we can use them for You, your kingdom, and your glory.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

On February 7th, 1996, an important announcement was made by physicists this week. They found evidence that the smallest known particle, the quark, was made up of still smaller components. This was quite upsetting to experts who thought the quarks were the ultimate building block of nature. However, further structure within quarks should be of little surprise. Just as outer space is complex and without any visible limit, so is the inner space of atoms. All of creation declares God’s great glory, extending from the immense galaxies to the smallest subatomic particles.

This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

Take your problems and your friends' problems to God.

We are all teachers.

Teaching is leading.

If you're faithful in leading one person, you'll be given the opportunity to lead many.

Talent will never replace character.

Imitating your teacher is proof that you're learning.

Teach the faithful so they can teach others.

Some people have Bible knowledge, but they don't have courage to live it.

There is a constant flow of oil to the saints of God.

Nothing can replace spending time with God.

The look on your face can expose the insecurity of your heart.

If we spend time with God, our anointing becomes obvious.

God demands our trust.

If we are bold, God will let us be bold for Him.

You have to know God's Word to live God's Word.

When God gives you some honor and glory, give it back to Him.

A holy life will result in honor.

If you aren't excited about the things of God, you probably don't know or understand them.

God wants us to influence others for eternity.

Besides relationships, what else will matter for eternity?

When you bring people to God that will glorify Him, it multiplies the glory given to God.

If you'd like to read more wise quotes, you can either visit our Quotations Archive or get a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.