A good teacher

 You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. John 13:13

Recently I had been thinking about the teachers who poured into and had great impact on my life. Just think for a second that a portion of our success, and abilities in life are are result of  someone who was dedicated to teaching us to read, write, add and subtract. and was dedicated to it out of their passion to educate. Which leads me to this question. What would life be like if we hadn’t learned those things? I am so grateful for everyone who helped make me who I am today.”   

When I think about my many teachers, one stands out. Her name was Mrs. Graham. I  remember that she was kind and would not let me settle for anything but my best, and I will never forget how she forced me to do presentations before my peers to get me out of my shyness (which has blessed me since considering it is how to be a Pastor and shy).  I also remember she loved me and my classmates, as it showed in how she taught and pushed us beyond what we saw in ourselves. 

Just like I think of the impact of Mrs. Graham on my life as a teacher, I also think of another teacher of mine in Jesus. 

Matthew 4:23 shows how He teaches with power. 

Matthew 7:28 reveals how He teaches with authority. 

But in everything, Jesus always teaches with love. 

Of himself, Christ says in Matthew 11:29, “I am gentle and humble in heart.” This is His heart: gentle and humble. It’s who He is. So, even when Christ teaches with authority and power, He never stops being loving. Even when we sin and we need to be corrected, His love never fails. His loving heart motivates Him to show us the way and teach us how to navigate life’s problems, pitfalls, and even sin.   

One afternoon, I was thinking about a sin I had struggled with. In a quick moment, the Lord showed me a picture in my mind’s eye of three circles. One circle represented me. One circle represented my sin, and one circle represented Christ. He showed me by moving these circles around that I believed that when I am doing well and not being disobedient, that Christ is standing right next to me. Then, He showed me how I believed that when I sin, that He moves away from me and a black circle of sin is in-between the two of us. “This is not how it is,” He said. “I never move away from you. In fact, I am working to stand between you and your sin to deliver you.” 

He teaches with power. 

He teaches with authority. 

But He always teaches with love. Just like Mrs. Graham did. He is gentle and humble in heart. 

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).