Focal passage: Proverbs 15:33-16:11
In my short years as a pastor, I have quickly realized just how precious it is to have a teachable heart. Sure, it would be nice to always instinctively know the right thing to say or do in any situation, but being humble enough to listen and learn is far more precious. All of us are Jesus’ sheep, sitting under His teaching, and all of us have much learning to do.
Some of my greatest joys as a pastor have involved difficult conversations with members where I have just been in awe of God’s mercy by encountering a meek and teachable spirit in a brother or sister. Some of my greatest moments of spiritual growth have come through laying aside my pride and learning what the Holy Spirit was teaching me.
In Proverbs, we’re reminded that being teachable is central to our worship of God. We are in no position to command or demand anything. Fearing the Lord inevitably results in a humble, teachable posture. Who are we to have proud hearts before the Holy God?
In humbling ourselves and recognizing our lowly posture as those who need wisdom from the only wise one, we please God. He is the giver of all good things, and He delights in doing good to those in whom He finds pleasure. Yet it is not in the proud and powerful that He delights. It is in those who recognize their dependence on Him. Those who recognize God’s grandeur and sovereignty walk in wisdom, knowing that “the Lord has prepared everything for His purpose.”