Honey From The Rock

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Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

AFFECTING ETERNITY

This entry was posted on 08-31-2009 and is filed under RESPONSIBILITY.

An instructor can affect people for all eternity. That goes for a good instructor or a bad one! Henry Adams said, "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." I have had many wonderful instructors in my 60-plus years of life and I do believe that they have affected me for eternity.

Did you know that all of us have a responsibility to teach or instruct others? Paul told the Christians in Rome, "I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another" (Rom. 15:14 NIV). Competent to instruct! That is true of every mature Christian (those who are "complete in knowledge"). Paul had confidence in them - and church leaders should have confidence in mature members to share in the teaching duties of the church. I do not believe that God intended one man to be the sole voice of instruction for the church.

And do you know what I have discovered about teaching? In my preparation for a lesson or a sermon I learn a lot too. Joseph Joubert said, "To teach is to learn twice." When we instruct others, publicaly or privately, we are learning twice. And we are "affecting eternity" - for them and for ourselves! So, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Tim. 4:16 NIV).

Prayer: Holy Father, thank You for sending someone to teach us the way of salvation. Fill us with a holy desire to affect others for eternity by teaching and instructing them in Your ways. Through Christ we pray.