Being Teachable

your brain falls out. You see it. An open mind is like that of an open mouth. It's open, it receives sustenance, it closes to digest. I'm not talking about the lack of conviction, not standing on a principal idea or understanding. What I'm saying is that if you go around thinking that your glass is full, you won't ever let anyone pour anything into it, and in doing so, you'll miss out on new knowledge, new ideas, new understandings. And this process is so important to your faith his faith.

It is in conjunction with knowledge that if you shut yourself out to that kind of teachability being available for these new ideas, you lose out Scripture is even a little more fierce when it says in Proverbs twelve to one whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. You see, you have to be willing to hear truth. You have to be willing to know that you may not have the truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth. Being open to receiving that and learning those new things puts you on the path like an explorer of finding out this information. I tell people all the time, don't follow the person who says they know everything. Follow the person who's asking all the right questions, because the truth seeker asks questions. An old Chinese proverb that says that he who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who doesn't ask

the question is a fool for a lifetime. Now I realize there are people that you may think can't teach anything. Abraham Lincoln said that he learned something from every man he met. It was usually what not to do, but he learned something. Now in life, as you stroll along on your adventure exploring and learning, there are certain things, yes, that you may put into a pouch labeled certain, but there are always new ideas, new ways to look at things,

new ways to perceive an old thing. And that comes from being open, That comes from being pliable and receptive to what's out there. There's oftentimes where I'm trying to teach you something or I want you to know something, and you refuse to receive it because you think you're better than the person trying to impart it to you. I want you to be open. I want you to get to a place where you thirst so much for

truth that it doesn't matter where you get it. You've seen people so hungry that they respect food like you never have every morsel, they clean their plate, They are so appreciative for every last bite. When you're fat, you're like, well, I don't need that last bed or or you know, I'll throw that away, or I'll give it to the dog, almost without the true appreciation for what's before you. And the same can work with knowledge. You may get to a place where you think you know so much that

you don't. You don't respect, you don't hunger for knowledge. The same way. I see professors all the time go through change. Professors who were very learned, they had consumed much knowledge, and all of a sudden something came into their life and changed their perspective. They got to see things just a little differently, and the hunger, that fire, that desire burned again. Today. I want you to be in that same place today. I want you to thirst today.

I want you to have that mindset that isn't listen to me, but I will listen to you. That place of security where you are listening, where you are wanting to receive. Being the student is the best seat to learn now. Teaching can be a great place of learning as well if you are open, if you remain like a sponge and check your vocabulary and the things you say.

Do you often ask ask people's opinion on things? And do you ask it for real or do you ask it because you think you should or because you really want to receive what they have to say? Are you the type of person that just merely offers your opinion rather than receives before someone finishes a sentence? Are you building a response being teachable?

And having that platform as a seeker, having that platform as somebody who genuinely explores life and wants to learn, that is the best place to be. That is where you will get to know God. You'll get to know God through God's creation. I want you to know me and one of the best ways to know me is to know the family. Now, I don't want you living your spirituality through someone else, because people will let you down. But you will see, and you will know, and you

will learn things from others. And getting in that mindset to love discipline, as it says Proverbs twelve to one, whoever loves discipline loves knowledge. But he who hates reproof is stupid. Are you bothered when somebody comes to you and corrects you constructively? I realize that there are those that take on the tone and the attitude and they're ugly about it, and that it's hard to receive that. I understand that. But I also want you to get to that place where you have the sense of an

old cow. You eat the hay and you leave the sticks. You can weed through these things and understand that there's a difference between someone's attitude and the truth and if what they're telling you is beneficial if you can learn from it. But how exciting has it been throughout your life those times where you've come you've had an epiphany, or you've learned something that has changed the way you

do something. For men, it's when they finally look at the instructions after trying to put something together for the past twelve hours on their own. I say that with love. Men, But you may come across some sort of moment. You may remember throughout your life a good teacher, someone who took the time with you and spoke to you on your level, and how wonderful it was to take that knowledge. And I want you to get to that place today.

I want you to remind yourself to be in that spirit every single day, being that explorer, being willing to learn new ways, not being stubborn or a pushy that everyone needs to see things your way. Oh, you'll play a part in cycle. You'll be teaching others too, but you have to be ready, willing, and able for that that reproof. It's not just ignoring reproof, it's not just being bothered by reproof. And Scripture it says you hate reproof,

you can't stand when someone corrects you. You're always in that place where you refuse to be teachable, and today I want you to be teachable. It's okay to make mistakes. Scripture says that a righteous man is not someone who doesn't fall, but someone who falls seven times and seven times gets up. It's okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them, as long as you are

open to whatever reproof, whatever teaching moment. That is the world is getting to a place where you are looking with the internet, all the technology, where you can replay somebody's statement and thought over and over and over again. The world is loving to pounce upon those thoughts rather than showing reproof, wanting to solidify those as the only thought that person's ever had, that mistakes aren't actually made.

Don't get to that place. Don't get to that place of hardening the heart towards somebody else or even with your own self. Towards others, you feel that they are not teachable, that they can't learn, that that's only who they are. And with yourself, thinking that you know everything, that you're so well learned that you don't need to consume anymore from anyone, and that becomes the hating of reproof and that's what makes you stupid. Jasmine, Welcome to

the Jesus Christ Show. Hello, Hi Jasmine, How can I help you?

So God puts a mark out there for your life, both specifically and generally, meaning that there's certain things nobody should be doing, nobody should be murdering, and things like that. But there might be some sins that are specific to you that don't necessarily pertain to others, and God puts those in front of you and says that this is the way He wants you to be, that is his will. And if you reject them, there are different types of consequences.

There are the consequences that go on the earth. You can do things that God will forgive you for, yet they'll be major consequences on earth for them as well. Even murder. You could be forgiven for murder, but it doesn't mean you wouldn't have to go to prison. And so as far as the big or small sins, all sins are kind of rated by God, not by man. Man looks at certain sins and goes, well, that's not such a big deal. He stole some bubblegum. It's you know,

it's not like it's an armed robbery or something. But to God, they are all missing the mark, and so to the God they're equal in that sense, and the penalty was paid. They're all worthy of me going to that cross and dying on that cross. That's why God did it, why God saw fit to do it that way. So all sin, no matter how small you may think it is, is against a holy and righteous, eternal God.

And so putting it. In that perspective, then everything that is done against God demands to be wholly injust and have an eternal punishment. And only by the payment on the cross. Is that eternal punishment not sidestep, but paid by God for those who believe. Yeah, so you know, there's an old saying that if you break you got to look at the ten commandments as a mirror, and if you break part of the mirror, you break all

of the mirror. The mirror is broken. And with sin, people try and see what they can get away with. And if you remember in scripture, I was always trying to tell people that it's much greater than even they think. Matthew five one through twenty eight. If you remember, I say, you have heard that it was said to those of old you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. And I go on to say, but I say to you that everyone who is angry with

his brother will be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will be liable. And goes on and on and on talking about making these you know, even thinking about the sin equal to the sin. Now, is it really no, there's different consequences. However, the point I was trying to get is the severity of sin is so deep that

it goes beyond just the physical action. It goes to the point as much as you need to control your physical actions, this goes to controlling your your emotional actions, your intellectual actions that you weren't thinking out of turn or thinking things that are horrible, because God judges all of that. And then it starts to get really weighty, doesn't it, because now you start you know everything I think and all of this. And that wasn't to scare people.

It was to put in perspective not the intensity of your sin, but the intensity of God's purity, and that God is so pure that even those things that you think is Ah who cares, are offensive to God because God is perfect and on earth, it's very easy for you guys to be standing next to each other and say, well, I'm better than this person, you know, and I'm better than this person, and you just think I'm judging myself against this guy, and I'm better than that guy. But

that's not where the line of judgment is. The line of judgment ends at the throne of God. So it's no longer well, I'm pretty good, and you know I hold a pretty good candle next to this guy. No, now you're talking about dealing with God, and there are different sins that will have different consequences on earth as

they would in heaven. But the key about heaven and the death on the cross and the shedding of my blood for as they take on your sins, was to pay for those things, because there was nothing else you could do. So many people in Scripture tried to work their way into the kingdom. And if you remember, I even said at one point, oh, you want to get to heaven, Okay, I'll tell you how to get to heaven. Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect, and

you'll get it. Now. People hear that and they think, oh, okay, good, well that's how you do it. Now I got to be perfect. It's not going to happen. The very statement I'm making there in Matthew explaining that even your thoughts you're accountable to and accountable for, was to point out that it's impossible for man to work their way into the kingdom. People to this day run around saying, oh, yeah, but I did this, or this person's surely going to heaven because X, Y, and Z, But it's not based

on any of that. It's based on the love of God bringing his only begotten son to this planet, dying on the cross, after taking on all of your sins past, present, and future, and then resurrecting and overcoming death, hell, and the grave. There's no other magic potion or magic path. That's what needs to be done, but for anyone at any time. And that message gets lost quite a bit when people start weighing sins, because really that's a an

earth bound system to weigh sins. In that sense, it works for the judicial system that they have to weigh certain things and balance them out because they're dealing with intent and you know, recklessness and if it was done maliciously and all these different things. But God knows your heart, and God knows that if you reject the will of God, if you just outright rebel against the things of God, doing whatever you want whenever you want, that that's a problem.

And it doesn't mean that you won't make a mistake or there won't be problems in life. That just comes with the territory. That is part of what this planet is about. But above all of that is that you understand that. You know the difference between right and wrong.

You do this all the time, know when you shouldn't be doing something, and you do it anyways, and you're accountable for that rebellion, just doing it because it's easier for you, it's convenient, you don't have to do the you know, X, Y and Z. It just seems like

it's going to take too long. Always cutting corners. You see these people on the street that would rather make you stop and fifteen more cars behind you so that they can make an illegal turn or maneuver of some kind, so that they're not inconvenienced to have to drive out of the way to go to a place where they can make a U turner they can make that turn or whatever it is. And you do those things in life all the time, spiritually, no matter who it effects

or who it bothers. It's just a matter of it being easier for you, and you're you'll be accountable for those things. But on earth you rate them as you know, murders the worst and all of these things. But really, in the eyes of God, as heinous as murder is that there are other things that are done that are equally as heinous. That you may not think so, and the judicial system of the United States may not think so. You're not going to get arrested for blasphemy. But God

certainly frowns upon that. Richard, Welcome to the Jesus Christ Show.

find out she now has her purpies. And he's very confused. And I told him that because he had been always talking about getting married and having children. And I told him that where she can be forgiven, the consequences of her choice still have to be addressed.

And anyway, that's where I'm at right now. And then on your program with you're talking about personal responsibilities, I was just it bothers me because I won't to know if I gave him the right advice.

you're going to make it on yourself as well. So your son has to know the true consequences of his decision should he get mixed up with her, and that there's a good likelihood that she can relapse correct and there's also scars and the remaining consequences of things that

she's done in the past. And doesn't mean that he shouldn't befriend her or be loving and kind to her, but it may not be the perfect partner for him, and he has to know that with all this comes consequences, and especially if there's herpes and things like that involved, that these aren't going away and they can affect him, and should he be married to her, they will affect him, and that he needs to know that all the love and the feelings that he has become less flowery and

more practical later on down the line, and that's when you're going to go, oh my gosh, what did I do? So I guess at this point the best thing you can do, Richard, is give him the best advice and say, go into this with every bit of knowledge you can,

and if you make that decision, so be it. But don't look at this from you know, the romantic, flowery standpoint, expecting everything to be grand and you to always have this feeling, because you know, feelings change and you're going to have to be practical and in this relationship for the long haul. And there is a lot of hurdles to get over. And I don't think it was unreasonable the information that you gave him. Oh but you can't direct.

I mean, he's going to make his own choices. So the best thing you can do as a parent is to give the advice.

your relationships now. The best thing to do is to be honest about them and let you know, and and in doing so, with everything out in the open, you become closer and you go into it with that knowledge and you make the decision I want to be in this relationship with X, Y and Z. But if you you know, just go, oh, well, I'm in love now and I like this person, and you don't really weigh

those things, you end up ruining the relationship. And maybe there is someone better suited where some of these things may not matter in the same way, in the same sense, that could be a better partner to that person, and you have to allow that as well.