Read: Ephesians 4:7-16
Why would anyone choose a career that pays poorly, gets little or no appreciation, and requires you to deal with kids that are not your own every day? Because it is a calling.
Everyone reading this can recall at least one teacher that had a significant positive impact on his or her life. Mine was Mrs. Odell Hicks. She was my 9th grade Physical Science, 11th grade Chemistry, and 12th grade AP Chemistry teacher. After a D my first nine weeks in Physical Science, she managed to find a way to pull out the potential in me.
A good teacher is a gift. In fact, Paul tells us in Ephesians that one of Christ's gifts to the church is our pastors and teachers:
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13 NLT).
Just as our school teachers help equip us for our future careers, our pastors and church teachers are responsible for equipping us to do God's work and build up His church. When you are constantly surrounded by Biblically sound and enthusiastic teaching, it's easy to take it for granted. Take some time this week to pray for your pastors, and thank God for using them to bring you closer to Him.
Reflect:
- Which of your teachers had the most impact on your life? Have you ever told them?
- What teaching that you heard during a Sunday service impacted you recently? Did it drive you to take action?
- What ways is God calling you to teach and influence others around you?
