Of course, Jesus is our all sufficient source for ultimate wisdom and guidance in any and all areas of life. But have you ever considered following His example of speech? No, I don't mean to suggest that we should speak "King Jimmy" to those who might be willing to listen. I'm speaking more to the "whens" and "hows" of our saying all that we say.
Let me explain; take for example Christ's explanation of His LACK of speech to His disciples in John 16:12. He says, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." Take in consideration that Jesus knows that His death is eminent, and yet He sees no need to "speed teach" His disciples. In fact, He tells them that what He would like to teach them, He can not because of their lack of spiritual maturity.
Now, it would make since that He would see the need to expedite their understanding by cramming a 3 1/2 year college degree into a few days... but He doesn't. He recognizes where they are and teaches them on their level, and nothing more. He had spent the last 3+ years with these men and He knew them well. He even knew where they were intellectually. They were not ready to hear all that He had to say... so He didn't say it.
We, on the other hand, have the tendency to say all that comes to our mind, whether anyone is ready to hear it or not. We often feel the need to "speed teach" those who might want to learn from us. We do this based on our false sense of urgency. We have the "now or never" mentality; when the fact is, whether we have 5 minutes left on this earth or 5 years... each is equivalent to 100% of the rest of our life. Christ understood this.
He also understood that the Holy Spirit would do more (by length of time) than He would do in His brief time here on earth. One possible theme of this chapter is the assuredness of the Holy Spirit's indwelling in the life of each true believer. While the disciples did not understand this, Jesus did, and He was not about to wonder into the Holy Spirit's territory. If Christ was not willing to do this, who are we to do so?
Where does this patience come in handy? Raising our children, fostering care for others who are placed in our realm of responsibility, discipling 1 or a group of new converts. Regardless, speaking to to others on their level will cause them to want to follow you to the next level.Now, with all that said, we must also know that while Jesus was tempered in His ability to "hold back" needed information based on the disciples ability to comprehend, He was also careful to not speak beneath them either. He challenged their thinking regularly. In response, many chose to no longer follow Him (John 6:66). In other words, while He was careful to teach on their level, He did not refrain from telling them the truth. He simply told them the truth that they needed to hear, and no more.
Jesus said in Matt 12:34, "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." If your heart is to truly educate, you must be willing to temper your gift of teaching with quality observation of those to whom you offer your teaching, whether your children or "mega-church" following. Speaking, simply because you have something to say, will cost you more time in reiteration than if you were to speak once- as the listener is ready to hear; and often as is needed.
Pastor Mike Carmody
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