There is a big difference between reading a book and taking a class!! The difference is the Teacher. And this is so true in the Lord's case.
He is always teaching me things. Even the first words I heard from Him "Read Your Bible" taught me that He, like most teachers, has a book we need to read from. Yet He is not the book; (The Bible) He is the Teacher who talks to us about things. I found out that He like to teach me we parables and saying a lot.
For example, concerning this topic, He once told me:
WHAT TEACHER DOESN’T PUT A BOOK IN FRONT OF HIS STUDENTS TODAY; YET NOT JUST A BOOK BUT OVERHEAD TRANSPARENCIES, VISUALS, AND OTHER MATERIAL? FOR I TELL YOU TRULY, IF THEY ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME THEY ARE NOT MY PUPIL, THEY ARE NOT MY STUDENT; I TELL YOU TRULY, THEY ARE NOT MY DISCIPLE UNLESS THEY ARE HEARING FROM ME. SO DON’T TELL THEM TO READ THE BOOK, THEM TO TAKE THE CLASS!”
This of course is the testimony section - so the testimony is that He does indeed teach us. I started getting all kinds of little neat sayings and teaching from Him. Yes - I could see in the Bible that He has always done that with people, but reading that is not the same thing as actually listening to Him and having Him teach you personally!
Ps 78:1 A Maskil of Asaph.
Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
So yes, I could read the above, but the key to the above verse is "Listen" Reading is not listening. Listening to Him was listening to Him. I was loving the things He told me - like:
AS INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN TO A SERVANT, AND WISDOM AND PARABLES TO A SON, AND AS JOKES ARE GIVEN TO A FRIEND, SO I LOVE YOU IS SAID TO A BRIDE.
He was giving me instructions, I was hearing wisdom and parables, He was even telling me jokes.
It turned out that what the Lord wanted more than anything was a personal relationship with me!
He once got me up in the middle of the night to tell me:
A MITE IS AN ANIMAL THAT GETS UNDER THE SKIN TO GET AT THE BLOOD….. KARL, THERE IS MIGHT IN THE BLOOD, BUT I WANT A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP THAN THAT.
So my testimony is that He is there for us. We need to listen. With listening comes a relationship that results in salvation, instructions, teachings, healings, encouragement, the power of God, and so must more. Never-the-Less - it is not about the instructions, the healings, the encouragement, the power, the teachings, nor even the salvation - it is about the relationship He would like to have with you!! The rest are just the benefits of that relationship. That is what I learned from Him!!
He is always teaching me things. Even the first words I heard from Him "Read Your Bible" taught me that He, like most teachers, has a book we need to read from. Yet He is not the book; (The Bible) He is the Teacher who talks to us about things. I found out that He like to teach me we parables and saying a lot.
For example, concerning this topic, He once told me:
WHAT TEACHER DOESN’T PUT A BOOK IN FRONT OF HIS STUDENTS TODAY; YET NOT JUST A BOOK BUT OVERHEAD TRANSPARENCIES, VISUALS, AND OTHER MATERIAL? FOR I TELL YOU TRULY, IF THEY ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME THEY ARE NOT MY PUPIL, THEY ARE NOT MY STUDENT; I TELL YOU TRULY, THEY ARE NOT MY DISCIPLE UNLESS THEY ARE HEARING FROM ME. SO DON’T TELL THEM TO READ THE BOOK, THEM TO TAKE THE CLASS!”
This of course is the testimony section - so the testimony is that He does indeed teach us. I started getting all kinds of little neat sayings and teaching from Him. Yes - I could see in the Bible that He has always done that with people, but reading that is not the same thing as actually listening to Him and having Him teach you personally!
Ps 78:1 A Maskil of Asaph.
Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
So yes, I could read the above, but the key to the above verse is "Listen" Reading is not listening. Listening to Him was listening to Him. I was loving the things He told me - like:
AS INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN TO A SERVANT, AND WISDOM AND PARABLES TO A SON, AND AS JOKES ARE GIVEN TO A FRIEND, SO I LOVE YOU IS SAID TO A BRIDE.
He was giving me instructions, I was hearing wisdom and parables, He was even telling me jokes.
It turned out that what the Lord wanted more than anything was a personal relationship with me!
He once got me up in the middle of the night to tell me:
A MITE IS AN ANIMAL THAT GETS UNDER THE SKIN TO GET AT THE BLOOD….. KARL, THERE IS MIGHT IN THE BLOOD, BUT I WANT A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP THAN THAT.
So my testimony is that He is there for us. We need to listen. With listening comes a relationship that results in salvation, instructions, teachings, healings, encouragement, the power of God, and so must more. Never-the-Less - it is not about the instructions, the healings, the encouragement, the power, the teachings, nor even the salvation - it is about the relationship He would like to have with you!! The rest are just the benefits of that relationship. That is what I learned from Him!!
