It is a classic misconception that men never read instructions. We just tend not to read the instructions…first. We also believe it might be a waste of time. Instructions can be confusing; I mean have you seen how many different languages they come in? I once assembled something four times because I tried to read all of the steps! Besides, you can always come back to them if you get stuck or end up with some “extra” parts, right?
One day Philip met a traveler from the Ethiopian Department of Treasury along a dusty desert road. The traveler was reading a set of instructions from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. The traveler could read the words but had no one to explain their meaning in that context. Fortunately, Philip had “assembled” this before (recently), and offered to tutor this traveler.
The gospel of John refers to Jesus as the vine and us as the branches. We are nurtured and tutored by the Holy Spirit through Pastors, Sunday School teachers, Adult Forum and Small Group leaders, Council and Committee members, Choir Directors and Organists, even Devotion writers and a host of others. These people help us to understand the instructions left to us by Jesus in the New Testament.
But these instructions are not complex, and they don’t require special tools or certification. We are all equipped right now to be a “Tutor for God” to someone. Seriously! The prerequisites and credentials necessary for this task are clearly spelled out in 1 John 4:7-12:
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins – [and] since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another – [for] if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
It is as simple as showing love! Are there places in your life where you can work in this job description?
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
David Krueger
P.S. It has been a while since I have provided a meditative choral selection with my text, but this piece seemed quite appropriate to both the topic of teaching and of Easter. Enjoy!
http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10487450