My Favorite Teacher
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26 (NIV)
Being a teacher for many years has been very rewarding. It has also been exhausting! When I look back on my education, I discovered that I learned the most from the toughest teachers. My creative writing teacher was brutal and often brought tears to my eyes. But I learned! In this devotion, Barbranda Lumpkin Walls (Mornings with Jesus) talks about how she let the Holy Spirit become her favorite Teacher.
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One morning when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed by financial obligations, I turned to Psalm 23, which has always given me great peace and encouragement. But this day, I was moved to do something I hadn’t done before. I read the familiar psalm in different versions of the Bible.
I often turn to various Bible translations when I don’t quite understand a passage in hopes that one of them will give me clarity. I pulled out the big, heavy Bible that a friend had given me years ago. It had four versions side by side. I focused on the first verse of Psalm 23:
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (KJV)
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (NIV)
Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need! (TLB)
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. (RSV)
I stared at the different words, punctuations, and capitalization and read them out loud. They each spoke to my spirit. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, was telling me that everything would be all right and that I didn’t need to worry about my financial obligations. He was my shepherd, my guide, my provider, my Lord; no matter what the translation, He would take care of it.
FAITH STEP: What are some of your favorite scriptures and Bible stories? Read them in different Bible translations or versions and see what new revelations you receive from Jesus.
My Lord and Shepherd, thank You for being patient with me. When I don’t understand, You nudge me with Your Spirit and lead me to discover things I couldn’t get by myself. Please give me more of that desire to draw closer to You. AMEN.