Time for another excerpt from the upcoming book, “Today Is….A Gift From God.” Today’s devotional is from August 13.

TODAY IS… a great day to teach what you don’t know.

“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”              Philippians 4:9 NASB

How can we possibly teach what we don’t know? Teaching another person about Christ is one of the greatest things that we can do while on this earth. Unfortunately, for so many of us think that our knowledge is too limited to be of much use to another person. We have read about the importance or memorizing scripture, but we can’t seem to memorize easily. Perhaps that holds us back. We have only been living in the Word of God for a short time. Perhaps that holds us back. If we wait until we become the perfect teacher, we will never teach.

While the Bible itself can be somewhat overwhelming to us at first, the willingness to explore it makes someone a student. The joy in helping someone explore it makes us a teacher, even if we cannot quote chapter and verse.

If we know that the answer to any question that we can ask about how to live our life can be found in the Bible, we can be a teacher. If we trust God to help us help another person find the truth that they seek, we can be a teacher. If we don’t mind saying, “You know, I’m not sure, but let’s see what we can find together” you have demonstrated the qualifications to teach what you do not know.

The simple reality is that if God were to depend on “certified” scholars to spread His message, it would never have spread very far. Teaching others about the salvation that Christ offers each one of us is something that comes from our hearts, and not from a diploma or a degree.

The study of the Holy Bible is a life-long personal commitment. It is not a two year or a four year degree. It is a daily program for problem solving. It is a treasure chest that can be reached into without looking with the knowledge that whatever we grab will be valuable beyond measure.

We are better teachers than we allow ourselves to believe. Our knowledge is first hand, heartfelt, and deeply personal. Teaching about Christ helps us to learn about ourselves. Seeing the changes we help instill in another brings about remarkable changes within ourselves. We teach by being an example for others to follow and we discover that not only are we good at it, but our desire to teach still more people grows.

Teach without fear of what you don’t know and you’ll be amazed at what you do know.

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