TEACHABILITY

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction – Proverbs 1:7

Of all the essential qualities for being a sound leader in the body of Christ and in life in general, one virtue that perhaps stands out is the quality of TEACHABILITY. I’ll define this as the  lifelong dimension of teachableness! I’ll describe it as the attitude, posture and disposition of being a perpetual and unrepentant lifelong learner. We’ll focus more on that shortly.

Biblical Wisdom lies in knowing how to take advice without being either defensive or condescending. Some want to learn, but ironically do not want to be taught! They want to learn only on their own and are not sincerely open to having anyone else speak into their lives. That’s not teachability, but haughtiness. Wisdom is manifest when we humble ourselves to learn even from those who admittedly know less than we do and are perhaps not as experienced. The Book of Wisdom is loaded with instructive verses on being teachable. Consider these:

• And say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof! I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me” (Pro.5:12-13). In Jesus name, may we and all ours never have reason to regret rejecting instruction, and end up in frustration or destruction! The antidote is lifelong learning.

• A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart (Pro.18:2).

Teachability means to have a teachable spirit, a passionate hunger to learn and grow, and a genuine humility that is willing to be taught, confronted, or corrected. There is no limit to what such a leader can accomplish or how much impact he or she might exert in the kingdom of God. God wants to nurture in you the virtue of teachability, on the grounds of humility and the fear of the Lord (Pro.1:7). Will you submit to His Will on the pathway to the Land of Uprightness?