Certainly it’s true that wise teaching is a fountain of life, preparing us to meet life’s challenges in a way that honors God. It’s equally true that bad teaching can set us up for failure. Sometimes people even fall away from their faith because they receive bad teaching. I once knew a woman whose grandmother was an incredibly important person in her life. When her grandmother died, this woman never had a true opportunity to grieve in a healthy way, because some mistaken person told her she should rejoice rather than give in to tears. “After all, your grandmother is in heaven.” And so she suppressed her grief and lived instead with shame and guilt regarding her response to her grandmother’s death. Poor teaching leaves us susceptible to captivity in things that Jesus never intended for us. Wise teaching gives us resources that help us cling to 2 Timothy 3:16–17 notes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped 47 Wednesday—December 6•Bad Teaching The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. (Proverbs 13:14) faith and live it out on a daily basis, even in difficult times. WEEK Week 9 for every good work.” Based on that passage, how would you explain to a new believer the importance of balanced Bible study and teaching in preparing for life’s challenges? Daily Reading: Hosea 4:1–5:15, 2 John 1:1–13, Psalm 125:1–5, Proverbs 29:9–11 Thursday—December 7•Bad Examples Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) I heard of a young man who joined a church. Then that church split, and all the men whom he admired turned against each other and began making venomous, unsupported allegations against each other. They set such a bad example that this young man went through a tremendous crisis of faith. His situation serves as a warning on two levels. First, we must be careful whose example we emulate. Even the apostle Paul indicated that people should follow his example, as He followed Christ. Ultimately, Christ must be our example, and in the areas where our mentors are not imitating Jesus, we must stay focused on the One who said He is “the way, and the truth and the life” (see John 14:6). Secondly, we all need to realize the potential that people are watching us, perhaps even imitating us, as we walk out our faith through our daily choices. We need to align our lives with Christ’s, for our own sake, but also for the sake of those who follow in our footsteps. WEEK Week 9 Describe a time when someone’s good example caused you to mature in your faith, or someone’s bad example pushed you toward a crisis of faith. What can you learn from that experience? Daily Reading: Hosea 6:1–9:17, 3 John 1:1–14, Psalm 126:1–6, Proverbs 29:12–14
20514 Man in Mirror
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