Three Effects of a Teachable Spirit
By Rick Warren
“If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding”
When you’re learning how to be humble, you have to be willing to listen, learn, and grow and be open to suggestions and corrections from other people. You don’t know it all, and you can’t act like you know it all, either!
Here are a few reasons why you need to have a teachable, humble spirit:
1. You’ll be more likable.
The Bible says in Proverbs 15:12, “Conceited people do not like to be corrected; they never ask for advice from those who are wiser” (GNT). Pride, at its root, is insecurity. You may be afraid that you’ll show that you really don’t know much, but you’ll be more likable if you’re open to teaching.
2. You’ll be wiser.
Proverbs 15:32 says, “If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding” (NLT).Humble people are always learning because they’re open to correction. Everybody’s ignorant, just on different subjects. That’s why two heads are better than one. You don’t have time in life to learn everything from personal experience. It’s wiser to learn from the experience of others. The way to do that is by learning to ask questions.
3. You’ll have less conflict.
Proverbs 13:10a says, “Pride only leads to arguments” (NCV).This is the first verse that Kay and I memorized after we got married. We actually memorized it on our honeymoon because we needed it on our honeymoon. Anytime you get in an argument, you can know that pride is rearing its ugly head. But when you approach a situation with humility, you’ll have less conflict in your relationships.
In many ways, when it comes to humility, God wants us to be like little children. Why? Because children are teachable. They’re open to learning. They’re eager to learn. They’re not defensive. They don’t say, “I don’t need to learn to walk. I don’t need to learn to talk. You can’t teach me anything about reading.”
You have a choice: Will you humble yourself, or will you live in arrogant, prideful denial? Will you be teachable or unreachable? God is for you, and he’ll support you as you learn humility.
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Talk It Over
When someone tries to correct you, how do you usually react? How does your reaction demonstrate a humble spirit?
Think about an argument you’ve had with someone. How did either of you demonstrate humility? How did it make a difference?
Why is it important to continue learning?
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This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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