Be very careful about whom you Follow

Luke 6:40

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

Have you ever given thought to the teachers God has put into your life and how much or little you learned from them?  My first teachers would have been my mother then my dad, and I believe that is true with most of us.  Then there were numerous ladies at church who tried to teach me and make me aware of God and His love for me.  As I began school there are some who standout as teachers who cared and got through to a poor student, void of zeal to study and learn, but they were willing to make the investment.  I had family members, like my uncle Travis, who taught me to fish, and my father in law who taught me to hunt.  I had many men in business who taught me all kinds of skills, and I was a composite of those teachers, and though my pride often came into play in all cases, I knew I was not higher than those who taught me.

When it comes to the ways of God, once more the teachers are numerous, some are men who have the gift of writing books, some pastors, three of them were used by God to open my eyes to new truth and application of those truths.  One is with the Lord his name is Harlan Caton a wonderful teacher, Larry York at Crossroads in the Woodlands, Texas, whose life is centered around prayer and service, and my present pastor Ray Still who is a proclaimer of truth, a leader, whose heart is having the church intentionally engage others with the love of Christ.  These three have one thing in common, they are students of the Bible, and they are leaders, others want to follow and be of like mind.

I will not attempt to list the men God has sent to train me in His ways, they also are numerous, but let me share the names of a few who are now with the Father: Jack Archer who masqueraded as an oil man and rancher, but loved to disciple men; Ted Anderson who masqueraded as a lawyer, but was full of wisdom and grace; Carroll Ray Jr. who masqueraded as a CPA and a vice president of Tandy Corporation, but was my friend and mentor, he trained me by example about how to love others, and especially my wife, and he taught me how to give of self, and last is Ken Ryan who also masqueraded as an oil man, he was a dear friend, a teacher who never stopped training me.  My hearts desire is to be like these men, to apply the teaching, but of this I’m sure, they were always above me.

Most of those listed above were driven by the greatest of teachers, the one Jesus calls the Counselor or Helper in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” 

The Holy Spirit did not control some of my teachers, and their message was (WIIFM) what is in it for me.  I must confess, they also had an impact on my life and out of that teaching I’ve had many bought lessons that have left deep scars.  So as one who is following Christ be very careful about whom you follow, for someone who is blind to the truths of God will lead you into a pit.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice