A Good Teacher

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:9-14; 2 Peter 1:20-21

“Oo-ran-os,” eighteen-year-old Bryson muttered, pacing around the kitchen with a thick book in his hands. “Oo-ran-os, theog-no-sia.”

“Whoa!” exclaimed his younger sister Adele as she came into the kitchen. “What language is that? Swahili?”

“Oo-ran-os,” Bryson repeated, pronouncing it slowly. “It’s Greek for heaven.”

“Mom’s teaching you Greek this semester?” asked Adele. “She can’t speak Greek!”

Bryson held up the book. “No, but she got me this book so I can gear up for college and seminary. Greek is tough, and I’ll be studying it for years, but I figure I can get a little bit of a head start by working on it now.”

“Sounds like complete gibberish,” said Adele. She pointed to a funny-looking symbol. “What is that?”

“Lambda. It’s the Greek letter L,” Bryson explained. “The author of this book is a Greek professor, and he explains all the different letter symbols. He’s a really good teacher—even though I can’t actually see him or talk with him.”

“I couldn’t help but overhear,” said Mom as she came into the room. “Hearing you talk about studying Greek reminds me of what it’s like to study the Bible.”

“Why is that?” asked Adele.

Mom leaned over the table and flipped to the end of Bryson’s textbook. “What does this mean?” she asked him, pointing to a paragraph written in Greek.

Bryson looked at the page. “I don’t have a clue,” he said. “I haven’t gotten anywhere near that far yet.”

Mom nodded. “Studying Greek will take a long time, and studying the Bible takes a long time too—our entire lives, in fact. But like Bryson’s Greek teacher, we also have a good teacher who helps us understand the Bible.”

“Like a pastor or Sunday school teacher?” Adele asked.

“Even better,” said Mom. “The Holy Spirit is our teacher. He’s the one who prompted the authors of the various books of the Bible to write them, and as we read the Bible for ourselves and listen to pastors and teachers talk about it, He helps us understand what it means. Without the Holy Spirit helping me understand the Bible, well…it’s all Greek to me!” Along with the kids, Mom laughed at her own joke.

-Dalan E. Decker

How About You?

Is it difficult for you to understand the Bible? Remember you have a teacher to help you. As you read and study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit will be there to guide you. Sometimes He may use a parent, pastor, or some other adult to help you understand something. Sometimes He may give you insight on a verse or passage as you spend time thinking about it on your own. He’s a good teacher who will help you understand the truth of His Word.

Today’s Key Verse:
John 14:26 The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things. (CSB)

Today’s Key Thought:

Be taught by the Holy Spirit