God is a Clear and Direct Instructor

 

God is a Clear and Direct Instructor

Go Ye Into The World - Called To Community

Written By: Chibunkem Ahanonu

~ Anchor Verse ~

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the World, and preach the Gospel to every creature"  - Mark 16:15

We know of God as many different things. A father, a friend, a provider, a sustainer, and so much more. Each character being backed up by his track record of excellence. Today I would like us to focus on his character as a Clear and Direct Instructor and the position we hold in relation to him. First off, what is an instructor? 

When thinking on the term "instructor" I am reminded of my 1st-grade teacher, Mrs. Moran, whose number of years in wisdom could almost be accounted for by the amount of wrinkles on her face. I remember her raspy yet welcoming voice and the way her little sassy remarks would make me giggle. I even remember getting corrected when I did something wrong but even now I can remember the warmth and security I felt in her class. Another instructor I remember is Mrs. Tracy, a woman who tested all my God-given patience and seemingly lacked the compassion that I believe every teacher should have. I remember the all-nighters I would pull just to go to class the next day and for her to read off a PowerPoint with such a speed that no one could comprehend the material. Let's just say, that when faced with the term "instructor", a lot of memories come to mind.

I believe this is just human nature. When told to define "instructor" we start to reminisce about the instructors/teachers we've encountered throughout the years and base our definition of the term on our personal experiences. But when our perceived definition is put side by side with the original definition, our bias becomes more profound. What is an Instructor?

Instructor - a person whose job is to teach people a particular skill

So how does this relate to God? See, it is human nature to compare our understanding of God's character to the imperfection produced by people playing that particular role and subconsciously internalize that which we've perceived. When imperfection is put into perspective, an instructor is translated as one who tends to control and judge your performance based on the standards they have established. But as the dictionary says, the role of an instructor is to teach and train you in a specific skill. Let's think about how that is shown in the bible and in our daily lives.

The Bible mentions so many different men and women of faith who were given instructions and assignments. People like Noah, Moses, Apostle Paul, Jesus, Deborah, David, Jonah, Esther, John, Abraham - the list can go on and on. Even with so many differences, they all have one thing in common... even with the instruction/ assignment being given, they all still had a genuine relationship with the Instructor, even in the learning process. So if God's role is the instructor, by default we are the students.

If we peek into Moses's life we see this relationship quite vividly. Moses started his assignment without the understanding of how to execute the task at hand (Exodus 3 & 4). Moses was sent to face Pharoah and to be an extension of God's Voice and Presence resulting in the liberation of God's People (Exodus 7:1). Basically, He was called as the vessel in which God would deliver the Children of Israel. But in order to deliver the Children of Israel he had to learn this skill from The Deliverer himself. And through relationship, transparency, constant communication, and a couple of wilderness seasons, accompanied and orchestrated by God- the assignment was completed.

Just to double down on this concept, let's look at the life of Samuel, who was called to be the first prophet of Israel at such a young age (Fun fact: Samuel was believed to be 12 years old when he was called to be a prophet). The assignment meant he had to hear God's voice and communicate the words being spoken. With that in perspective, it makes sense how God had to teach him what his voice even sounded like and how to convey the words and directions being given(1 Samuel 3:1-20). See, in those times, the priest could be compared to a bridge between humans and God.  For context, I would encourage you to look up the functions and importance of the Priest during that time and even more specifically, the Levites. With context, it gives us a little more insight into God's character, intentionality, and significance of the moment when God gave Samuel this assignment. Everything was deliberate and accounted for when the assignments were given to both men of God. From inferiority complexes to age itself, everything was and still is being factored in by God.

Simply put, In the school of purpose, we are the students and God is the all-knowing teacher who specializes in all of our desired and required skills needed to complete the assignment we have been called to.

 

Take home:

Now that we have talked about God's character as a Clear and Direct Instructor, take a moment to assess how you can improve as a student. Yes, these assignments are difficult and at times they may seem too much to bear. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed and tired, but just know that God put that all into consideration when he chose you to be his Student. Also remember perfection isn't a prerequisite, it is embodied by the love we've submitted to.

Consider all the men and women of faith in the Bible. They didn't have to be perfect followers, but they were obedient followers, in constant submission to the instructor. Their ability to complete their assignment wasn't because of their "perfection", it was because of their life posture of obedience. When you look at the dynamic between teacher and student, obedience will always be in perspective.

See, sometimes we fail to see that our connection with God is more valuable to God than the instructions itself(Matthew 7:22-23). God doesn't give instructions to control us, he's not a dictator. God gives us instructions to protect us from the pain we may encounter if we go astray (Matthew 18:12-14). And we shouldn't follow God's instructions for superficial reasons (aka condiments of the kingdom: blessings, breakthroughs, financial stability, etc.). Instead, we should submit with obedience in response to the love he's already given, and he continues to give, in sight of our shortcomings(John 3:16, John 14:15). Yet most of the time, when we think of ourselves in relation to God and the assignment being given, we see:

GOD is calling you to DO XYZ...

rather than

GOD is calling YOU to do xyz...

See even with reading the statements above, your brain comprehends the instruction differently, emphasizing what it finds important. To put it plainly, God isn't calling the instruction and then attaching you to it. God is calling YOU and entrusting you with the instruction. YOU are the Called.

And God is our instructor, the only one who qualifies us. So don't invalidate your process cause God has even factored our mistakes into his plan. So walk in your calling side by side with the one who has ordered your every step (Psalm 119:105 & 133).