In review of Matthew 11:25 I read, “At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: ‘O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike’” (Matthew 11:25 NLT).
Jesus mentioned two kinds of people in his prayer: the "wise and clever", arrogant in their own knowledge and the "childlike", humbly open to receive the truth of God's Word. Which am most like. Am I being wise in my own eyes, or am I seeking the truth in childlike faith, realizing that only God holds all the answers?
Jesus wants me to be like little children because I need to remain teachable so that I can mature and understand God’s plans. Children are 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.” They know that they don’t know it all, and they’re eager to learn.
This is how Jesus wants me to be: willing to listen, eager to learn, open to suggestions and corrections from others. Teachable people understand that it’s impossible for anyone to know everything about every subject. I don’t have time in life to learn everything from personal experience. It’s wiser to learn from the experience of others.
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. Because of pride, people act like they know it all.
When I’m afraid to show that I don’t know how to do something or how to answer a question, it may be a signal that I’m not teachable. If I get defensive when someone corrects me, it may be a sign I’m not teachable.
I have a choice: Will I be humble and open to learning, or will I live in prideful denial? Will I be teachable or unreachable? God is for me, and he’ll support me as I learn new things. And like a child growing to maturity, I can keep learning, that’s God’s desire for my life.
In summary, God hides things from those who think themselves wise and clever. He reveals them to the childlike. There are people who think of themselves a "wise and clever", however they are arrogant in their own knowledge. Then there are those who are "childlike", where they are humbly open to receive the truth of God's Word. I need to remain teachable so that I can mature and understand God's plans. I need to be willing to listen, eager to learn, open to suggestions and corrections from others. Pride, at its root, is insecurity. Pride makes people act like they know it all. So will I be humble and open to learning, or will I live in prideful denial?
God thank you for your Word and for providing the devotion on this today. I find you talking to me about a recent initiative that my employer is starting to talk to me about. My initial feelings are for my own leadership and thinking that they believe that perhaps I can’t handle everything and secondly for the impact it might have on my team. I think the first is more of the enemy putting doubt in my mind. I had been talking with my leadership all along about the insatiable amount of work expected by my team. Some of this work is routine tasks and direct support, other aspects are things that are strategic and need focus to be managed so that we can help guide the future work. I need to be humble and teachable in this initiative. When asked about my feelings on this I quickly skirted through it and went to a somewhat more defensive / cynical and somewhat arrogant approach. I need to watch out for pride on my part. Be humble and open in this topic because its you working in the situation to bring about relief.
This morning Father I pray for your assistance from the Holy Spirit on the reminder to be humble, open and childlike to learn about the situation. I also pray for your wisdom and guidance for my day and my tasks. Help me to lead and interact well in a loving manner today. I pray these things in your Son Jesus name, amen.
