Day 4: Taught Through Others

Lee Young
Feb 11
3 min read

Daily Flow

Set aside unhurried time. If the day feels full, do not skip—simply slow down as much as you are able.

Opening Scripture Read the passage slowly and prayerfully.
Devotional Reflection Read the short teaching for the day. Allow the truth to settle in your heart.
The Examen Pause and reflect using the questions provided. Write brief responses as you are able.
Lectio Divina Read the Scripture out loud slowly, emphasizing different words or phrases to meditate on the different aspects of the passage.
Prayer Prompt Respond to God in prayer.

Opening Scripture

Romans 10:14–15 (NIV)

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Devotional Reflection

When the Spirit first came on the Day of Pentecost, the believers devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles. Today, we have the Word of God and we have the Holy Spirit, so we might wonder why we also need teachers.

Christianity, however, is not merely an academic exercise where grammatical rules are memorized or mathematical formulas are mastered. To follow Christ is to learn how to discern each moment—knowing how to respond, what to focus on, and how to step faithfully into God’s plan for our lives.

The teaching method of Christ, like that of all rabbis in His time, was not limited to lectures alone. His students were invited to watch Him live, just as much as they were invited to listen to Him speak.

Jesus taught that all the commandments hang on two things: loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Yet love looks different in different situations. Love is discerning what will help a person move toward God’s purposes for their life, because God’s way is always best.

Sometimes love looks like encouragement; other times, it looks like rebuke. Sometimes it means overlooking an offense; other times, it requires addressing it and seeking reconciliation. The wisdom to apply Scripture rightly goes beyond memorizing verses or observing outcomes. It requires discernment—understanding how God desires each situation to move forward and knowing how to participate in that movement.

What moves a person closer to God today may not be what moves them closer tomorrow. This is why wisdom must be learned, not merely quoted.

This is why we need teachers. And these teachers are not limited to preachers on a stage or voices on a livestream. They are also people we walk alongside—those who take time to help us interpret everyday life through the lens of God’s Word.

We will learn much by sitting under good teaching each week. But we often learn even more when we place ourselves near faithful people whose lives we can observe—people who respond differently in different circumstances, yet always with the goal of drawing hearts toward God.

We need to be taught both intellectually and behaviorally, so that we never stop learning the depth and nuance of biblical truth.

The Examen

Who has God placed in my life to help teach, guide, or model discernment—and how open have I been to learning from them?

Where might I be relying on simple answers or slogans instead of seeking wisdom through learning, prayer, and community?

Lectio Divina Scripture

Ephesians 4:11–13 (NIV)

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Read the passage slowly, out loud, several times. With each reading, emphasize a different word or phrase. Notice what stands out and why.

Prayer Prompt

Lord, give me good preaching, and also help me place myself under the mentorship of faithful friends who will teach me as we walk through life together. Amen.