I believe that everyone in here would agree with this statement, "We are ALWAYS growing and/or learning, even if we don't want to!" We have to keep the hammer going and never stop.
Learning of Christ friends is vital! Its imperative to who Christ is!
Lets read from the Gospel of John:
So then the Jews were complaining about Him because He said,
“I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” And they were saying, “ Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘ I have come down out of heaven’ ?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves.
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘ And they shall all be taught of God .’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”
So here we have people who knew Jesus from his youth, and they claimed ignorance in even hearing Jesus’s words because of what they perceived and believed. However, Jesus made it very clear here, they know of Jesus, but no one will go to Christ unless the Father draws him/her to him! Then he continues to say “Everyone who has heard and learned from the father, comes to me!”
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians to "imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
When do we seem to come to God and learn from him? When we are in trouble? When we need advice? When we need comfort? When we need something in general? How about this, come to Christ just because he is God? Come to Christ so we can improve ourselves for his Glory? Come to Christ because we love him and want to worship him?
When we read the Book of Genesis, we find it very clear that when God created man, He created each of us in HIS OWN IMAGE! He desired from the very beginning for us to seek comfort, refuge, and a relationship with each of us! That was the ultimate goal!
Let us look back on the patriarchs of scripture.
Job, suffered anxiety and stress going through his ordeal, yet he Learned of God and his Love.
Jonah's self-pity blinded his eyes towards God's redemptive plan to save ninevah, but from the bowels of a great fish, Jonah learned of God.
King David had many bouts of anxiety, and all the while, God claimed his Love for David as a man after his own heart because he Learned of God.
Elijah suffered from doubt and anxiety when in spiritual despair, but God provided continuingly for him because he Learned of God in his walk of life.
Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah and so many others have their stories of life revealed in scripture, but let me jump to one story in the New Testament about a man named Zaccheus.
Gospel of Luke tells us, “Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable due to the crowd, because he was short in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see Him, because He was about to pass through that way.”
So here, Zaccheus was a short person that had an obstacle of not seeing Jesus as he passed by. So he improvised and climbed a tree to at least get a glimpse of Christ. He literally went out on a limb to Learn of God.
What about us today? What do we need to do to Learn of Him? Why do we need to Learn of Him?
Think about how God's initiative in making faith possible and the universality of his actions "They shall all be taught". The emphasis of Gods role and the appeal to scripture build on the list of witnesses developed. Think of it! When we feed off Christ, when we live for Christ, our lives become the witness and example of Christ for others!
We have to make an effort, as we desire to know him, be like him and Love him.
"It is said that a 19th Century poet Alfred Tennyson was walking one day in a beautiful flower garden when a friend said to him, Mr. Tennyson, you speak so often of Jesus Christ. Will you tell me what Christ really means to your Life? Tennyson stooped and pointed to a beautiful yellow flower said "What the sun is to the flower, Jesus Christ is to my soul."
Just as the sun is to flowers, Christ is to my soul; what a statement!
Friends, finding happiness tends to be a goal the world has set before us! Being happy is always a good thing, but that is NOT a reason by itself.
Matt. 5:6 tells us Happiness is not found in pursuit of happiness or found in Life. Both are only found in pursuit of God and his righteousness. The end of our current emphasis on self is not Life, then we must pursue the things of God and the spirit.
To receive from Christ, is to learn of him and what he has to give us is his saving power. We must absorb his teaching, character, mind, and ways until his mind becomes our mind and his ways our ways. Phil. 4 states clearly "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." How are we to proclaim Christ's strength if we do not LEARN of him? How can we trust him if we do not Learn of Him?
First and foremost, we keep in prayer throughout our days. Then we need to read and study the bible both at church and in our own life. Also with faith, we take responsibility in Church Functions to fellowship and grow personally and help grow the church for Christ and through Christ. Then you let Christ light shine from you into others lives and so many other examples. These are just some examples! Success is only found in Christ.
But Pastor, Life gets in the way and I just don’t seem to have time?
Remember friends, Learning of God is not a chore, we do have some sacrifices to make; and much like Zaccheus did to learn of God, we too need to go out on a limb. If our times of convenience are not at our best to meet God, we need to rethink our plans. What Christ done for each of us should always be on our thoughts and minds. If we want to be successful in life and our Journey with him and for him, we need to make time with him and Learn of Him. It is necessary and vital, but just think how Christ wants us to come to him:
Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.
What a statement!
He Loves us friends, each one of us! Unconditionally, and when we Learn of Him, when we become like Him, we will succeed in this life only through him regardless of what we go through.
Do not think for a moment that our lives will be sinless, but we are all made perfect in weakness found only in Christ our Lord. Amen.