Like Our Great Teacher

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled Like Our Great Teacher, was written by Marvin Williams. In a viral video, a three-year-old white belt karate student imitated her instructor. With passion and conviction, the little girl said the student creed with her leader. Then, with poise and attentiveness, the little ball of cuteness and energy imitated everything her teacher said and did.

At least she did a pretty good job. In Luke chapter 6, Jesus once said, the student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. He told his disciples that to imitate him included being generous, loving, nonjudgmental, and discerning about whom they followed. Can the blind lead the blind?

Will they not both fall into a pit? His disciples needed to discern that this standard disqualified the Pharisees, who were blind guides, leading people to disaster. And they needed to grasp the importance of following their teacher. Thus, the aim of Christ's disciples was to become like Jesus himself. So, it was important for them to pay careful attention to Christ's instruction about generosity and love and apply it. As believers striving to imitate Jesus today, let's give our lives over to our master teacher so we can become like him in knowledge, wisdom, and behavior. He alone can help us reflect his generous, loving ways. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Luke chapter 6, verses 37 through 42. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over — will be poured into your lap.

For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. He also told them this parable. Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?

The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Let's pray. Jesus, thank you for being our great teacher. Help us to be disciplined and attentive to your teaching and to live lives worthy of you. Thank you, Lord. It's in your name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Stephen Tabor, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.