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Now that we have seen how a pencil can teach us about faith, let's take a look at how the sticky note teaches us about the Holy Spirit. Teachers can't live without those faithful sticky notes. We have tons of them, in a variety of colors. I would venture to say they are one of the greatest inventions for teachers, readers, and students alike. So, let's look at how they help us understand the job of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. I'll begin by listing the related scriptures first. Scripture References: John 14:26 (ESV) - "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." John 16:13 (NLT) - "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." Romans 8:9 (NLT) - "But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)" Gal. 5:22 (NLT) - "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness," Devotion: Sticky notes help teachers and others in so many ways. I will only highlight four of them in this devotion. First, they help us remember things we need to get done. They help us prioritize what's important. One of my favorites is being able to annotate using sticky notes as I read a book or when teaching my students how to use the annotation strategy. They help us to focus and zoom in on what is important in the text so we can put all the key details together and determine the overall theme. In addition, they are great for labeling the papers on our desk. Yes, believe it or not, we still require our students to write things out on paper. All of these also teach us more about the Holy Spirit. Stay with me. 1. Remind - Like the pencil, sticky notes have to be used by an individual. Otherwise, they sit and collect dust. According to John 14:26, Christ sent His Holy Spirit as one who would bring His words back to our remembrance. Just like the sticky note is our helper as educators, the Holy Spirit helps us and teaches us, which enhances our faith in Christ. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. 2. Prioritize - Have you been given several different tasks at school? It all may be happening that day (meeting during your planning, call a parent, complete modules, and more). So you won't forget, you go to your room and write them down in their order of importance. Otherwise, none of it will get done because you would forget all about it once your next class starts or when your students return from specials. This helps me with understanding how the Holy Spirit teaches us to prioritize our relationship and obedience to God. The LORD wants our relationship with Him to succeed. Therefore, He doesn't leave us on our own. His Spirit guides us into all truth, so we are not deceived by the enemy. Just like if we didn't have that sticky note with the list of priorities on our desk, we would more than likely fail at our job expectations. He knows we need His Spirit within to remind us to walk upright and remain faithful. 3. Annotate - Now, if you (like me) have ever been trying to get your students to understand a difficult text, you teach the annotation strategy. It could be something as simple as who, what, when, where, why, and how. Whichever you teach, the students walk away understanding the pieces and the overall meaning of the text. This is the ultimate goal. Even greater than this, God's ultimate goal is for us to not be controlled by sin any longer but by His Spirit. He wants us to know Him and understand our overall purpose in this life as we walk with Him. So, we "annotate," seeking to understand the 5w's and the H about God, and also the overall meaning of life and life in Him. Therefore, we take note of the important things about God, His holiness, His truth, His righteousness, and His purpose for us. 4. Label - Finally, sticky notes are used often to label. When my students have completed reading summaries and other assignments, I paperclip and label them by class period and grade level. You may use sticky notes to label by subject area, so your life is much easier when you sit down to grade them. As believers in Christ, like those stacks of papers, there are certain labels people should see on us as the Holy Spirit helps to produce them. They should not be confused about our transformation. According to Galatians 5:22, the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in us as we submit our lives to Him. When people see us, they should notice the labels of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. Our lives shouldn't be revealing worldly or ungodly labels. We are made new in Christ, and the Holy Spirit is at work to grow us. Takeaway: I pray that you will take away a few things about the Holy Spirit from this devotion. If the LORD desires for you to succeed in your calling as an educator, even more He wants you to succeed in your relationship with Him. So, He sent His Spirit to lead and guide you. Just when we need it, He will remind you of God's will and His way. He will nudge you to keep making your relationship with Christ a priority. He will assist you in understanding the overall truth, faith, and purpose. Finally, He will help you to display the correct spiritual labels as you walk in true relationship. Prayer: Lord, I thank you for allowing me to see the work of the Holy Spirit through the function of a sticky note. Thank you for your Holy Spirit's guidance, understanding, direction, and correction in my life. Help me to allow your Spirit to do the work in me, for my good and your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. Please Comment Below: Which function of the sticky note helped you learn more about the Holy Spirit's job in our lives? Explain.  Please add your comments below.
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Have you ever wondered how a pencil can teach us about faith? As a teacher in any capacity, I use pencils often. Although the world has advanced in technology since I began teaching, the pencil still holds its value. Teachers and students across the world use pencils to complete assignments, tasks, and more. Let's look at how the pencil also points us to faith. Scripture References: Eph. 2:10 (NLT) - "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." 1 John 1:9 (NIV) - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." James 1:2-4 (NIV) - "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, a whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." 2 Cor. 12:9 (NLT) - "Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." Devotion: We write with, erase with, sharpen, and sometimes break pencils. Believe it or not, these also point us to faith. 1. Write - First, we must consider that a pencil (by itself) can't operate on its own. It must be held by someone to become useful. This is what God does in our lives. Our story was planned out from the beginning, and God wants to get us to that "expected end." I came to understand this as I drew near to Christ. I realized that God wanted to write the story He intended for me, but I needed to place my faith and trust in Him. As He unveiled His story for my life, He also included my struggles and caused me to overcome them and helped me to assist others with similar stories. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God's "masterpiece." Some versions use the word "handiwork." I believe we are described this way because only God knew the great purpose He created us to complete. Therefore, He doesn't leave us in the same state so that we can do the good work He planned for us in the beginning. 2. Erase - Next, the LORD erased my sin, my burdens, and took away the fears of my past as I surrendered my heart to Him. 1 John 1:9 states we must confess our sins against our creator. Then, He is faithful to forgive us and purify us, setting us on a new journey towards Him. 3. Sharpen - In addition, the LORD used my struggles to sharpen me, my inner man. James 1:2-4 records that we should consider it pure joy when we face trials. As our faith is tested, this produces perseverance in us. To persevere means to keep trying, to be determined no matter the obstacles. My struggles were many, and there was a time where I had given up, surrendering to the pain of it all, but God wouldn't leave me there. As I cried out to Him, He began to grow me and rescued me from drowning in my despair. This is what sharpening a pencil brings to mind. God is helping us to have the strength to "hang in there," to get up and keep going. 4. Break - Finally, God didn't leave me in my broken state. Yes, like a broken pencil still being able to write, I was producing, moving and operating, but I wasn't in the state of my intended use. My broken state was a false identity until I came to Christ and He made me new, like an unsharpened pencil, fresh out the pack on the first day of school. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul said that he boasted about his weaknesses so that the power of Christ could work through him. This is what I also learned to do. My strength isn't mine. It's His. I didn't restore myself. He did. Therefore, I like Paul, will continue to boast in my weaknesses and allow Christ's power to operate fully in me. Takeaway: I pray that you will take away a few things from this devotion. Pencils can teach us about faith. The LORD wants to reveal your true story to you, the one He wrote. He wants to erase your sin, burdens, and the fears from the past and present. He wants to sharpen your faith as you experience the trials of life, and He wants to make you new from the inside out. Please feel free to use the prayer below or write your own. Prayer: Lord, thank you for allowing me to learn about faith through the functions of a pencil. Thank you for creating me with YOUR purpose in mind. Thank you for not leaving me, nor forsaking me. Help me to surrender what you desire to erase from my life and where you desire to sharpen me. Help me to bring my broken places to you and to allow you to make me new. In Jesus' name, amen. Please Comment Below: Which function of the pencil spoke to your heart the most? Why? Be Blessed, A Teacher's HOPE Denise M. Walker |
A Teacher's HOPE BlogA Teacher's HOPE is a devotional blog where I share my faith journey as both an educator and a teacher of God's Word. ArchivesCategoriesCOPYRIGHT © 2015 DENISE M. WALKER
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