He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
– John 7:18
I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me
– John 8:28
Here Jesus is making claims about himself to others. They are accusing him and some are looking for a way to arrest and kill him. Jesus states the source and purpose of his teaching.
His source: he speaks not on his own, but only what the Father has taught him.
His purpose: He works for the honor of the Father and no one else.
I speak. Too much. I have to make sure that I am not speaking my own thoughts. Otherwise I might honor myself. The glory may come to me. Or worse, I might screw up his reputation. I have to speak what the Father is teaching me. That way, he gets the honor. He gets to choose the content, the context, and the clock (the right time).
On my own, I can do none of this well. When I speak what the Father is teaching me, I am becoming a mouthpiece for the creator of the universe. He gets the glory. He gets lifted up. Others come to know him.
Let’s face it. We are simple creatures. We can all too easily mess things up. Beyond that, we don’t have the insight to speak into people’s lives on our own. However, when we allow ourselves to be taught by God, he uses us in the right place at the right time, teaching the right things, and kingdom things begin to happen. The air becomes thin.
We often want the results without the prep work. Step #1 is to allow ourselves to be taught by the creator. Pray like it is a holy conversation. Get in the Word each day. God is wanting to use us, but he must be teaching us. It’s time to get busy knowing the Father.
photo by duchamp