A Challenge for the Teacher

Oh dear! Yesterday, my Bible on my lap fell open at James. Haven’t read it for some time. And there it was: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly”(James 3:1). I don’t presume – I am a teacher and I have been doing it for at least 60 years.
But it is a warning that we – I – must take serious. We know the truth and so we should be more faithful than others!
There is one big area that must challenging us. The Christian teacher enters into a perilous heritage. In the early Church he took the place of the Rabbi in Judaism. “Rabbi” means “My great one.” Therein lies the danger. (“Whoever wants to become great among you must become your servant- Matt 20:26). Those who minister are the SERVANTS of those they minister to!
And the other great danger is we look after the vineyards of others but “our own vineyard we have not kept” (Song of Solomon 1:6) – probably the greatest danger of all! If you are not a teacher – pray for yours.