Galatians 5 (4)

Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers from Susie and me. We pray that this holiday season will find you rejoicing in the Lord, enjoying your time with family and friends, and encouraging those with whom you worship and serve at your church.

Pray Psalm 105.1, 2, 8-11.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!...
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance…”

Sing Psalm 105.1, 2, 8-11.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Give thanks unto the LORD Most High; call on His Name, before Him cry!
Make known His deeds in every land; sing praise for all the works of His hand.

He will His covenant faithfully guard—His oath, the promise of His Word.
That which He to our fathers swore, He will perform forevermore!

Read Galatians 6.1-6; meditate on verse 6.

Preparation
1. What are teachers supposed to do?

2. What must those who are taught do?

Meditation
Paul is straightforward here about the duties of those who teach and those who are taught. Those who teach must teach the Word of the Lord. This applies, in the first instance, to pastors and teachers in the household of faith (Eph. 4.11). They who are entrusted with the Word of God must teach it wholly, clearly, faithfully, and without compromise, as Paul himself did.

But this instruction applies to all who teach, including parents, schoolteachers, and all disciples (who ought to be teachers, Heb. 5.12). All teaching should be grounded in the Word of God and aimed at bringing glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. For of Him and through Him and unto Him are all things, to whom be glory forever and ever (Rom. 11.36). We must ground, develop, and sustain all our teaching within the parameters of the Word of God.

Those who are taught must show their gratitude and fulfill the obligation of sharing “all good things” with those who teach. That won’t always be in the form of financial remuneration, although such is included where appropriate. Feedback, making application of what is taught, showing gratitude and encouragement—these are good things to share with those who teach, and you can be sure they will appreciate and be blessed by them.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Let him who is taught the word
share in all good things
with him who teaches” (Gal. 6.6).

If it seems like Paul keeps on and on about making us holy, it is for the purpose of our good and the good of others. He is a chief promoter of God’s idea and plan for His people—The Church.

Examine this Scripture, that Paul knew and wanted to impart to us: blessing upon blessing.
“Do good, O LORD,
to those who are good, and
to those who are upright in their hearts” (Ps. 125.4).

Why? Well because:
“As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways,
the LORD shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity” (Ps. 125.5).
And who in their right mind wants to go that route?

So, Paul keeps teaching, and we keep learning. Because if we don’t, we become like those Paul wrote to Titus about: “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work” (Titus 1.16).

But we don’t want to be disqualified but qualified to do every good work that we have been called to do (Eph. 2.10). We long to be useful, and to do what is our duty to do (Lk. 17.10).

Then we must be mindful of sharing all good things with those who teach us. It is a bit like tithing, in that the money and the grace goes round and round within the Body of Christ. It is just the way things work in His Kingdom economy.

And yes, a word of encouragement is a beautiful way to share.

For both the teacher and the taught look to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift; and in looking to Him we look to His Law for guidance: “He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (Jms. 1.17, 25).

Teacher and taught alike.

Reflection
1. Why is it important to pray for our pastors and teachers?

2. Why is it important to encourage them in their ministries?

3. Since we all are called to teach, who are the people you will teach today? How should you prepare?

It is probable that the teachers and ministers of the word were at that time neglected. This shewed the basest ingratitude. How disgraceful is it to defraud of their temporal support those by whom our souls are fed! John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Galatians 6.6

Pray Psalm 105.3-7, 45.
Praise God, Who supplies all our needs—spiritual and material. Pray for those by whom you are instructed in the Word, and take the time to encourage them today.

Sing Psalm 105.3-7, 45.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Glory in God, rejoice in heart, all you who seek His holy part.
Him and His strength and Presence seek; His works proclaim, His judgments speak.

You holy children of Abraham, you chosen ones of Jacob, stand!
He is our LORD, of wondrous worth; His judgments are in all the earth.

So let us all in our Savior confide, and in His holy Law abide.
Let us observe His glorious Word, and praise our sovereign, faithful LORD!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

For more insight in teaching and learning in Jesus, see our book, Know, Love, Serve. Learn more and order your copy in book form by clicking here, or in PDF by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.