Meditation

12/09/2020

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth, and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. God and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” (Psalm25:4–9)

The Lord Himself was the true Teacher of Israel. All others—-Moses, priests, prophets, and parents—-were His “teaching assistants.”All who teach in the name of God teach by His authority and share His purpose—-to guide learners in His truth.

The “truth” is not a set of abstract doctrines; rather, they are a way of life, which guides us in how we are to live our lives. To learn from this Teacher is to walk in the path which He reveal to us, one day at a time.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, You began teaching long before You ever sent Moses to bring out Your people from Egypt, and brought them to the Promised Land. Even then, You did not stop, for You had Your Word written down for all to learn and understand, and then You sent Your Son, our Savior, to model the behavior that we are to follow, both physically, mentally, and by example for others to learn. Jesus preached and taught, He had His disciples to learn and model for others and each wrote Your Word called the New Testament, for us to remember that which He taught to us. Finally, You gave us the Holy Spirit, to complete the process of our learning, that with the Spirit, we can speak to You directly and to share ourselves with You daily, and not just when we desire something. In honor of our relationship with You and Your Son Christ Jesus, we pray that we will always remember all that You have taught us. Amen

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“To ease the heartache of another will ease the weight of one’s self.”

KNOWING GOD:

“God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?” (Job 36:22)

The Bible presents God as the divine Educator. He reveals Himself to His people by instructing them in wisdom and knowledge.

He calls co-teachers into His service, but the Lord Himself is their exemplar as Teacher and the ultimate source of their subject matter.

I AM

“They turned their backs to me and not their faces; they would not listen or respond to discipline.” (Jeremiah32:33)

This word came to Jeremiah: I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? This what the Lord says: I am about to hand the city over to the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnessar, king of Babylon, who will capture it. By burning incense on the roofs of their houses to Baal, and pouring drink offerings to other gods, the people of Israel and Judah have done nothing by evil in my sight from their youth. I has aroused my anger and today, this will stop.

Even when God Himself was their Teachers, the children of Judah failed to learn. God’s teaching included punishment and discipline for His people. Even divine disciple failed. What more forceful way to illustrate the necessity of the the learner’s willing participation in the teaching-learning transaction? When we resist learning, no one can teach us. The ways we find to divert worship form the Creator to the created may seem limitless, but one day, God will get our attention in a way that we could never imagine, and His discipline will at once, get our attention and we will once again fall in line to His teaching.

SECOND THOUGHT of the DAY:

“Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” (John7:16-17)

Jesus acknowledged a principle deeply imbedded in the Old Testament concept of education. God is the Teacher of His people. Just as Moses received the Law from God, so Jesus identified God as the Author of His teaching. Note, too, that one can appropriate this teaching only by doing God’s will. Learning is putting newly acquired knowledge into action.

God gives the gift of teaching to whom He will. Any church member who has the gift of teaching is responsible under God to learn from other teachers but also to study God’s Word personally. Such personal study should let God’s Word critique teachings learned from others.