Mike’s Musings …

Teach Me, O Lord

   At least thirteen times within the book of Psalms, the phrase, “teach me” is found with the request being directed to God the Father. There are seven areas of “learning” in which the psalmist desired God’s teaching: His paths, His truth, His way, His statutes, His good judgment and knowledge, and His will. When you consider the Teacher, there is none greater. When you consider the lessons, there is none of greater importance. But when you consider the student … well, that will depend on the student’s interest in the subjects and his/her respect for the teacher and the subject being taught.

   Even years after we’ve left the classroom, there remain teachers with whom we retain contact because we respect their knowledge and expertise regarding their abilities to impart that knowledge. But none of us have had a teacher like Christ Jesus, who taught as one having authority and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:28 – 29). But Jesus said what He learned, His Father taught Him: “Then said Jesus unto them, ‘When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.’” (John 8:28 emp. mjd) Think of it: learning from the Master Teacher who was taught by the Teacher’s Teacher! You just can’t get better than that in any fashion!

     Most of us know how difficult learning can be, but we also know the more interest we have in a subject, the more devoted we become to learning that subject. This is especially true of God’s word ~ His paths, His truth, His way, His statures, His good judgment and knowledge, and His will. The benefit is the more you learn of God’s Word, the more you desire to learn! It is much like the two men who walked with Jesus after His resurrection toward Emmaus (Luke 24: 13 – 35). They expressed their reaction to this brief yet valued encounter saying, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” They craved His teaching enough to return to Jerusalem, find the apostles, and join themselves to His disciples. Oh, that souls would so desire the teaching of this Master Teacher in today’s world!

     I muse on such realities of teachers and the subjects they teach. Each student easily determines the passion of the teacher and the subject he teaches. I muse on whether our passion equals His as He continues to teach us all that we must do to be eternally saved!