How God Teaches Us to be More Christ-like (Psalm 32 Devotional)
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” - Psalm 32:8
Who was the best teacher you ever had in your life? Why were they so good?
There was a teacher in my high school that everyone loved. He couldn’t have been more than 5’5” and had to have been close to retirement age. He taught history. But he didn’t just teach it - he made it come alive. He’d jump up on his desk when students got disengaged and give a compelling speech, he’d show up to school dressed as different historical figures and act like them as he taught about them, and he made students come up in front of the class and argue out different ideas about politics.
Even if you didn’t have him, you’d hear about the crazy things he did in the class. And even students who hated history wanted to take his class. And they learned - a lot!
Great teachers seem to share some common traits: they have mastery over the material they are teaching, they are passionate about it, and they can present it in an engaging and compelling way.
But there is one trait that is perhaps the most important trait of all. It’s that they care about the student so much that they’ll do just about anything to get them to understand the material. As the cliche goes, people don’t care about what you know unless they know you care.
The same is true of God. We know Him as our Comforter, Savior, Helper, and Lord. But He also desires to be our teacher. And He can be the best teacher we ever had because He alone has all the traits of a truly great teacher.
He holds all truth. As a matter of fact, He IS all truth.
And He gives us the most important textbook a person can have - The Bible. It is His infallible, Spirit-breathed, living Word. (1 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 33:4) And it contains all that we need for life and godliness. (1 Peter 1:3)
But He doesn’t stop there. He also presents truth to us in the most compelling way possible - through our very lives. His Spirit helps us see life through His eyes. We gain wisdom, perspective, and become who we were really designed to be as we learn from and submit to His Spirit.
You are not here by accident. God placed you on the earth at exactly the right time and place to teach you the most important lessons in life -specifically molded for you. There is nothing you have or will experience that is not designed for your good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)
He cares desperately about our souls and character. And He will do all that is necessary to help us to become who He created us to be. As Rick Warren said, “The ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development.” His ultimate goal is for us to glorify Him, and we glorify Him most by becoming more Christlike in our character.
Questions for Thought:
Who was the best teacher you ever had?
What made them so great?
How is God your ultimate teacher?
