Teach Me Your
Ways Lord
In the book of Exodus,
Moses describes portions of his life
journey for us. Often, the writings
of Moses are considered to be lists
of rules and regulations. This is
unfortunate, because a careful
analysis of his “ daily
diary” reveals a humble man of
profound wisdom and faith. He was a
leader of sterling character, who had
a genuine compassion and fervent love
for a group of very stubborn and
undeserving people. Yet, if you read
a description of Moses ‘
character as a young adult, it would
reveal actions that were fostered by
impetuousness, poor decision-making,
brashness, impatience and anger. So,
what brought about the change? In
Exodus 33: 13, I believe we find a
clue. Moses prayed: “If you
are pleased with me, teach me Your
ways so I may know You and continue
to find favor with You.” And
the Lord replied: My presence will
go with you, and I will give you
rest.” (Verse 14). I
am sure all of us would love to know
the Presence of God in our daily
lives and the rest and peace that
accompanies it. Yet, when we further
examine Moses’ life, the record
shows that it was anything but
peaceful! The nation of Israel had a
way of standing on every nerve in
Moses’ body, constantly
challenging and pushing him beyond
the limits of normal human patience,
forgiveness and love. Yet, time after
time, Moses managed to rise above the
situation he was facing,
demonstrating wisdom filled with
compassionate judgment and
leadership. How did he do that? Look
again at Exodus 33:13 and ponder the
phrase: “…teach me Your
ways so I may know You…”
This is the door that leads to
victorious Christian living.
Since this verse is
found in Exodus, you might
immediately conclude the phrase
“teach me Your ways,” means
rules or doctrine. Yes, it is
important to have sound doctrine and
a faith based on the solid foundation
of God’s Word. God gave the
written word to Moses for
instruction; however, we have missed
the point if our focus is on the
rules. Jesus made that radiantly
clear when He addressed the Pharisees
(the teachers of the Law), calling
them hypocrites, blind guides and
whitewashed tombs. (Matthew 23) Jesus
told them that an outward display of
“living by the rules” is
not the goal! The Pharisees were
proud because they had an extensive
knowledge of Scripture and believed
they had reached a “higher
standard of holiness.” Many
people today have fallen into this
pit. Unfortunately, they have
“woe-fully” missed the
point Jesus’ reprimand and have
failed to see the essence of
successful Christian living. How
ironic that the Pharisees’
quoted Moses to justify their
behavior, demonstrating how a carnal
heart can turn truth upside down. In
fact, If Moses’ life shows
anything, it proves how God can
internalize His character within a
human heart and mind. In spite of all
the stressors that constantly
assailed Moses daily, I believe he
learned how to have “peace”
in the midst of a storm.
Moses wanted to know
God on a personal, intimate basis.
Without wanting to seem irreverent,
Moses wanted to know what made God
“tick.” Sometimes in life,
we are privileged to meet someone we
admire. We long to associate with
them and know them better. We like
their company and are anxious to
learn the “secret” of their
positive lifestyle. In the same
manner, our greatest desire should be
to know God. We should be so
impressed with His magnificence and
graciousness that we long to know
what makes Him so loving and fair. We
should be so enamored with the
attributes of His character that we
would do anything to be with Him and
model our lifestyles after Him. When
we exercise strenuously, our bodies
crave water to quench dehydration.
God promises that if we will thirst
after His righteousness, our
spiritual cravings will be met and we
will be filled with His
righteousness, just like Moses was.
(Matthew 5:6)
In like manner, Paul
admonishes us to “be filled with
the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)
Therefore, for just a moment, let us
reflect on a few attributes of
God’s character by reviewing
what Paul calls the “fruit”
of the Spirit. The attributes of
God’s character are beyond human
understanding, but Paul does mention
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23)
This “list” is far more
than a simple list of positive traits
we should strive for; instead, it
gives us a glimpse into the wonderful
personality of God. Isn’t it
interesting that each of these
characteristics listed by Paul are
relational? For example, if
God’s Spirit lives within us, we
will be kind and gentle (to others),
patient and faithful (to others),
etc. These characteristics, by their
very nature, indicate that our
relationship with God is not a
one-sided affair. He is a real being
constantly striving to develop a
relationship with us. As His
children, we are to actively respond
to Him and His love. Even more, we
are to follow His example and treat
people we associate with in a similar
manner. Believe me, there is more
truth to the saying “like
Father, like son” than a simple
human example.
Heading Paul’s
list of Godlike attributes is love.
When Adam was created, he was given a
perfect love, just like God. When
Adam sinned, however, his capacity to
love became limited. Carnal man
cannot love his neighbor like
himself, but people who are
“born again” do have the
opportunity available to them to
experience that original love. Jesus
said, ‘love as I have loved
you.” (John 13:34) How does
this happen? Romans 5:5 states: “And
hope does not disappoint us, because
God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He
has given us.” Peter
revealed a wonderful insight into
God’s character when he said: “His
divine power has given us everything
we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of him who
called us by his own glory and
goodness. Through these he has given
us his very great and precious
promises, so that through them you
may participate in the divine nature
and escape the corruption in the
world caused by evil desires.” (2
Peter 1:3,4) You see, as we study
about Him, behold His character,
watch how He interacts with human
kind, His divine power is passed on
to us through the Holy Spirit.
Of course, this
is not just a one-sided deal. God
will help us, but He expects us to
have a compelling desire to be like
Him. It takes effort! Peter agrees: For
this very reason, make every effort
to add to your faith goodness; and to
goodness; knowledge; and to
knowledge, self-control; and to
self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness; and to
godliness, brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness, love.” (2
Peter 1:5-8) It takes effort to
harness our carnal nature. We have a
natural bend toward sinning – it
flows out of carnal hearts almost
effortlessly. Habits, good or bad,
are formed by repetitive behavior.
Unfortunately, by the time most of us
realize that we have made a mess of
our lives, we have already spent many
years forming bad habits and
consequently, making bad choices. The
only way to stop a consistent habit
is to use consistent effort. We know
that successful parenting is the
direct result of consistently setting
the parameters. Each time the child
presses the edge of those parameters;
good parents remind the child it is
time to change their behavior. God
sent the Holy Spirit to help
“parent” us. When we make a
commitment to become God’s
child, the Holy Spirit will
consistently remind us if we push the
edge of inappropriate behavior. If
you are fortunate enough to have a
good friend, you know that these
types of friendships are usually
developed over a long period of time.
As you converse and associate with
one another, friendships become more
intimate as you learn to trust each
other and the love you have for one
another. A good friend will always
use caution us if they think we are
about to make a bad choice. In a
similar way, our relationship with
God develops with time. As we learn
that the Holy Spirit’s counsel
is never wrong, we learn to trust Him
more.
Unfortunately, few of
us have developed the level of
intimacy that allows us to be
comfortable when we are alone with
God. The Holy Spirit, who enables us
to develop, coping abilities, has
been treated like a silent partner,
instead of our constant companion.
Therefore, when trials come, we feel
uncomfortable running to the Lord for
our reassurance and solace. To be
sure, if the magnitude of our trial
is significant enough and really
touches our soul, we may fall to our
knees and offer up a one-sided
prayer. How sad that so few of us
remain on our knees in the silence,
listening for His voice and sensing
the Holy Spirit’s Presence. What
a blessing we miss! Instead, we run
to our friends and loved ones for
advice and comfort. Truthfully, human
help is pitiful at best. People are
awkward and rarely say anything that
soothes our emotional needs. In fact,
many of us know very little about how
to deal with stressing situations and
would prefer not to face them with a
friend. How long will we struggle on
our own? Our Creator, through the
Holy Spirit, has been with us from
birth. He has seen every emotional
upheaval that has shredded our lives
and only He can address our emotional
needs and frustrations. It is rare to
find a person who exhibits true
compassion. It is rare to find a
person who “has the patience of
Job.” It is rare to find a
person who loves unconditionally and
is faithful, trustworthy and honest.
Why? Is it that the majority of us
are such a miserable group of people?
Is it that we really do not care? No,
I do not think so.
I believe that we have
gotten the horse before the cart. We
live in a society where book learning
is highly valued. It is an age where
we “run to and fro” making
money, keeping appointments, keeping
ourselves entertained and in good
physical shape. Before the age of
technology, there was time to be
quiet, gaze at God’s marvelous
creation, and search your soul.
Technology may have eased the
drudgery of life in many ways, but it
has also created an environment where
people are addicted to
“noise.” From the moment
most people’s feet hit the floor
after a night’s sleep, they are
immersed in noise via the car radio
or CD, television, phone calls,
job-related meetings, conversations
and on and on. Satan is clever. He
has created the kingdoms of this
world and their operating economies.
They function in such a way that
assures him that most of the human
population has very little quiet time
to be with God. He knows that if he
can keep us busy and surrounded by
noise, few of us will be able to hear
God’s voice. Job number one for
the born-again believer is to spend
time meditating on god’s
character, sensing His presence, and
listening for that still small voice.
This was Moses’ lifeline –
it allowed him to have peace, even
though those around him were
constantly complaining, murmuring,
and pressing his patience to the
limit. Toward the end of his life, he
encouraged Israel, “…Now
choose life, so that you and your
children may live and that you may
love the LORD your God, listen to his
voice, and hold fast to him. For the
LORD is your life…” (Deuteronomy
30:19,20) Jesus told this parable: “the
man who enters by the gate is the
Shepard of his sheep. The watchman
opens the gate for him, and the sheep
listen to his voice…But they
never follow a stranger; in fact,
they will run away from him because
they do not recognize a
stranger’s voice.”
(John 10:2-5) We often remember that
God’s people “hear His
voice,” but we usually stop
reading there. To me, what is more
significant about Jesus’ remark
is that He reveals to us that if we
do this correctly, we will become
absolutely familiar with the Holy
spirit’s inner voice. Then we
will immediately recognize when
“another voice” – that
of a stranger (the devil) –
tries to lead us astray. If we spend
time contemplating the ways of God,
reading about Jesus’ life,
learning what the principles of His
kingdom are, we will be prepared for
Satan’s assaults.
You can be sure that
if you make a sincere commitment to
take time to know God, Satan will
press into your personal space. He
will do everything to distract you.
He will send people to take your
“special time” and create
circumstances to fill up your days.
He will send trials, attempting to
fill your mind with fears and
anxiety, stealing your peace and
faith. 2 Timothy 3:12 makes it
clear: “In fact, everyone who
wants to live a godly life in Christ
Jesus will be persecuted.” That
certainly is a backhanded promise,
isn’t it? Why is it then, that
when we make this type of commitment,
we seem startled and unprepared for
the inevitable. It should not
surprise us then, when hardship
darkens our door. Jesus tried to warn
us, telling us that the world would
hate us. (John 15:19) He prayed: “My
prayer is not that you take them out
of the world but that you protect
them from the evil one. They are not
of this world, even as I am not of
it. Sanctify them by the truth; your
word is truth.” (John 17:
15-17) Knowing God, being filled with
His truth, is the only way we can
survive the devil’s attacks.
There is no other way! Peter was
absolutely right! It will take effort
and a heartfelt desire to know God
above anything else in life.
For most of us, the
thought of persecution or a test has
very negative connotations. Some
people are so afraid of trials that
they are afraid to follow Jesus. Yet,
if we view it appropriately, a test
given by a Master Teacher can be a
very positive tool, indicating where
we may be weak and providing an
opportunity to prepare for the next
test, until we pass. Therefore, if
our weakness happens to be in the
area of patience, for example, it is
possible a test will come daily.
However, if we are serious in our
desire to “be like Him,”
then with each test of our patience,
our ability to handle frustrating
situations will become more
developed. With His guidance, the day
will come when we pass the test and
that particular discipline will no
longer give us problems.
Luke wrote a
profound statement in Acts 4:13. He
wrote: “When they [the
elders and leaders] saw the
courage of Peter and John and
realized that they were unschooled,
ordinary men, they were astonished
and they took note that these men had
been with Jesus.” (Italics
mine) Believe me, if you spend enough
time with Jesus, it is self-evident!
Just as people are drawn to Jesus
because of His character, love and
words, people will be drawn to you.
There will be something different
about you. John 13:34, 35 says: “A
new command I give you: Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. By this all
men will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one
another.” If a converted
Paul had been in the audience that
day, he would have shouted a hearty
“Amen!” His agreement can
be read in Ephesians 5: 1,2 which
says: “Be imitators of God,
therefore, as dearly loved children
[children who are loved by their
parents want to emulate their
parents] and live a life of love,
just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.” Take
a moment, open your Bible and read
James 4: 1-12. James was writing to
the believers in Jesus Christ and it
sounds like they were struggling with
relatively the same issues that
believer are today – problems
with self-control, not enough love
and inappropriate motives. Times have
not changed much. To be truthful, as
sin marches on, I am sure our
generation is far more degenerate
than our first century counterpart
was. More than likely, we are far
more intolerant and critical of each
other’s beliefs and actions. But
Paul goes on to say, that if you will
“decide” to love that
person, even if you disagree, you
will gain the “fruit” of
goodness, righteousness and truth
(promised traits of God’s
character) for making that
commitment. How critical it is then,
to take our eyes off each other and
concentrate on reflecting God’s
character? It is easy. Not at first.
However, just as consistency pervades
when raising children so does
consistent decision-making prevail
when seeking to model God’s
characteristics. Do you see how it
works? Each time you pause before you
act, allowing the Holy Spirit to
infuse your mind and heart with a
willingness to follow God’s
lead, your actions to obey will
become easier. Eventually, the
intense struggle to love those people
who misuse you will not be so severe.
Why? Because God will do for you,
what you cannot do for yourself. If
you are anxious to please God, you
will decide, even in the hard times,
to rise above the situation (just
like Moses) and allow God’s
character to shine through you. Even
in the face of injustice, even in the
face of ridicule, even in the face of
rejection, the Holy Spirit will give
you the grace to rise above your
situation and love who may be hurting
you. This kind of lifestyle is
unearthly – it is not normal.
Why should it be? “For the
kingdom of God is not a matter of
eating and drinking, but of
righteousness, peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit, because anyone who
serves Christ in this way is pleasing
to God and approved by men.” (Romans
14: 17,18)
There it is
again…a short summary of
God’s personality. The Holy
Spirit longs to instill and develop
these traits within you! Moses knew
the secret – “teach me Your
ways!” Do you feel like the
“connection” with God has
become faint? Allow the Holy Spirit
to fan the flames of familiarity.
James encourages us: “Listen,
my dear brothers: Has not God chosen
those who are poor in the eyes of the
world to be rich in faith and to
inherit the kingdom he promised those
who love him?” James 2:5)
Love is developed over time, spending
precious time getting to know one
another. Now is the time to be
intimately acquainted with God,
making Him our number one priority.
Then will you be able to say with a
heart overflowing with thankful
emotion: “How do I love You, let
me count the ways!
