Mark preached on the topic of teaching and learning today, which is always interesting for me as a teacher. I seem to have spent a lot of time during the summer holidays pondering this subject, not always reaching satisfactory conclusions. How can I make my teaching more interesting and memorable? What are the different methods of learning? How do I motivate pupils who are not interested in my subject? What is the point of learning?
Mark commented that two things were needful for successful learning to take place: a desire to learn and a good teacher. We were challenged to ask God to teach us things, including a heightened awareness of what pleases and displeases Him: “Teach me what I cannot see;if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.'” (Job 34:32) Sin is so embedded in our lives and the heart is so desperately deceitful and wicked that without illumination from God, we will not be able to learn how to please Him.
Then, looking at various verses from Psalms, he talked about the things we need to learn:
(1) how to walk with God (“Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths” Ps 25:4 and “Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors” Ps 27:11)
(2) we need to learn from the Word (“guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long” Ps 25:5) since “what we know determines how we serve God.”
(3) the wonders of God (“In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds” Ps 45:4)
(4) that we are in a spiritual war (“Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me” Ps 144:1-2)
Learning from God isn’t always easy, but it will always lead us into truth and the truth shall set us free.