National Teachers Day // Exodus 18:20

Today we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Day. The verse I chose from Exodus 18:20 is where Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, encouraged him to devote himself to the teaching of God’s ways and delegate the role of judging disputes to others who are capable. Jethro wanted Moses to spend his precious energy on making sure the people understood how they were to behave in line with God’s will. This is because Jethro knew that Moses was being spread too thin, and if he dedicated his efforts to teaching people about God, then the rest would fall into place. The same is true for us today. With so much talk about “misinformation” jamming the airwaves, the focus on virtue would solve so many of the problems. But speaking of problems, we no longer agree on the meaning of virtue. For some it is the conventional wisdom of the day. That, my friends, is a lesson plan for disaster! What we need is to return to the timeless truth of God’s Word. It does not contradict reading, writing, arithmetic, or science, but confirms it! So, on this National Teacher Appreciation Day, let’s give thanks to the many teachers who dedicate their lives to instilling virtue into their pupils. For the others that are caught up in other kinds of “teaching,” or intent on deceiving others into it, let’s pray their own pupils are opened to see the truth. After all, as Jesus said, it’s the truth that sets us free!