Exodus 33:13 “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

Here we have an illustration of why God was pleased with Moses: he kept seeking to know more of God. In any area of life, the moment we think we know everything we lose our edge. That goes doubly when it comes to God, because He is by definition infinite. Sometimes we encounter “religious professionals” who are really just going through the motions because they aren’t pressing in for more of God. That’s tragic both for them and for those to whom they minister. Another point to note here is that Moses wasn’t just seeking to know more of God for himself, he was doing it because he had been given the charge of leading God’s people. That is equally true for every pastor and priest, but we forget it all too often. Any time a church leader forgets that it is God’s Church, the Body of Christ, then they and their people are in deep trouble. I’ve seen churches that were the pastor’s kingdom, not the kingdom of God! Anyone in a position of church leadership must operate in genuine humility, because they are certainly in need of God’s mercy! Christians, who operate under the New Covenant, sometimes look down on Jews, who operate under the Old Covenant, confident that Christians have the fuller revelation. However, there’s not a theologian alive who understands everything about either the Old or the New Covenant, much less walks it all out faithfully. We all have unlimited room to grow in our knowledge of and obedience to God, and the better we understand that, the better off we will be.

This has actually been something of a trap for me, because I have been tempted to look at my own level of knowledge of the Bible in comparison with that of those around me, rather than in comparison to the infinity of God’s love, grace, and holiness. I remember one time when I was much younger that I actively felt I was blessing any church I attended, when actually I was very far from the Lord. When He tapped me on the shoulder and held up a mirror for me to look at when I turned around, I was devastated, realizing that it had been a miracle of grace that He hadn’t squashed the loathsome bug that I had become. My progress since then hasn’t been constant, but it’s continued for over 40 years and I’m deeply grateful. I am currently leading what looks like a very small part of the Body of Christ, but I have the deep conviction that my actions extend far beyond what is visible. If I am to be faithful to my assignment I’ve got to keep pressing in for more of God, knowing Him better, yielding myself to Him better, allowing Him to speak and act through me better. After all, it’s for His people, the Body of Christ.

Father, thank You for the incredible honor and privilege of acting as Your under-shepherd. You know how I’ve rebelled against that in the past. Help me press in to know more of You so that I will be more effective as Your agent on every level and in every way, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!