Forgetting What God Says
James 1:22-24 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. (ESV)
How often have you read something in God’s Word … say, in the morning … and thought to yourself “Oh, yeah! Absolutely! That is so good. That is so right!”? But then, by lunchtime, you can’t even remember what you read. It happens way too often, doesn’t it?
My first degree was a double major in pure mathematics and computer science. My favourite subject? Calculus. I could differentiate and integrate any equation that you could throw at me. But today, I can’t even tell you what calculus is! Think about that. Our propensity to forget what we’ve been taught is incredible.
Now at the same time, I was doing my military training. Amongst other things, we learned to strip and assemble a 7.62mm SLR rifle. If you blindfolded me today and handed me that SLR, I could strip and assemble it as quickly and faultlessly as forty years ago.
Why the difference? Because I learned calculus by listening to lectures, while stripping and assembling was taught by doing it. We practiced over and over again, ad nauseam. It’s the same with God’s Word!
James 1:22-24 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. (ESV)
I think we read God’s Word way too quickly. I have never once read the whole Bible in a year. Right now, I’ve been stuck in just a few verses – reading, thinking, praying, dreaming … doing … getting it wrong some days, but persisting. That’s how we learn. That’s how we remember. That’s how we grow and change and see our lives transformed.
So, don’t just listen to it. Do it!
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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