February 8th – Phoney Memory

Listening to the Holy Spirit:

My Word flows out to you. In each moment I am speaking. Where do you incline your ear? Many do not hear the words of their Lord clearly for lack of listening. Noise of the world, as loose bricks, lay before the path of understanding, stumbling those with eyes closed traveling its way. What they do hear, they forget, for they deem not the importance. Much is committed to the mind, but little of My Word.

But for those who seek My way, that clear the way of their listening, they shall hear and remember, for their hearts see value, and close they draw. Their lives are blessed for the truth they carry. My Spirit ignites what is stored, and in the living is made alive. Is it not your Lord who speaks? Then eat of My words that they are retained for the journey. Chew, that they may nourish in famine, for My words are life to those who seek life eternal, with He who is eternal. Weigh not them lightly, for they are the mighty foundation and shall not cease. They bring truth and life to the perishing, and raise up all that are called by the Father. Eat and remember, for they are to be written on the heart.

Col 3:16 (ESV) – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Ps 37:31 (ESV) – The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.

Ps 119:11 (ESV) – I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Col 3:16 (ESV) – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Joshua 1:8 (ESV) – This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

John 14:26 (ESV) – But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Taking It to Work:

I make a fairly poor joke about my memory every once in a while. I hold up my phone, and I say, “This phone is my memory!” Unfortunately, over the years, that has become true. Appointments, meetings, and every phone number is in my phone, not my head. In a way that has helped me, but in another, it has harmed me.

I just heard a great sermon on having the right posture before God; to be humble and honored to be called His son, and to be called into His presence. It reminded me of the great honor we have being given His Word, in its completeness, at the tip of our fingers, first in print, but now in every translation and language right in our phones. It’s a great blessing, but also has brought with it a great destructive permission, for me to not have to memorize anything.

I misplaced my phone the other day, and for a day and a half, I was crippled. I didn’t know my wife’s phone number, none of my kids’ numbers. When I finally got home, I had to jump on the computer to remember my upcoming appointments, and even as I prepared this devotional, I realized how dependent I was on the internet for finding scripture, scripture that was only partially in my memory, because it is so easy to let a search engine do the rest.

Back to the sermon on honor and correct posture before the Lord. In the middle of that sermon the Lord spoke to me. He showed me a picture of me bowing down before a silhouette of a very important person. I’m not sure who it was, but it didn’t matter, as in this scene I was listening and memorizing everything this person was saying to me. Why? Because he was of extreme importance, therefore, what he was saying was of extreme importance, and I didn’t want to forget it.

So, you get the point. God was telling me I need to get back to memorizing His Word. I should not be relying on my phone or the ease of Google, because my phone and even Google are not always going to be there; and more importantly, having His Word written on my heart, honors the God who has honored me by speaking to me in the first place. It is part of a humble posture to memorize, so we can remember the words spoken to us by our Mighty God.

If your CEO was to fly in and come into your office today, specifically to give you personal instruction or advice, you would memorize it instantly, and you would likely write it down as soon as he left so you wouldn’t forget. Let’s give our great Lord that same honor. Let’s write His Word on ours hearts, so we can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, recall all that He has spoken, without our phones, as His Word works in us, today.