“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 NIV)
I previewed this meditation in our service yesterday. Last Friday I made two lists. On one list I wrote all the things I needed to do on Saturday. On the second list I wrote all the errands I was supposed to run on Saturday before going over to the church. I made some great notes. Guess what? You are absolutely right! I forgot my list!
Now, I knew that the first thing on the list was to go to health food store. After picking up exactly what I was to pick up, I headed to my car. I pulled off, drove about a mile, perhaps a little more, down the road and suddenly I remembered that I was to go to the cleaners before heading to the east side of town. The cleaners, by the way, is located right around the corner from the health food store and to get there would not have even required going back on the street at all. It was adjacent to the health food store.
As I turned around at the first street possible, after I remembered what I wrote on the list, after recalling my notes that I had scribbled on my list, I came back to pick up the clothes at the cleaners. I wasted a lot of time and gas, my plan was not followed, experience frustration, and even balled-out myself! All this because I did not profit from my forgotten notes of things to do.
Is this pointless? Is this just a personal journal entry and not profitable at all? No! This Monday Short Meditation has a purpose. I am supposed to encourage you to look at the notes you took yesterday while being in church. Look at the notes you made in your church sermon notebook, or on the wide margin of your Bible, or on your church bulletin, or on that wrinkled piece of paper you squeezed out of your pocket or purse. Check your notes! That will ensure that you not only don’t forget what the Lord had to say, but you will do what His sent, specific message instructed you to do!
Well, I have done the first things on my list this Monday morning. I have written to you and prayed for you. Now, let me go find my other notes of things to do. and like you, go back and look at my notes from church. Have a magnificent, memory-filled Monday! Check the quote out below in case you don’t think notetaking is important. Be blessed!
“Acquiring the habit of note-taking is therefore a wonderfully complementary skill to that of listening.” — (Richard Branson)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King