Maybe our memory can fail us
We all know to read the directions before we start any project that requires assembly…or chemicals, but many think we can do it own our own. Unsettling when we see leftover parts. But perhaps we need to extend the truism of “read the directions,” to “stay fresh with directions.” We learned that the hard way.
If you have stainless steel, as in a sink, BBQ grill, or others, we recommend “Bartender’s Friend,” designed to work on stainless, aluminum, and porcelain. It’s served us well for decades. But recently, we relied on our memories when our stainless steel sink needed cleaning. We wet it, sprinkled the friendly powder on, rubbed it some, and let it rest to remove the stains. Operating on the premise that if a little works well, more may work better, we let it go a day. That caused the stains you see in the pic.
Our dismay caused us to reread the directions, to wet the sink, sprinkle the powder on, rub the sink, and rinse it well within 30 seconds. Not hours, but seconds. Those stains remain…a perpetual reminder for us to stay fresh with directions.
I care most about biblical ones. I got caught on that last week in the Life Group I lead. Professionally, I spent 23 years pastoring, and 29 years writing nonfiction Christian living books (some overlap there, I’m old but not quite THAT ancient). In discussing John the Baptist’s question in Matthew if Jesus were truly the Messiah, one member pointed out that John asked that while imprisoned. I responded, “Are you sure?” then realized first that it was in the text, and that I really knew that, but it had been too long since I read the passage on my own, rather than to review before the lesson. I studied scripture meticulously when teaching and writing, but not so much of late. My bad.
Sometimes we all, not just pastors and authors, tend to think we’ve studied the Bible enough that we don’t need to spend as much time studying it. We don’t keep fresh with its instructions. I like the acronym of BIBLE: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Stale bread thrills no one, nor does stale knowledge please God. Nor does it help us in living to please him while here.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). More confession time, I had to pause to remember the address on this, one of my life verses. This reminds me of the old line, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”
How or when we do it matters little, find what works best for you. But let’s all keep fresh with God’s directions. All of them.
Kick Starting the Application
Do you feel like you’ve kept yourself fresh with your knowledge of the Bible? What keeps you from that? What will you do this week to refresh yourself?