Mike’s Musings ….
We So Easily Forget, Unless We Do It Often
The other day I was working on our website. It was time to add another menu item and category for Bible study lessons. Since I don’t add categories very often, I’d forgotten exactly how to do it. I looked over the other ones I’d added and endeavored to copy the format exactly, but it didn’t work! After some time and carefully going step by step, I finished that problem, only to learn I had two other problems. Like the first one, I couldn’t remember how I’d fixed these before. Thankfully, I’d saved the videos our webmaster sent, showing me how to fix these problems and carefully referring to them, these problems also were successfully corrected.
How easily we forget! We get involved in doing something, we’re interrupted, and then we ask, “What was I doing?” We begin a project that we’ve done many times before, but when it’s time to do it again, we just can’t remember how we did it. Because we fail to accomplish the task with ease on the first attempt, we grow frustrated, and because of the frustration, we fail repeatedly and often surrender to defeat. Some would gleefully say, “You’re out of practice,” while others might jest, “You forget when you get older,” while the real reason is much more basic: we just don’t do it enough to remember!
This is one of the reasons why frequent worship is commanded. “Upon the first day of the week” (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2) is the day we find the earliest disciples meeting for worship. How many first days of the week are there? By our calendar, there are fifty-two of them. Two items of worship are limited to the first day of the week for our participation, viz. the Lord’s Supper and giving as we have been prospered. (ibid.) By the statement, “upon the first day of the week,” that frequency helps us remember the purpose of the Lord’s supper and the purpose of giving. Anything less would lead to our forgetting!
With the study and meditation of scripture, with singing and with prayer, we find a daily practice among the early brethren (Acts 2:46; 5:42; 17:11; et al). Paul tells us the necessity of daily renewal (2 Corinthians 4:16). Why is it best to pay attention to study, singing and praying daily? So we won’t forget!
I muse on the several things I used to know how to do, but now have no idea where to begin with the project! But more, I muse on the delight in knowing that I can let the word of Christ dwell in me richly in all wisdom, but only by daily imbibing its riches! I don’t ever want to forget His word, its guidance, and its sustaining power for my soul! If I remember nothing else, let me never forget the power of His word, its gracious leadership of my soul, the comfort it gives when I am troubled, and the assurance it grants when I’ve done all I know to do for the Master. Let me diligently imbibe it daily so that I never forget how wonderful God is!