And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19 NASB)
We have poor memories. How many times do we make the same mistake until we finally learn our lesson? It could be driving on empty in our car and either running out of gas or just barely making it to the station. We swear we’ll never do that again, but we do. Maybe it was back in school when we were never going to cram for another test, and we find ourselves pulling an all-nighter for the biology final. Never again. Maybe it’s complaining about our parents when we were young (or old) and forgetting everything they have done for us.
We swear we’ll never do dumb things again, but we do.I am amazed at the things I don’t remember when it comes to my golf game. Swing tips, important drills, putting thoughts—things that once helped me play better, and somehow I haven’t thought of them in six months or longer. Maybe that’s why the best players in the game have a teacher with them on tour. What if that teacher wasn’t there? They might be just like me (but with more talent!).
I am sure some of you are saying, “Well Bill, why don’t you take notes?” Sometimes I do, but most of the time I forget. “What?! Those were things that really helped you!” You’re right, but I still have a poor memory.
Jesus told the apostles to take the bread and wine in remembrance of him. At our church we have communion monthly. Other churches are more frequent. Either way, Jesus knew we needed a practice to help us remember the great price that was paid. In the same way, we need to be in his Word to remember lessons learned in the past. Our sin nature needs to be replaced with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control: the fruits of the Spirit. I know Scripture memory would be good for me. If I say I just can’t do it, I would have to ask myself how I know the words to “American Pie” or the ingredients of a Big Mac.
Where does this leave us? With our golf games we had better spend more time playing, practicing, and writing down what we have learned. In our daily lives, we can use the word LINKS to remind us:
L – LISTEN to God’s Word.
I – Be INTENTIONAL about applying what we read.
N – Do it NOW, not later.
K – KNOW wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:2a)
S – SEEK opportunities to be involved in God’s business.
—
Bill Euler
November 27, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.