Sharpening Our Memory
Eons ago when I was in college at Georgia Tech studying economics we had to memorize a lot of stuff for tests. Now that was back in the dark ages where you had to actually go to a place called the library to find written resources like magazines, books, and journal articles. A basic Texas Instruments calculator cost $120, and now you can buy a scientific calculator that can almost do your homework for you for about 25 cents. My dad was worried that with all that new fangled technology we would forget how to do things on our own, our brains would start to become dependent on this technology and turn to mush. I thought he was foolish and out dated, and now, I¹m not so sure. I like technology. I do not know how I would get my job done without my iPhone, Internet, email, and my MacBook Pro. It’s amazing to think of how fast things have changed. When I started as a young pastor in ministry in the mid 70¹s the most up to date piece of technology we had was a telephone. I can still picture that huge, nasty shade of green, office phone with clear looking plastic button switches on the bottom for the three whole lines we had coming into the office. Yes sir, we were high tech alright. If I wanted to look up a verse of Scripture I had to search for it in a huge concordance the size of an old New York City phone book. Now I just type the search into my Bible software. If I¹m out and about I have Bible software on my iPhone. While I rejoice in the power of these tools, I believe there is a downside I have not fully appreciated. My dad may have been on to something, because now that I don¹t have to remember the verses and Scripture like I did before, I¹m forgetting more. And the big downside is that when the Lord wants to speak to my heart, or convict me of sin, or give me wisdom like he promised in the book of James, I don¹t have the word of God hidden in my heart like I used to. The primary way God speaks to us with his small still voice is through his word. The Bible is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). We need to have God¹s word in our hearts today more than ever before. ³Don¹t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God¹s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Because of technology we are bombarded with hundreds of messages every day and we need the filter of the word of God to help us learn how to think with clarity. Having the Scripture on my iPhone is not the same as having it in my heart. Psalm 119:11 says, ³I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.² I¹m realizing that I must renew my commitment to memorize Scripture, and that will take developing a plan and being consistent in memorizing and review. I think we would be amazed at the impact on our lives of just memorizing and meditating on one verse a week or even one a month. Ask me how I¹m doing on this the next time you see me. I need all the accountability I can get.
