As a child preacher from aged 8 I listened intently to other
peoples’ sermons selfishly to improve my own. I quickly learned that God could
use me more mightily if I let Him teach me. (John 14:26 starts, “But the Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you
all things”). So over the many decades since then I
have listened, not for my preaching, but for my edification.
There was a time when I wondered why I listened so intently
when I seemed to forget most of what I had heard. Words would go in one ear and
out the other like a worm in a cornfield.
However …
1. John 14:26 continues, “[the Holy Spirit will] bring to
your remembrance all that I have said to you.” In order for us to be reminded of
something the Lord has said through His servants we must first hear or see it.
And
2. By way of illustration: During our long and joyous
marriage my wife Rosemary has prepared and served over 40,000 meals, and almost
a third would have included a devotional reading and mealtime-worship. I must
honestly confess that I can’t remember a fraction of what was in those meals or
readings. However, I can honestly say that I have always been well fed.
Hearing a sermon is never a waste of time – listening to a
sermon is never a waste of energy – jotting down what we hear is never a waste
of ink (the act of writing in itself is a reinforcer for our memory) – and
sharing what we have heard gives us a triple blessing (we are blessed when we
hear, we are blessed again as we share and we are blessed when others respond
to our sharing).
