Jeff Foxworthy hosted a game show for several years called, Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. When I first began watching the show, I quickly discovered that I fared as well as the contestants. It was tough to be deemed smarter than the show’s featured fifth graders. Granted, neither the show’s contestants nor I had been in fifth grade for several years but, most of the contestants had at least finished high school and had been to college. I had earned a decent education and at the time I was in college finishing my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. I was taken aback by how much of my elementary education was completely lost or forgotten. The Lord used that show helped me understand that the more I learn, the more I learn what I do not know.
There is no conceivable way for any human to remember everything. Knowledge is as perishable, if not more so than anything else. Between birth and the age of seven is the period that a human learns the most and at the most rapid pace. Never again will any person learn so much so fast. How much do you remember from that time in your life? Everything that is learned can and will fall into oblivion if it is not subjected to regular use. Commitment to memory is simply insufficient. If information or knowledge is not often applied, it will be forgotten. It must be consistently applied to ensure its proper execution. James 1:22-25 states,
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does (James 1:22-25, NASB, 1995).
One thing commonly heard in the military is, "Learn the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) and know it well". Many have tried to claim that they were unaware they had committed an infraction but, the response is always, "Ignorance is not an excuse"! Rest assured, on the day of judgment, there will be no excuses, and no one will be able to claim ignorance. The Lord has provided His children with His Word with which to become intimate, not merely acquainted. We are expected to meditate on His word, to talk about His word with each other, teach His words to our children and others, and pray His words continually.
6. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5–9 (NASB95)
What knowledge nuggets have you forgotten about? Please, do not forget that God loves you. Do not forget that God has forgotten your sins. It is never too late to get back up and give God your love, honor, and praise.
NOTE: The Holy Bible is the instruction manual for Christians to follow. It is the guidebook for Christian's journey home. It is the rod of measurement for equity. It is the moral compass that gives direction to the Christian who needs direction.
Do not Forget
Jeff Foxworthy hosted a game show for several years called, Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. When I first began watching the show, I quickly discovered that I fared as well as the contestants. It was tough to be deemed smarter than the show’s featured fifth graders. Granted, neither the show’s contestants nor I had been in fifth grade for several years but, most of the contestants had at least finished high school and had been to college. I had earned a decent education and at the time I was in college finishing my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. I was taken aback by how much of my elementary education was completely lost or forgotten. The Lord used that show helped me understand that the more I learn, the more I learn what I do not know.
There is no conceivable way for any human to remember everything. Knowledge is as perishable, if not more so than anything else. Between birth and the age of seven is the period that a human learns the most and at the most rapid pace. Never again will any person learn so much so fast. How much do you remember from that time in your life? Everything that is learned can and will fall into oblivion if it is not subjected to regular use. Commitment to memory is simply insufficient. If information or knowledge is not often applied, it will be forgotten. It must be consistently applied to ensure its proper execution. James 1:22-25 states,
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does (James 1:22-25, NASB, 1995).
One thing commonly heard in the military is, "Learn the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) and know it well". Many have tried to claim that they were unaware they had committed an infraction but, the response is always, "Ignorance is not an excuse"! Rest assured, on the day of judgment, there will be no excuses, and no one will be able to claim ignorance. The Lord has provided His children with His Word with which to become intimate, not merely acquainted. We are expected to meditate on His word, to talk about His word with each other, teach His words to our children and others, and pray His words continually.
6. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5–9 (NASB95)
What knowledge nuggets have you forgotten about? Please, do not forget that God loves you. Do not forget that God has forgotten your sins. It is never too late to get back up and give God your love, honor, and praise.
NOTE: The Holy Bible is the instruction manual for Christians to follow. It is the guidebook for Christian's journey home. It is the rod of measurement for equity. It is the moral compass that gives direction to the Christian who needs direction.