I still remember most of the things my dad taught me about pitching, most of the things I learned at baseball camp as a kid, most of the things I learned in high school and college as a player. It’s amazing how certain things stick with you. What I teach now as a coach comes from all that I was taught years ago. I remember it because I deemed it important enough to repeat it, burn it into my mind, and recall it often. Those lessons, the ones about baseball and the ones about life, have served me well.
Proverbs 6:20-21–“My son, observe the commandment of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck.”
The truth is, we remember the things we believe are important. I believed that baseball and life instruction was important from my dad and other coaches, so it’s stuck with me.
Much more important than baseball instruction or even simple life lessons is the instruction offered to us about God and His Word. There are times, I’m sure, when you feel very unprepared for what you face on a daily basis. There are times when you encounter temptations for which you have no answer. There are times when you have no idea what to do.
It’s during those times when having the Lord’s commandments “on your heart” and “around your neck” is vital.
There are so many things you can commit to memory. Why not take time this week to embed the Scripture in your mind? It’s the instruction from the Bible that prepares you for what you don’t know is coming, for the temptations that catch you off-guard, for the times when you don’t know what to do. God’s Word is sufficient. Get it into your mind and heart.
Here’s a prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for an entire book of “Your Word.” I take it for granted far too often, but now I want to bury it deep into my heart and mind. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, please help me to memorize and apply the Scripture every day. Guide me and encourage me with it daily. Amen.
