The Secret of Journaling

I

am fiercely committed to maintaining a spiritual journal, and it’s for one all-encompassing reason: Those who retain what God gives them will be given more. Jesus said it this way,

“‘For whoever has, to him more will be given’” (Mark 4:25).

I don’t trust my brain. My memory is like a sieve. If I don’t write it down, there’s a 99% chance that I’ll forget it. So when God reveals something valuable to me from His word, I don’t trust myself to remember it. I write it down. He was kind enough to enlighten me with His truth, and now I must be a careful stew- ard of that entrustment by retaining it, meditating upon it, and considering how that truth must impact how I live.

I keep a journal for one simple reason: I am desperate for more! And I know more won’t be given to me unless I have properly managed what He has already given me. The only way I can keep returning to the things He’s given me in the past is by writing them down in a journal in such a way that I can refer back to them in the future.

So when I speak of a journal, I’m not talking about a per- sonal diary. I’m not talking about making entries like, “Today, Susan came over to visit. We had breakfast together and then went to the mall.” No, I’m talking of something far more

Secrets of the Secret Place

consequential and significant. Make your journal the place where you chronicle the spiritual truths that quicken your spirit while you’re in the secret place. When God feeds you with His manna, write it down. Then, review it later. Keep visiting that truth until it’s woven into the fabric of your Christian experience and conduct.

Let’s look at the full context of Jesus’ words above.

Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Mark 4:24-25).

I was reading these words of Jesus one day while watching a football game on TV, “For whoever has, to him more will be given.” So I put it into football lingo: “Whoever receives what is thrown to him will be thrown the ball again.” The best receivers will get the most opportunities. If a receiver keeps dropping the ball, the quarterback will stop throwing to him. In the same way, if we drop what God gives us, He’ll stop giving us more.

The phrase, “with the measure you use,” refers to the measure with which we act upon and live out the word that we hear. If we embrace God’s word to our hearts with great zeal, endeavor- ing to not only be a hearer but also a doer of the word, then He will measure out to us further insight with the same degree of diligence.

But the passage also holds a clear warning. If we are negligent with the insights God gives us, He will remove from our lives even that which we thought we had. (He who keeps dropping the ball not only stops receiving more passes, but he gets pulled from the game.) So a journal becomes all the more crucial for me. I am personally convinced that I cannot hold onto what God gives me apart from writing it down. So if I don’t faithfully journal and integrate into my life those things God gives me, He will take away from me even that which I do have. Journaling, then, is a vital element in being faithful before God.

I keep a journal because I am aware of my accountability

The Secret of Journaling

before God. “‘For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more’” (Luke 12:48). May I be found faithful of all that God has given me!

Furthermore, I am aware of Matthew 13:12, “‘For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance.’” Spiritual abundance is not a guarantee to all believers; it is as- sured only to those who are faithful with what they receive. So an abundant life in Christ is not passively received, it is aggres- sively taken.

Let me tell you a bit about my journal. It is kept in my computer. This works much better for me than a paper journal. After typing my journal entries, I will often categorize them in my computer according to topics or themes. Thus, my journal entries become a portable library inside my laptop, an array of resources on many topics to which I can turn when studying any of those topics. Perhaps you’ve guessed it already, but I have leaned heavily upon my journal in the writing of this book (and my other books as well).

I have made the vow of the psalmist my personal ambition: “I will not forget Your word” (Psalm 119:16). When He feeds me with insight from His word, I use every thinkable measure to retain that truth in my heart and soul. Here’s my secret: I write it down, and then review it every now and then.

Secrets of the Secret Place

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Дата добавления: 2015-10-23