This morning I am taking some time to prepare for some upcoming messages that I will be preaching in the next couple of weeks. I don't possess a whole lot of commentaries but I do have a lot of study notes that I've taken over the years. In particular, I have 11 journals dating from August 1990 to the present in which I have taken notes on sermons I've heard over the years as well as personal thoughts and insights that I have gleaned from the Scriptures.
To be honest, it's been humbling to look through these journals as I've searched for relevant information that might help with my study. There were times in my life where I was really moving in step with God and my entries are filled with praise for Him and in depth study notes. Then there are those seasons where the pages contain scant information and are filled with large gaps in time, signifying the dry times for spiritually. It's amazing to see how God has shaped me over the years and I am filled with praise over how He has carried me through so many storms in my life.
I like to write things down because it proves where I have been in my life. So many of the events that I recorded I could barely recall, yet there they were written on the pages of these journals for all posterity. It's been fascinating to read the sermon notes of such godly men as Dr. Mark Corts, Dr. Gary Chapman, O.S. Hawkins, and countless other men that I have had the privilege of listening to and sitting under over the years. Their insight into Scripture is filled with wisdom and knowledge that is timeless in both its application and truth.
If you don't already do so let me encourage you to be a note taker both in your personal communion with God and when you are at church or other gatherings. (I like to use a Moleskine notebook - you can get them online or at stores like Barnes and Noble) When we commit to paper what God has placed on our hearts, it aids in growing closer to Him and serves as a source of encouragement and instruction as we go back and read what He has taught us over the years.
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