That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. – Colossians 1:10
As a child, I thought Dad’s habit of jotting down reminders, thoughts, and lists on scraps of paper, was somewhat humorous. What was the point in that? Why bother?
Well, I don’t chuckle about it any more! As I have grown older, I have learned that his technique is invaluable. In the first place, if I write something down on paper, it reinforces the point. And secondly, if my memory fails to retain some bit of data, the note or list will serve as a reminder!
Even more important than his memory-jogging technique, though, is the lesson I learned from what was on those papers. When Dad needed to move into a place where he could have assistance with his daily needs, my siblings and I went through his things before closing up his house. As I sorted through the paper “reminders” we found here and there, I was struck by how much they revealed about him.
There were numerous diagrams of church projects—even in his later years, he is always mindful of the work of the Lord. There were inspirational thoughts that came to him while he was on the job. Some slips of paper contained the words to Gospel songs that had touched his heart. There were Bible verses, and excerpts from devotional books that he was fond of reading. Even his checkbook, which I now take care of for him, was an insightful glimpse into the burden he carries for the furtherance of the Gospel.
What a picture they painted of a man who has made it his life goal to “walk worthy of the Lord” and to be “fruitful in every good work”!
I wonder, if someone were to sift through the bits of paper that represent our lives, what would they learn? Are our lives living testimonies to the fact that our desire is to walk worthy of our Lord? Would the record show that every aspect of our conduct and course of life is a credit to Him? Would the evidence of our discipleship be clear to all?
Today, let’s evaluate what the “paper trails” of our lives say about us and our priorities.