Learned and Used

As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! (Psalm 119:7 NLT)

You have probably heard that the true learning comes when you actually apply what has been taught to you. There is much truth in this, as most of what we 'learn' doesn't even get used in our everyday lives. It is merely facts placed somewhere in our memory, but not really 'of use'. Sure, we may need it somewhere down the line, but we might never even use that tidbit of 'hidden away' fact. All that we glean from God's Word may not apply today, but we can be assured that when we need it the most, we will have it at our disposal to help us right where and when it is needed.

When I went through nursing school, I learned a lot about the human body, but did I put it to use right away? It wasn't until I went into my clinical setting at the hospital that I began to see how each 'fact' carefully studied and memorized actually helped me understand what was happening in a person's body based on their particular symptoms. In the classroom I was taught the symptoms, but as I began to listen and observe the actual patient, I could see what was going on, recalling 'facts' that led to a 'diagnosis' of the patient's needs with care.

A similar thing happens when we take in God's Word on a regular basis. We are certainly 'gathering facts' and storing them away, but we might just find that they lead us into truth and out of harm's way as those facts reveal themselves as 'truth' when we most need it. I was exposed to a whole lot of 'germs' - viral and bacterial - yet I was protected. Why? I learned how to prevent the spread of disease - not just how to recognize it. God wants us to learn how to recognize an 'untruth' by knowing how to use 'truth' to combat it. The truth will be there when we need it only if we study it now so we have it stored away for later.

The moment we take what we have learned and begin to live by it is the moment we will be both 'aware' and 'protected'. Awareness is the ability to recognize what is coming our way. Protection is when we are not only aware (knowledgeable) about what it is that is happening, but we have the wherewithal to stay safe in the midst of those circumstances. We learn his righteous 'regulations' (the truth in his Word) - we incorporate it into our daily lives (living as we should). We stand protected and secure as we do. There is much truth we can 'put away' for a rainy day - but truth that is useful to us on any given day is going to protect us from those things we cannot see or feel.

The ability to recognize the disease (sin) is one thing - the vigilance we pay to ensuring it is not spread is another! As my dad was always fond of saying - if you don't use it, you'll lose it. Just saying.