Use Your Head!

For Tuesday, October 21, 2025:

John 14:26 NLT, Jesus speaking: “When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

The human brain is a miracle of God’s creation skill. Troves of valuable information are retained inside our heads. That’s long-term memory. Surprisingly, I can remember a lot of things I learned as a youth or in elementary or secondary school.

We also garner information on a need-to-know basis. Short-term memory. We remember everything we need to, now, but discard the data a short time later. Since I work with church musicians, I’ll use them as an example. Songs are typically assigned about a week in advance. I can look over the music and listen to examples of others performing the selection, but that’s a small part of the big picture. The most effective rehearsal is the one closest to the performance. It’s the rehearsal right before the church service that locks everything in place. That way, the details and any changes are fresh in our minds. Consequently, the best we ever do is when that music is performed for the congregation right after our rehearsal. Top of mind! But by Monday afternoon, I might not even remember the name of the song!

Back to today’s scripture… In Jesus’ absence, the Holy Spirit will (re-)teach us what we may have forgotten, reminding us of what Jesus said. That’s why it’s important to stake out our relationship with the Holy Spirit. He empowers us for service and connects us with spiritual gifts. While there is some denominational disagreement as to how best to connect with our Paraclete, there is no disagreement that we need to cultivate this relationship. The Holy Spirit can move Jesus’ teaching from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. As a believer, you’ll need this knowledge for quite some time!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship