By James 1:22-25 is relevant here:
be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Do you “at once forget“, or do you “persevere“?
Here are two things to act upon to go from a forgetful hearer only, to a persevering doer.
- During the sermon: Improve your attentiveness.
Invest in a good Bible, a good pen/pencil and make two kinds of notes. Make little notes regarding the explanation of the text, especially rich words or difficult phrases. Also, make little notes of what stood out to you during the sermon as far as food for your soul is concerned. Improve your attentiveness during those 50 minutes. - After the sermon: Exercise your soul.
Write some review questions for yourself and see how well you can answer them. Also, see if you can identify three scenarios in that week in which a specific element of the sermon will be applicable. And then, pray through the text – both for true understanding, and then for enablement to be bold in your application of it. Take your soul to spiritual gym!