Remember What

Remember What?

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDpjMLiufSo

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, which is a federal holiday in America where we remember and give honor to those men and women who died while serving our country in the armed forces. Therefore, contrary to popular opinion, Memorial Day isn’t the official start of summer, nor is it a weekend where we get three days off. Rather, it is a day where we remember those who died for our freedom and the victories they’ve won to keep us free.

And for us today, it should also be a day to remember a greater freedom won 2,000 years ago, a freedom from sin and death, and it was purchased at a very great cost as Jesus died upon the cross to set us free and give us eternal life.

But it is this word “Remember” that catches my attention and then what believers in Jesus Christ need to remember.

The word, “remember,” means to bring something back to mind, or to think about it again. But, in remembering, what we must remember is not to live there, but allow it to spur us forward, either through learning a lesson, or to strengthen us for the future.

Remember, then, is a powerful word. As believers in Jesus Christ, we’re told to remember the Lord and what He’s done for us.

The Psalmist said, “I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.” (Psalm 77:11 NKJV)

We also use the word “remember” when we ask God to remember His promises and help us in our time of need.

King David, in Psalm 25 said, “Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness' sake, O Lord.” (Psalm 25:6-7 NKJV)

When we remember God’s grace and mercy it helps us shore up our faith when things go don’t go our way. Therefore, we need to remember God’s wonderful deeds to see us through the dark days of doubt and despair.

So, what are the things we need to remember?

Remember The Good

We are to remember the good in others, not what is wrong or evil. And to do that, we need to forgive them and think the best about them.

Wow, talk about a tough proposition. This is what faced Israel as the Lord told them not to hate or despise the Edomites, because they were family, as well as the Egyptians, because the Egyptians had once done good towards them (Deuteronomy 23:7).

Yes, they did great evil toward them, but the Lord said to remember the good, not the evil.

There are always reasons to hate and despise others for what they did, but the Lord tells us, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9 NIV)

This all begins with forgiveness, and because we want to be forgiven by God, then we are to forgive those who have done such evil against us.

Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV)

To remember the good and not the evil begins with forgiveness. Therefore, it all comes down to the attitude of the heart. When we’re tested, we need to pray, “Lord change me, and help me remember how much you forgave me so I can forgive those who have done wrong to me.”

This is a hard prayer, but one that works.

Remember God’s Past Intervention

To create an environment of faith we need to remember what God has done for us in the past.

“You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you.” (Joshua 23:3 NKJV)

Joshua is telling them to look back and think about all God has done.

· Joshua remembered his former life as a slave to the Egyptians and how through many mighty miracles, God delivered them out of their bondage, including the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.

· Joshua remembered the manna from heaven, the water gushing out of the rock, and how God’s presence was with them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

· Joshua also remembered the people’s rebellion of unbelief and how God prohibited them from entering into the Promise Land, and then wandering the wilderness for 40 years because of it.