We Need To Remember

WE NEED TO REMEMBER

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. The day we have set aside to officially remember. We remember those who have given their lives in service to our country and we also remember and honor our loved ones who have passed away. We may attend a parade and perhaps go to the cemetery and place flowers or flags at the gravesite. It can be a very somber holiday; especially if we have lost people recently. Although it may be difficult we understand the importance of it; we recognize the necessity for it.

When we take the time to reflect and honor these people we keep the memories fresh. Not that we would forget about our loved ones but over time if we didn’t take the time to reminisce we probably wouldn’t think of them as much. Remembering is good. We think about the good times we had with someone. When it comes to veterans we remember their service and sacrifice and what it stood for. In remembering we are thankful for what their lives meant to us.

God understands the importance of remembering too. Let’s take a look at some of the things God wanted his people to remember and why it’s important for us too.

1) We need to remember God’s commands.

Num. 15:37-41, “The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

In Numbers 15 you see God giving Moses various instructions to give to the people for when they became established in Canaan. In this section we see that God wanted the people to have a constant reminder of his commands. The tassels on their garments would be a tangible thing they would see as they moved about, thus having a constant reminder of their need to obey. It would keep them in check. If they were tempted to do something that would be against a command of God they would look down and see the tassel and hopefully resist giving in.

It was also a reminder for them to remember what the Lord had done for them in bringing their people out of the land of slavery and into the land of plenty.

Another interesting thing about the tassels is that they would stand out to any foreigner. Once they learned the significance of the tassels they would be a visible indicator that the person wearing them was a follower of God.

We too need to remember the Lord’s commands when we are tempted to chase after the lusts of our hearts and eyes. We need to remember what God has done for us in redeeming us from slavery to sin and setting us in the Promised Land. Hopefully our remembrance of that will be a motivator to not dishonor that precious blessing of grace.

We might not be wearing tassels but we often do other things that serve as both reminders and indicators for those around us. WWJD, hat, or t-shirt, bumper sticker on car, etc. These things can actually serve to keep us in check. Harder to give in to temptation when you look down and see your WWJD bracelet. You’re not as apt to be aggressive or hostile on the road when you remember your “Jesus loves you” bumper sticker. And are we really going to act a fool when we’re wearing a Christian hat or t-shirt? Not that we should need these things in order to keep us in check but it’s good to have reminders. It’s important that we remember the Lord’s commands and what he’s done for us.

One of the best ways we can remember the Lord’s commands is when we obey the Lord’s commands. Obedience helps us to remember.

James 1:22-25, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”