A few weeks ago my sister, mother, and I went to visit our family in Southern California: brothers, uncles, aunts, cousins. We had been looking forward to the trip for months, and the trip did not disappoint. We talked and laughed and shared stories. But the trip was only two days in length, and then we were headed home.
But — the memories will last years.
On the way home we had already started reminiscing about the trip: the homes we hadn’t seen before, the dinners we had shared, the stories we laughed at, the damage the fire had caused.
Our memory is just one more reason to be in awe of a God who, when he created us, thought of everything. We have a brain that can calculate, imagine, reason, and remember.
And while God encourages us not to remember those things that keep us rooted in past mistakes — “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” Philippians 3:13b, He readily encourages us to remember: to bring us to repentance, to encourage us, to provide hope. Over 550 times is the word, in some form, used in scripture.
“And you are to keep in memory the agreement which I have made with you; and you are to have no other gods.” 2 Kings 17:38
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." John 14:2
“And when it had been broken with an act of praise, he said, This is my body which is for you: do this in memory of me.In the same way, with the cup, after the meal, he said, This cup is the new testament in my blood: do this, whenever you take it, in memory of me.” I Corinthians 11:24-25
Likewise, God remembers us. He remembered his promise to Abraham to give him a son. He remembered Joseph while imprisoned. He remembered the Israelites enslaved in Egypt. And He remembered all of us mired in sin and in need of a Savior.
“He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations.” Psalm 105:8
What a precious gift from God is our memory (which is why loss of memory is one of this world’s most devastating diseases).
As Proverbs 10:7 tells us, "The memory of the righteous is a blessing."
But — the memories will last years.
On the way home we had already started reminiscing about the trip: the homes we hadn’t seen before, the dinners we had shared, the stories we laughed at, the damage the fire had caused.
Our memory is just one more reason to be in awe of a God who, when he created us, thought of everything. We have a brain that can calculate, imagine, reason, and remember.
And while God encourages us not to remember those things that keep us rooted in past mistakes — “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” Philippians 3:13b, He readily encourages us to remember: to bring us to repentance, to encourage us, to provide hope. Over 550 times is the word, in some form, used in scripture.
“And you are to keep in memory the agreement which I have made with you; and you are to have no other gods.” 2 Kings 17:38
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." John 14:2
“And when it had been broken with an act of praise, he said, This is my body which is for you: do this in memory of me.In the same way, with the cup, after the meal, he said, This cup is the new testament in my blood: do this, whenever you take it, in memory of me.” I Corinthians 11:24-25
Likewise, God remembers us. He remembered his promise to Abraham to give him a son. He remembered Joseph while imprisoned. He remembered the Israelites enslaved in Egypt. And He remembered all of us mired in sin and in need of a Savior.
“He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations.” Psalm 105:8
What a precious gift from God is our memory (which is why loss of memory is one of this world’s most devastating diseases).
As Proverbs 10:7 tells us, "The memory of the righteous is a blessing."
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