Whatever you may think about forgetfulness, to 'forget' is to lose the memory of what has happened previously. We know that our memories tend to fade with age. We all realize that our cognizance seems to lag the older we get. But I believe there is a 'forget' that is far more devastating than our recollections of a childhood summer trip or yesteryear's birthday party with family and friends.
The 'forget' I speak of is so dangerous that Moses warned Israel of it and Joshua spoke about it at Shechem. "If you forget the Lord your God and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you...This stone will be a witness against us." Joshua 24:20-25
Friends, there are so many voices...so much noise...so many distractions. Children, Friends, Careers, Entertainment, Prosperity, Success, Opportunities, Busyness, and the list goes on and on. All of them can become 'enemies' of our purpose, threatening to distract us from the Lord.
To battle the 'forget' in life, the Word of God instructs us to erect some memorials. We must have some memorial markers of Grace along the boulevard of our life. Every once in a while, we would be wise to pause at our memorials, if we will we'll find that they speak eloquently of the love and grace God. They are our testimonies that God has been faithfully at work in our lives.
This past weekend I was blessed to be at a reunion where people enthusiastically rehearsed their memories. Each of them told of specific memorials along their journey of life. They told of how they were stirred by the testimony of those memorials. I was privileged to hear more than a few pledge renewed faith in God. I heard them implore one another with the enthusiasm of a champion, to never forget. "Don't forget!" You see, these mighty worshippers were strengthened by visiting each other's memories - memories that revealed the brilliant majesty of an overcoming, never-failing, always-loving, ever-abounding Savior. Each of them built, laying one stone at a time, a new memorial of memories that will serve the generations that follow them. Their victory report can be heard peeling through the eternities, "I will not forget what the Lord has done for me."
Do you want a new outlook on life? Step back, roll up the curtains on your memories and reflect on the goodness of God toward you. When you realize again that His disposition toward you is His never-failing, indefatigable goodness, it's easy to smile and say "Thank You, Lord." If you want more out of life, change your outlook with a memory of the GOODNESS of God! Yes sir. Yes ma'am. He brought you through that thing the enemy tried to use to kill you. God brought you out of that situation that the enemy said was 'impossible.' The enemy didn't kill you....and if what happened to you wasn't fatal, it isn't final. God is still superintending your life. He tends to your every need. God is looking out for you with His favor directed toward you. Share this word of encouragement with five friends and tell them, "I Remember...and I will NOT forget!Look what the Lord has done."
Blessings,
Wendell Hutchins II