Tag: remember

Deuteronomy: The Second Giving Of The Law (IX)

Don’t Forget (8:1-20)

Neal Pollard

There are multiple memory tools–the rule of three, memory palaces, chunking, mnemonics, acronyms, and I am sure there are others I’m forgetting. How many of us have upset and disappointed others, especially loved ones, because of failing to remember something that was important to them? Three times in this chapter, Moses mentions forgetting (11,14,19). Twice, he says to remember (2,18). Yet, the whole chapter centers around the importance of remembering and the danger of forgetting. His most serious warning was that they would forget God and think they did all of it by themselves (12-13,17). Self-reliance would make them forget the One responsible for all their blessings. So Moses warns:

Don’t forget God’s past provision (1-5,14-16). He points them all the way back to Egypt and the exodus from slavery (14), but he repeatedly reminds them of how God had taken care of them in the wilderness these past forty years. There was the manna (3), the durability of their clothes and shoes (4), the protection from scorpions and serpents (15), and the provision of water (15). Without God’s provision, they would neither be free nor alive that very day! 

Don’t forget God’s precepts (6, 11). Attached to His gifts, God blesses them with perfect direction. He calls it “commandments” (6), “His ways” (6), “His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes” (11). It contained His covenant (18). Studying each of these synonyms gives aspects of God’s authority and right to govern, and each are conditions for His blessings. Moses has just restated the Ten Commandments for them. His Law was to govern them and aid them in daily life. They would forget it to their own peril! 

Don’t forget God’s promises (7-10). God is not simply being a domineering autocrat, who threw His weight around just because He could. Earthly rulers might inevitably act that way, but not the perfect God. God longed to lavish His blessings on them. He wants them to remember these promises He is making: a good land, many waters, valleys and hills, a land producing all sorts of sustaining food, and precious metals. All of it would be abundantly given! If they would remember Him and His Word, they would be blessed beyond anything any of them had experienced. 

Don’t forget God’s power (18-20). All of this was possible because of His power (18). If they forgot Him, the power He would use to overthrow their enemies in the conquest would be turned on them. He ends by saying, “Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God” (20). Are you reminded of God’s impartiality? Though Israel was His special, chosen people (7:5), God is eminently fair! Thankfully, through Christ, that impartiality opens the door wide to whosoever will (Acts 10:34-35)! 

Memory is a powerful thing! Even those who suffer dementia may retain long past memories. Yet, nothing is worse than choosing to forget or allowing something else to crowd from our minds the very things that must remain firmly in place. Israel stood at the threshold of incredible hope and promise. God wants them to remember the source and respond appropriately. God wants the same of you and me today. 

Ready Wreck Collection

Neal Pollard

Shortly after I moved to Colorado to preach for the Bear Valley congregation, some unknown prankster gave me one of the coolest gifts I have ever owned. In a large blister card, sealed in plastic with a cardboard backing, there were eight Matchbox cars that had been smashed and semi-crushed. At the top of the cardboard backing was an inscription: “Everybody always prays for the preacher to have a ‘ready wreck collection,’ so here it is. Your very own wreck collection.” That was nearly 17 years ago and it still sits in my office today. What a genius prank!

Preachers greatly appreciate those prayers. Much study and preparation goes into each lesson and we want to remember what and how to say what we plan to present. “Ready” implies we don’t have to struggle. “Recollection” is the ability to recall what is in the mind (or on the page).

Have you ever thought about how vital a ready recollection is for all of us as Christians, as we live our daily lives?

  • When the world tries to give you a rival, recall that the Lord is God, and there is no other (Isa. 46:8-9).
  • When you are afflicted, recall the Lord’s lovingkindness (Lam. 3:19-22).
  • When you are so troubled you cannot speak, remember your song in the night (Psa. 77:4-6).
  • When you feel forgotten, remember the deeds and wonders of God (Psa. 77:11).
  • Whether life is going great or poorly, remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth (1 Chron. 16:8-12).
  • When you are afraid, remember the Lord who is great and awesome (Neh. 4:14).
  • Before the difficult days come, remember your Creator in your youth (Ecc. 12:1).
  • When you hit a spiritual low point, remember your sin and hate it (Ezek. 20:43-44).
  • When faced with the needs of the weak, remember how Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
  • When looking at your past, remember what you were but thank God for what you are now in Christ (Eph. 2:12-13).
  • Whatever your circumstance, remember Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:8).

Walk through Scripture and see how often it says to “recall” and “remember.” The Lord’s Supper is instituted as a weekly reminder for us to recall the price paid for us. God knows that we can become lax and forgetful. All of us are served well by having ready recollections. Let’s build our collection of the things we need to remember to spiritually survive this world and prepare ourselves for an eternity in the presence of the great God who has done so much for us!

When My Love For Christ Grows Weak

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

carl pic

Carl Pollard

A problem that each one of us as Christians face at one time or another, a problem that has been around since the establishment of the church, is the problem of a weakened love for Christ. This problem results from family crisis, various diseases, the death of a loved one despite our fervent prayers and crying out to God, different forms of persecution, or watching as a respected Christians loses his faith in God.
As Christians we will experience problems that will cause our love for Christ to fail.
Our faith and love for Christ are tied together as one. If you lose your faith, love is weakened and vice versa. The song, “When My Love for Christ Grow Weak” says this, “See His anguish, see His faith, Love triumphant still in death.” Love can be restored and faith can be strengthened if we would just dwell on the sacrificial love of Christ.
Since love is strengthened by increasing our faith in Christ, notice Revelation 2. The church in Ephesus had done well in many areas. They were hard working, patient, upright (they hated evil), noble minded (tested the claims of false prophets), they knew how to deal with evil men, and rather than growing weary, they persevered and had endurance (3). But they had one major issue…their love for Christ had grown weak.
Verse 4 tells us they were living the life of a Christian, but totally devoid of love. The Ephesians were doing a lot of good things, but out of obligation and duty rather than being properly motivated by a love for Christ. While they appeared to be righteous on the surface, they had no relationship with God. They were going through the motions but it was all done without love.
Sadly this is a problem that many face in the church today. They experience hardship and lose their love. They continue to live as a Christian out of duty and because it’s the “right thing to do.” Since the Ephesians fell into the same rut that we too can sometimes struggle with, it’s beneficial for us to look at what they were told to do in order to restore their relationship with Christ.
The solution is threefold. So let’s notice what we must do “when our love for Christ grows weak.”
Remember where you came from (Rev. 2:5). When our love for Christ grows weak, what must we do? Remember why you made the decision to become a Christian. Remember where you came from. A life filled with sin. A life devoid of hope. A time when you couldn’t call God your father. Remember the blessings of baptism. The sin that was wiped away. The relationship that was established with God, through Christ. Remember what you felt the moment you came out of the waters of baptism. The joy and relief in knowing that God now calls you HIS child. “When my love to Christ grows weak, When for deeper faith I seek, Then in thought I go to thee, Garden of Gethsemane.” Remember what makes our Christianity a reality. Remember what it cost for God to forgive your sin.
Repent (Rev. 2:5).  Metanoeson means “to change ones mind.” I want you to picture yourself in your car, you’re headed to lunch with the perfect restaurant picked out. As you’re getting closer, your wife says, “I’d rather go to Chick Fil A. Step 1, your wife has changed her mind about where she wants to eat. And so…Step 2, you turn the car around, you change directions and head to Chick Fil A…making the right call to keep your wife happy. That, is repentance. “A change of mind that leads to a change of direction.” The Ephesians were told to first, remember where they came from, and then to repent. Change direction, go back to a time when they had both good deeds and a love for a christ. A change of mind, from heartless service to love filled devotion.
Return and “Do the things you did at first” (Rev. 2:5). When Our Love For Christ Grows Weak, return to the way we were living before sin ruined our relationship with God. We must confess (admit the wrong) to God, and to each other (James. 5:17). Acknowledge the presence of sin. And change, even if it costs us. Each one of us can remember the times where our Christianity was strong and growing, but since we are human, it’s easy to become:
 Complacent (feeling satisfied with where we are, with no motivation to grow or change). Depressed (with current circumstances or personal trials).
Distracted (by work, family, hobbies, friends).
Emotionless (feeling so overwhelmed with sin that we just give up, lose hope).
There’s a cure for each one of these problems. Remember Christ. Dwell on the love that God has for each one of us.
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Fantastic Fact About Forgiveness

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary III

Gary Pollard

When we forgive someone we usually do not forget what we forgave. Unless there is an underlying condition, our minds do not automatically or immediately delete irrelevant information, like something we no longer hold against another person. Because of this, it can be hard to understand what God’s forgiveness means for the Christian. We’ll think, “I know He has forgiven me, but there’s no way He’s forgotten about it. Maybe it will ‘cloud’ His decision to forgive me next time I ask.” 

This is a very common mindset, and one that I struggle with daily. When we look at scripture, though, it paints a very different picture of what God’s forgiveness really does! 

Forgiveness is the word ἀφίημι (afiemi). It has several definitions, according to Bauer: 

1. To dismiss or release someone from a place or presence. 

2. To release from a moral obligation or consequence, to cancel, remit, or pardon. 

3. To move away with implication of causing a separation, to leave or depart from. 

(BDAG 155)

Knowing this, we should look at Hebrews 8.12, “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will not remember their sins anymore.” We understand that context is geared toward contrasting the old and new covenant, but it at least gives us insight into the process behind forgiveness. 

When we get forgiveness from God, that sin is eradicated. It no longer exists, it will not affect our relationship with God anymore. “Remember” in Hebrews eight is, “To call information to memory.” It’s not only that God no longer holds a sin against us, it’s that it ceases to exist in His mind. How awesome is that? 

When we ask God for forgiveness, let’s approach His throne with humility, yes, but also with confidence that He has the power and desire to make that sin disappear from our account forever. 

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THE VALUE OF REMEMBERING

Neal Pollard

I am not sure what the connection is, but some people tie a string around their finger to remember an important date or appointment.  Some people just write on their hand.  Others preserve it electronically.

What do we do to keep from forgetting what is important to us spiritually?  Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:12-13 that he was stirring them up by reminding them.  Studying God’s Word awakens our memory to things we may have forgotten, things we have not looked deeply into in the past, or brings something to our attention in a way it has not previously.  It is noteworthy that he was reminding them of something they already knew.  False teachers were trying to distract and deceive them from what they knew.

Bible study is good for us to keep from falling into the traps of false teaching. Many of us come to the Lord from religious groups that teach something different from the Bible about salvation, worship, the end of time, leadership, or the like.  Keep your Bible and your heart open to what you study, and you will keep reminding yourself of the joy and blessings of New Testament Christianity.

Later in the letter, Peter writes, “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior” (3:1-2).  That covers everything–the Old Testament and the New Testament.  It is also a reminder that if you live another 50 or 75 years, you will always need to study and remind yourself of what the Bible says on every subject.

If you have ever lost or forgotten something important that cost you in some way, you learned the value of remembering.  If you have ever been to a memorial or monument, you have benefited from that reflection.  If you want to grow in your faith and knowledge, be stirred up by being reminded of the important, spiritual things revealed in Scripture.

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