Do you remember things well? While I have problems remembering where I put something or what my wife said to me 10 minutes ago, I can remember phone numbers and baseball statistics very well. As a kid, I memorized words to songs and scripture verses fairly easily, but I seem to have the hardest time memorizing either today.

If there’s one thing I learned from reading God’s Word it’s that he wants us to remember Him and what His Word has to say.

I really do want to memorize Scripture but I think remembering the promises God has kept and God’s character is just as important. Memorizing the order of the books may have value but remembering how God came through for the people of Israel and for the individuals is invaluable.

Reading and knowing the history of God’s people builds our faith in Him. On a more personal and meaningful level, remembering the history of God in our own lives also helps to build our faith.

What has God done in your life?

Although Psalm 107 is rather obscure and I encourage you to read it. This is last verse:

Psalm 107: ⁴³ Those who are wise will take all this to heart;

they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

If you took a poll I think most people would describe the “God of the Old Testament” as “an angry and vengeful God”, as opposed to the “Loving and caring God” of the New Testament. If this is the case, God is getting a bad rap. Recently I was sharing with someone who was not a believer about reading the Old Testament and all they could say about it was that there was a lot of “blood and guts” in it. That was her impression.

What comes to your mind when you think about the Old Testament?

Let me suggest to you that if the faithful love of the Lord does not come to mind, maybe you should read it again.

You can read in these verses the importance God has for His people to remember. Although they were originally meant for the Israelites, there is much we can learn from these verses today:

Esther 9: ²⁶ …Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, ²⁷ the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. ²⁸ These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.

Can you imagine? The events in Esther took place around 2,500 years ago and Jews still celebrate Purim. Isn’t that incredible?

Joshua 4: ⁵ He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁶ We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

Can you see how important to God it is that we remember?

I love how God had the Israelites build this memorial so that they could remember that God stopped the Jordan river from flowing so that they could cross.

Deuteronomy 4: 9 “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

What has God done in your life that you can pass down to your children and grandchildren? What miracles or answered prayers can you remember that you can rely on when you need it?

Deuteronomy 4: ³⁹ “So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. ⁴⁰ If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.

It’s always good to remember how good your Father in Heaven is

Feel free to replace “land the Lord your God is giving you” with eternal life/heaven. This is very good to remember, maybe I should put it up on my wall somewhere, hmmm…

Deuteronomy 8: 18 Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

If I ever feel prideful, this is a good thing to remember.

The Bible is full of these verses that give life and lead to eternal life. The key is to read it and meditate on it so that it will “come to mind” when we are faced with choices and/or are asked for advice. This is what being a believer in God is all about, knowing who He is and how we can live a life that is pleasing to Him.

This wraps it up for this post. I’ll have more to remember from the New Testament next time.

What will you remember?

“Dear God, I thank you for your Word. I thank you that we can learn about you and that you’ve made a way for us to know you on a personal level. Please help me to know you more and remember what you have to tell us. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash

This is the third and final installment regarding the use of your time. For those of you that received the first two messages, I’ve got great news for you. Those two messages cover the three foundations required for spiritual growth. The first message, part 1, addressed spending time alone with God in prayer and reading the Bible. The second message, part 2, addressed spending time in fellowship. I realize that there are many more aspects to Christian living, but I like to keep things simple.

This is simple: reading the Word, prayer, and fellowship. These three activities are foundational and will lead you down His “good, perfect, and pleasing will” if followed wholeheartedly.

This week I want to discuss time in general. The time that is not for the specific purpose of meeting with or serving God and/or His people.

When we have the strong conviction that our master and employer is the person of Jesus Christ, we do all things in an effort to please Him. Meditate on these verses:

Colossians 3: ¹⁷ And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
…
²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. ²³ Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ²⁴ Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Be the ambassador you are meant to be!

When our “regular work” is seen as a place of service where God has appointed us to be His ambassadors, it changes everything:

2 Corinthians 5: 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Even if you currently loathe your work, this new understanding of Divine appointment will change your attitude. I’m not saying that you will instantly love your work, but you will have found purpose in it, which makes a substantial difference.

Psalm 105: 4 “Search for the Lord and for his strength;  continually seek him.”

Don’t stop seeking Jesus

When you continually seek Him, your purpose and the work He gives you will become more and more clear but it takes time and commitment. Keep in mind that if you truly want to pursue those God-given desires that you have, continue asking Him to lead you in that direction. He will either take you there or change your desires altogether.

If you desire to be in “full-time” ministry act like you already are. God is not looking for “part-timers” anyway. God has put people in each of our lives that we can serve today. Do not wait for that “full-time” ministry position to miraculously appear if you are not already serving with a servants heart to begin with. God works on refining the servant’s heart first, then promotes His people and puts them to work at His perfect timing. Our ministry is right in front of our eyes and our primary and most obvious task is to abide in Him so that we can hear and know His voice.

John 6:29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

Believing in Jesus always comes first and after we’ve believed in Him over a period of time, we get assigned different tasks. Our hearts change because of our deepening relationship with Him, then we have the same burdens that He does such as for the sick and oppressed people, which leads to service. So then it’s no longer a service out of obligation, but out of pure desire and sincere burden.

Learn to be content

Philippians 4: 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

If we can learn this secret our lives and circumstances will be less and less important which will open us up to greater levels of service. At that point it is no longer about “my needs”, but about “their needs”.

I’ll leave you with this:

Matthew 6: ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Are you working full-time?

“God, you are wonderful. You’ve taken care of me in ways that I cannot even express. Thank you for your Word and all that it teaches me. Please change my heart and show me your ways, for I truly desire to serve you with all my heart. I choose to give you my best in my service to others and will strive to put you first in all areas of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen”