Thought for Today
Deuteronomy 4:9 But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children--
Psalm 13:1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
James 1:23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David-- that is my gospel,
How’s your memory? Irrespective of your age, do you often feel you need that over-the-counter drug that seems to be advertised every 5 minuteson television claiming to enhance your memory? Or, maybe you are like me and have a proliferation of Post-It Notes everywhere. In addition to having things on my computer calendar with electronic reminders, I also have notes on my computer keyboard, on the end table by my chair in the den and even on the console in our car. I make grocery lists so that I will remember what to buy . . . and still often manage to get back home without some key ingredient or item Greta has reminded me to get as I went out the door. I have lists of user ID’s and passwords, mailing lists for these Thoughts and just about everything else.
Some of my memory-related issues are certainly due to my being the age I have attained. My mind is chock-full of memories, filled with a plethora of memories of people, places, data and information. I am fond of using a computer reference and saying that my mental hard drive is full . . . and admitting that I am experiencing some file corruption. But, much of what I experience daily and what you all experience daily is inherent to our humanity.
We can blame some of our memory issues, some of our forgetfulness on the complexity of modern life. Our lives are increasingly complex and multi-layered. The Electronic Age and especially computers have additionally taxed our memories. I am composing this on a computer. Like many of our modern devices, my computer is a great asset, a valuable tool making me more productive and allowing me to expand my mind and my activities. But, I have also recently ranted about the complexities our electronic devices have caused me. A rant with which many of you can relate.
Scripture tells us a lot about forgetting and about remembering. Have you ever wondered whether Jesus ever forgot anything? I have. Did Jesus ever forget to do some chore his mother Mary assigned him? Did he ever forget his mother’s birthday? We believe Jesus was fully human. As a teenager, did he ever forget to make his bed? We know for certain that Jesus never forgot who he was or whose he was.
We probably don’t want to linger on what the Bible tells us about our ancestors-in-the-faith and their spiritual memories. They . . . and sometimes we, “forget the things that” our “eyes have seen” and we “let them slip from” our minds all the days of our lives. Another side effect of the Electronic Age is the multiplicity of attractive distractions we are offered in our daily lives. There are so many things available to distract us from prayer, from reading our Bibles, from walking with and talking to God and each other. It is easier to forget than to remember.
Was the psalmist correct? Is it possible for God to forget us? Can or does God ever hide God’s face from us? I do not think so! Certainly all the evidence is there to suggest to us that our God never forgets, never abandons any part of Creation or any of God’s children. Think John 3:16! When we refer to God as omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, we need to remember what that prefix ‘omni’ means. “The meaning of OMNI- is all : universally.” (www.meriam-webster.com) All means all, spatially and temporally. God is everywhere all the time and all through time. God is aware of everything; God can do everything . . . except not be God!
Maybe the apostle Paul says it best to Timothy, “Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David-- that is my gospel,” And God sent Jesus to us so that we who believe in Jesus will have life eternal. We may sometimes forget; God never forgets.
Stay safe, remember to talk to God today, trust God,
Pastor Ray