Always Forget, Never Remember?

Always Forget, Never Remember?

This will be one of many articles I am sure you will read or come across talking about the 10 year annv. of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.  It falls on a Sunday, so a great opportunity for churches and preachers to use this time, as a great outreach, support, and reminder to all their church members and communities.

One thing you can be sure of, we forget, and we don't remember.  There are plenty of posters, clip art, and sign sayings, "Never Forget", and "Always Remember" and things like that about 9/11/01, but truth is we are a human race that forgets.  Go back and read the Old Testament of the Bible, how many times did the children of Israel turn to God, seek God, and get rescued and forgiven by God, only to forget, rebel, and follow their own ways or after other Gods? Plenty!  They forgot.  They didn't remember. 

Look at the New Testament, the jews were promised a Messiah and what happened when He finally came? They rejected Him, because they forgot or didn't remember the promises of God.  Look at churches today,  How many people go to church, get on fire for Jesus, get saved, etc...only in time to stop going to church or stop serving God. Why? We forget, we stop remembering.

How about your life or mine? How many times have we sinned, continued to sin, fell away, rebelled, or chose poorly? Why? We forget.  We don't remember.  We forget the kindnesss, unconditional love, grace, mercy, and salvation of God. We don't remember the healing He gave us at one time, the forgiveness, and gift He gave us.

We are forgetful people.  I know people are thinking about 9/11 because it's a 10 year annv., but I remember 10 years ago, how many people were scared the world was going to end, or we were all going to die, and people flocked to churches and God.  Where are they today? Many of them back to their old lives and back to no change.  Over time, the feelings of fear and the emotions of mortality faded, and they slowly went back to their old lives, old vices, old habits, old routines, and slowly but surely,they forgot about church, God, and faith.  Now, I am sure there were some people who came to God because of the 9/11 events, God always uses bad for good, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet more people forgot and faded than those who got saved(though we still rejoice for everyone who gets saved).

My thought for you this morming, is to develop better memory habits.  We need reminders, or we forget.  That is why  it's so important to talk (pray) to God daily, even though life may be busy. It's important to block off time daily or regularly to read/study the Bible even though you got distractions or obligations.  It's important to attend church and be involved serving in church regularly, not just sunday mornings only or hit and miss, but committed faithfully to attending, but not just attending, serving, giving, and being an active part of the church body.

In doing so, this will help you to remember and stay focused, if not the busyiness, hobbies, distractions, temptations,and life will get in the way and you will forget to serve, read, pray, attend, and grow your relationship with God.  Stay focused, stay involved, stay connected, so that you will not forget and will remember the goodness of God.

Proverbs 4:5(NIV)

"Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them."

Nehemiah 9:16-18(NIV)

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.