A pastor busily rummaged through everything in the room he had been assigned
for this pastoral retreat in Belgium. "Where did I put my glasses?" He fumed,
his mood less then patient. "I can't read that thing without my bifocals!"
What further fuelled his foul mood was that fact that his colleagues, fellow
pastors from Belgium who were sharing his dorm room, were all laughing at him!
"Stop making fun of me," he challenged. "Help me find them!"
But the group continued in their uproarious mirth, and as time progressed, the
pastor's face reddened with anger and his words became a bit more colourful.
Finally he threw his arms up in exasperation. As he did so however, his hand
touched something familiar on top of his head: His glasses! They had been there
all the time! No wonder all the others were laughing at him!
The older we get, the faster we forget. This is a fact of life, one that we
can't do anything about. It is, however, also true that the more we fall into
sin, the more we forget!
Take Eve, for example. During the first temptation known to humankind, when
asked about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she responded: "You must
not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must
not touch it, or you will die." (Gen 3:3 NIV) She forgot what God had really
said! If you compare this with Gen. 2:16-17, you will see that she added
something to God's words! She added "you must not touch it!" This forgetfulness
paved the path to sin!
A man who lives with his mistress may not even remember the names of his
children when they visit. Why? Because sin makes you conveniently forget, and
forgetfulness opens the doors to a life of addiction and needless despair.
Forgetfulness is another weapon of choice by the evil one, one that somehow is
cherished by those who have fallen into sin, a mistress in disguise.
When facing challenges, temptation and tribulation, how easy it is to forget the
central focus of all history: "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and
finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of
where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up
with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the
place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your
faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he
plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Heb 12:2-3) No
wonder we fall into sin! We too easily forget to resist temptation!
Is this why the Word of God encourages us so many times to remember?
"Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you
out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm." (Deut 5:15 NIV)
"Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the
former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and
there is none like me. " (Isa 46:8-9 NIV)
"Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever
loses his life will preserve it." (Luke 17:32-33 NIV)
"Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my
gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a
criminal." (2 Tim 2:8-9 NIV)
Remembering is crucial if we want to be victorious, but the only way to remember
is when we depend on Jesus to remind us of what really matters at the crucial
times of our life!
"O Lord! Help me remember when I am confronted with temptation. Help me remember
how much you love me and what you suffered to save me. I depend solely on you
for my victory. My memory is bad and my inclinations don't always lean in the
right direction. Help me remember that you are my anchor amidst all the turmoil
of my life. Thank you so much, Lord! In Jesus' name, amen!"
Where are my keys? Where did I see them last...
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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