This past Sunday evening I on Psalm 60. I was surprised to be reminded of what a great Psalm that is; how incredibly encouraging a message it brings – and how quickly and thoroughly I had forgotten it! The main point of the Psalm is that though we will experience heartaches and setbacks in our life, though the battle seems long and the obstacles seem insurmountable – “with God we shall do valiantly”! With God, we shall succeed, conquer, overcome, endure, triumph. That’s really good news for battle-worn and sin-weary pilgrims.
 
So why do we so easily forget? 
 
There are probably several reasons:

  1. Our faith is still saturated with unbelief and we tend to live by what we see rather than what we believe. Like Peter, we leave the Sunday service looking to Jesus but by Monday noon we are looking at the wind and the waves (Mark 14:30). 
  2. The Devil, the world, and the flesh are warring against our spiritual memory. The Devil’s primary work is to “blind” our spiritual eyes. 
  3. We fail to take Biblical truth into the core of our life so that it begins to form how we actually experience life. Identity drives destiny. It’s one of the reasons the Apostle Paul, in particular, strives so hard to remind his readers of who and what we are in Christ.
                    - “Loved by God and called to be saints” (Romans 1:7)
                    - Children of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17)
                    - New creations! (Romans 6:1)
 

These realities are meant to mold the way we experience life. “If GOD is for us who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). No matter what heartache or devastation we may experience in this world (Romans 8:35), we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37).
 
The point is just this: it is essential for us to remember all that is ours in Jesus!
 
How can we do that??

  1. Participate in public worship! God gives us a Sunday every week precisely so we will remember. He knows how forgetful we are but has given us one day every seven to specifically remember all the blessings we have in Jesus. 
  2. Participate in family worship and private devotions. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.  Read to remember!
  3. Disciple others. Nothing helps us learn something more than teaching it.
  4. Join a Small Group! Small groups exist to help us encourage one another and remember all that God has for us in Christ!

These are not just good things to do – they are essential for forgetful people like us! Lord help us to remember all that we are in Christ Jesus – and all that you have promised to us in Him! Amen. 
 
In Christ,
 
Pastor Dale

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