Throughout the month of September we looked at direct commands found in the Bible that told us to remember.
“Remember now your Creator…”
In
Ecclesiastes 12 we find Solomon advising both younger and older people to remember their Creator.
“Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them.”” (Ecclesiastes 12:1 NKJV)
“Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well.” (Ecclesiastes 12:6 NKJV)
The overarching message? Take time right now to remember God and submit to His will.
It is God
who created us and not we ourselves (Psalm
100), He has loved us enough to provide us with His word, the Bible, and
with a Saviour – His Son, Jesus Christ (1
John 4:9-10, 14-16). Remember your
Creator today while you still have time and a mind to reason and obey. God does
not want you to perish, He wants you to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9); He desires that you be
saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Are you
willing?
Remember That You Were Once Gentiles
“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:11-13 NKJV)
The New
Testament term “Gentiles” comes from the Greek word ‘ethnos’ (Strong’s Greek #1484) which means a group of people (a tribe) joined through the practice of similar
customs; customs and a culture distinct from those of the Jewish people of
Israel. Often used to describe all people who were non-Jewish; Gentiles
were considered strangers, foreigners, and heathen/pagan (not having faith in
the one, true God).
If you are
a Christian, at some point in your life you heard the gospel message and
believed it. You realized your spiritual state before your Creator, and you
confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10, Acts 8:36-38), you repented of your sins (make the
necessary changes to not return to them) and you were baptized for the
remission of your sins (Acts 2:37-38;
22:16).
All Christians
have a past, and only by God’s grace can we declare: ‘But now in Christ Jesus, we
who once were afar off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.’
Remember
from where you have come, remember God’s grace, and remember Jesus’ sacrifice.
It was so you could be brought near and have access to God the Father; it was
so you could know the truth and do it, so you could live for Christ and share
it, so you could have help in this life and hope in eternity! Keep going! God’s
way is the best way – your labour
and efforts are not in vain! We are all in this together!!
“Remember Lot’s wife.”
In the
context of Luke 17:32, Jesus, in teaching about His return, told His listeners
to be ready for it - not in the sense of
stop all work and wait (as some in
Thessalonica thought, see 1 and 2 Thessalonians), but to recognize it when
it happens, rejoice in it, and not worry about what is being left behind.
“Set your mind on things above and not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2 NKJV)
Remember
Lot’s wife (and her demise) and learn
to see sin for what it is: a path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Taste and see that God
and His ways are worth our efforts and
our sacrifices. If you are walking on the narrow path that is delivering you from
sin, keep looking forward, toward God. Submit to God. Resist the devil and he
will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (see James 4:7-8a, 10). Don’t look back with
longing at the life you once lived, look to God and rejoice that He granted you
time and opportunity for deliverance from your life in sin! Forget those things
which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead; press
toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14)!
Remember the Poor, the Prisoners, and the
Elders
The Poor:
In
Galatians 2:7-10, when Peter, James, and John gave “the right hand of fellowship”
to Barnabas and Paul (accepting them as
preachers of the gospel and supporting their ongoing efforts), they
encouraged these men to “remember the poor” while they
taught the Gentiles – something Paul states as being “the very thing which [he] also was eager to do.”
Take time
to read and consider reread and consider: Matthew 7:9-12; 25:31-46, Mark 14:7,
Galatians 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 5:4; 16, and James 1:21-27; 2:14-20
The Prisoners:
God,
through the writer of Hebrews, tells us to remember our brethren who are in
mistreated in prison – not just think of them occasionally, but remember them
as though chained with them – because we are all in the same body (Hebrews 13:3, also consider Romans 12:15, 1 Corinthians 12:25-26).
Maybe we
don’t know of any brethren who are in prison for their faith, but do we know of
those mistreated for their faith/uprightness at work, at school, or at home? We
need to be praying for them, feel for them, and encourage them in every way. We
can help them “to set [their] mind on things
above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians
3:2). We need to empathize enough that we consider what we would need in
those situations, what would benefit us, and do what we can to provide that, so
that no part of the body is neglected or forgotten.
Those Who Rule Over Us (Elders):
Again in
Hebrews 13, this time in verse 7, God, through the Hebrews writer, tells us to “remember
those who rule over [us], who have
spoken the word of God to [us].” We
are to consider the outcome of their conduct and follow their faith. These
teachers/leaders – maybe the elders of the church – should be proving through
their words and conduct that God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2). They should be an example
to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity –
we all should feel the weight of
this responsibility – we all need to take heed to ourselves and to the doctrine
(1 Timothy 4:12-16).
We should
be a reason for joy in those who teach us, rule over us, and lead us, not a
reason for grief and/or frustration (read
and think on Hebrews 13:17). If we put our best effort into serving God, we will encourage our leaders and
brethren, and we, too, may become an example to the believers as our progress
becomes evident (1 Timothy 4:15)! Let
us remember those who watch out for our souls!
Please remember all that we studied in September – take it with you into the new year! Remember your Creator, remember from where you came, remember Lot’s wife and don’t look back to your ‘old life’ with longing, keep moving forward in your faith and obedience! Remember the poor – share with them from your abundance. Remember the prisoners – share comfort and strength, and remember those who rule over you and who watch out for your soul – show them that their effort was not in vain!
God is worthy of our every effort – always remember that!
You can do it! So can I!!
