Do you have fond memories of your childhood? I do. Do you have bad memories from your childhood? I do. Do you remember some things that you did badly? Did you change your behavior because of it or did you repeat it? Are there things that we are supposed to remember? Why do you remember things? Do you only remember good things? I do not. Is there a reason for us to remember things? Does remembering things bring you hope? Let me tell you what God taught me about how remembering brings hope.
I was recently in New York City and visited the World Trade Center Memorial. It was an amazing experience for me. I was humbled by the site and remembered the countless people who lost their lives there on September 11, 2001. But it was also in a way uplifting as the memorial included the hundreds of people who lost their lives because they got sick volunteering to help clean up the site.
You might ask, how did the memory of such a tragedy bring me hope. It brought me hope because I saw the people who changed lives. I saw that at times men are willing to make sacrifices for others.
God tells me also that it is good for me to remember.
“Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all My purpose,
calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of My counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.”
Isaiah 46:8-11 (ESV)
I think that by remembering my transgressions against God I am less likely to repeat them. That brings me hope.
He also tells me to remember so I can repent.
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” Revelation 2:5 (ESV)
I am also to remember that Jesus died on a cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven that all of my sins past, present and future. “And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”’ I Corinthians 11:24. Trust me this is my source of true hope. I can make it through any challenge.
I pray that you will join me in remembering the good and the bad and how God blessed you through both. But most importantly that you remember what Jesus did for you so that you might have eternal life. In doing so you will find the only true source of hope. Remember though that all sin is forgivable except the sin of unbelieve in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for my sins and yours as well. It satisfied all my sins from the past, in the present, and in the future. My penalty and yours were satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because wisdom shows us, we need to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in helping others to choose Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here. You can watch a book trailer about my book. You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here. eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press
