He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Psalm 40:3a

Monday, March 9, 2015

Remembering With A Thankful Heart

Some weeks ago I came across the following question/quote.  I have no idea who said it or where I saw it, but it struck me as important.  “What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?”
A friend of mine, about a year ago, lost a daughter to Cystic Fibrosis.  The family misses her but holds on and cherishes the years they had together.  Another family recently also lost a daughter who was only in third grade, in a tragic car accident.  Death touches all our lives.  It may be through our children, a special friend, a relative, a mother or father, or grandparent.  Sometimes death can even affect us if we didn’t know the person.  It may depend entirely on the circumstances of their death and their age.  Somehow, the younger the victim, the greater the pain. 
Remembering the loved one who has “gone before” is painful, at least for a while.  But remembering the impact they had on our lives, what they taught us, or the special times shared, can bring healing. 
God created us as a people who remember.  We remember wonderful events or tragic ones, people who made a difference in our lives, lessons learned  and more.  Even in Joshua 4, the Bible tells us how the Lord told Joshua to set twelve stones taken from the center of the Jordan so generations later people could remember how God led the people across the Jordan River on dry ground, just as He had led the people on dry ground when the people reached the Red Sea.  It was to remind them how The Lord had brought them to this place through his mercy.  This also reminds us, even today, how God will provide the way, if we ask and as he draws us to Him.
As Easter approaches we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection.  We celebrate in Sunrise Services, and partaking of the Lord’s Supper and more.  The point is we must remember how Jesus fulfilled the scriptures as the Messiah, his death and resurrection, providing the perfect deliverance of God’s people.  The first Passover freed the people from Egypt and even now the Messiah frees us from a sinful life when we accept him as Savior.
We are told in scripture to remember and observe the commandments He has given us.  It’s also important in our walk with The Lord to remember God’s provision.  Does He not provide what we need on a regular basis?   Deliverance and sacrifice.  Does He not offer deliverance from the sin of this world through the sacrifice of Jesus, his Son?  Care and love.  Does He not offer a Father’s care and love as He holds us close?  Mercy.  Does He not offer mercy when it’s clear, as a sinful creature there is no way we could enter heaven’s gate without the blood of Jesus?  Jesus the Servant and Christ the betrayed.  Did He not send his son, Jesus to become the ultimate Sacrifice and Servant, and finally, The Betrayed, as he hung on the cross? 

There is much to remember about our Lord, and that brings me back to the opening question/quote.  “What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?”


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