Remember!

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December 31, 2018

By Steve King

Remember! God’s commands to remember are woven through the Bible for good reason—we easily forget His sustaining grace to us!

God’s people are commanded to remember their former slavery and deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 13:3); the Sabbath (Ex 20:8); Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Ex 32:13); God’s commands (Numbers 15:39); God’s wonderful deeds and His covenant (1 Chronicles 16:12, 15); Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32); and Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:8).

God urges us to be intentional about remembering His character, acts, and promises. This was His intention behind the Passover, the stones of remembrance, the reading of the Scriptures and the temple festivals. All these point to and are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, whom we remember together at communion (Ex 12, 20; Joshua 4; Deuteronomy 6; Leviticus 16, 23; Num 28; Luke 22:19).

Therefore, a healthy way to enter the new year is to remember God’s grace from the previous year. I began this practice over 40 years ago and have always greatly benefited from doing so. A tool that helps me remember the year is my At-A-Glance Standard Diary. I keep my schedule in it along with a “semi-diary.” I have one of these red books for every year going back 40 years.

Every year on December 31, I spend some time remembering the major events of the previous year and listing them under the heading, “God’s Gracious Supply.” As I review the year, I thank God for His faithfulness and ask Him to imprint on me the lessons He has been seeking to teach me. The review of the previous year provides a framework for the new year. In the front of my diary I record my hopes and dreams for the coming 365 days.

I encourage you to make remembering a habit. Why not take some time this week to review this past year and thank God for His grace? Remembering this past year will provide a framework to prayerfully plan the new year. The Lord is our Shepherd—wise sheep pay attention to what He wants us to remember.

We begin a new series on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) this coming Sunday and we will remember Jesus together at communion. Pray, prepare, and bring a friend with you.