In Memoriam

What Am I Choosing To Remember Today?

Memory, learning and action are inseparable. What I chose to remember (or forget) become lessons learned and these lessons ultimately define my future actions. Nothing wrong with remembering or building memorials (whether physical ones or just in our minds ) in fact it goes way back to the old testament.

"Joshua 4:7 "...tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

However, there is a need to be careful and selective on the memories I retain and the memorials I build. One of the devil's greatest deceptions is to cause me to continue to dwell on things, events, memories, people that have hurt, discouraged and or disappointed me. In so doing, rendering me (at the very least) depressed, paralyzed (unable to live out my faith), ineffective as witness /servant /follower of Christ and (at the very worst)/even hurtful to those around me and damaging to His great commission that He has laid out in Matthew 28:19

The question I ask myself is this “Do the memories I keep in my mind cause me to respond/act in a manner that is not consistent with the will of my Father in heaven? Do the memories I hold on to cause me to become angry, bitter, frustrated, resentful, disappointed, desperate? Are they robbing me of the joy of His salvation?” If so, then maybe its time to make new memories, maybe its time to tear down "old" memorials (whether physical ones or just in my mind) /memorial stones that I've put up that have become enemy footholds / strongholds in my mind and maybe its time to build new ones.

"2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

"Philippians 4:8 "8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

New memorials that would remind me of God's FAITHFULNESS, His POWER, His FORGIVENESS, His LOVE and GRACE instead of remembering the evil that men can do and have done to me. Perhaps its about time I started to really FORGIVE just as I myself have been FORGIVEN.

One thing I should remember and never forget is that I too was once in darkness, and I too was evil, I too was detestable and loathsome in the eyes of a holy God, I too was as much (if not more of) a sinner as those who have and are still doing me wrong—YET BY HIS GRACE I AM FORGIVEN!

Here are some thoughts I will dwell on and need to remember: Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 18:21-35; Mark 11:25; Luke 17:4; Colossians 3:13;