We are all aware that we can be forgetful. Actually, the capacity to forget can be helpful in improving our memory. I know that may sound strange, but it is so. God willing, we’ll consider that later. Don’t you love it, when I keep you in suspense like that? Perhaps, I should take up writing soap operas. Coming back to the point, we can be forgetful when it is necessary to remember. And that can get us into trouble with God and with men. So how can we improve our memory?
First of all, our merciful God has provided us with helps or props to aid us in remembering what we should. As we have noted in previous meditations, God requires us to remember His works and His commandments. To help us do this, He has preserved the record of those works and commandments in His written word so that His written record becomes for us a memorial, something to remind us as in the following example.
Exodus 17:13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
The apostle Peter wrote his two epistles for the purpose of helping us to remember.
2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
Therefore, by reading the Scriptures we remember what God has done and what He has commanded.
Let us briefly consider the props that God gave to the nation of Israel to help them remember. God gave them the ordinance of the Passover so that they would not forget their deliverance from Egyptian bondage.
Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
Then consider this interesting custom in clothing that God ordained to help the Israelites remember His commandments.
Numbers 15:37 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
It appears that the good Lord knows we need help in remembering.
Now let’s turn to the New Testament under which we live. We have already noted in a previous meditation that our Lord gave us the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper to help us remember the gospel of His death for our sins. Our Lord said, “This do in remembrance of me.” God also gives us pastors and teachers to help us remember what we He requires of us. We know that Timothy was a teacher of the word. He worked with Paul in his preaching ministry. Once Paul sent him to Corinth expressly for the purpose of helping the Corinthians remember Paul’s teaching.
1 Corinthians 4:17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
Recall that Paul is especially our apostle. We are to follow him as he followed Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
My job as your pastor and teacher is to bring Paul’s teachings to your remembrance so that you can follow him.
1 Timothy 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
You attend to my ministry both to learn and to be reminded. God gave me as a prop for your memory. How am I doing?
Recall that I said that if you really want to remember something, you will find ways to remember. Our memories need help, especially when we have so much to remember. God knows this and He has given us the amazing capacity of creativity, the ability to invent ways to help ourselves do what we need to do, including remembering. Let me relate to you how I help myself remember things.
First of all, I have learned not to depend solely on my memory! I have a system of props to remind me. I have a month-at-a-glance calendar and a tablet of paper both of which are inserted in a leather binder. I purchase these from Day-Timers. And this is not a sales pitch for their products. I refer to this leather binder as my portable brain. I record all my appointments on the calendar. The tablet is used to help me remember things at church. On the tablet I make lists of things I need to announce at church, people I need to see, etc. I also write down either on the calendar or on the tablet things people tell me that I need to remember. In this binder I also keep the church directory so that I have needed addresses and phone numbers with me. I take this binder with me to church, on trips, and on appointments. In my office I have a folder with 31 dividers, one for each day of the month. When you have a printer, you end up with lots of used paper with a clean side. I divide up that paper into smaller pieces of paper that I use to make notes on. For example, someone may phone me and tell me when they are having a medical procedure. I write down the name of that person and the day of the procedure on one of those pieces paper and then I file that note in the respective divider for that day. Each day I pull out the notes that are filed in the divider for that day. When the day of the person’s medical procedure comes around, I pull out the note that I previously wrote to remind me of that procedure and filed for that day. And, behold! I have remembered! But not without help, you see. I also transfer notes from by Daytimer into this folder in case I forget to look in my Daytimer. So one memory prop has a backup of another memory prop. Sounds pitiful, doesn’t it? But it works! If you have a tendency to get sidetracked and to forget, a system like this can be very helpful to keep you on track. For example, if you are trying to cultivate a friendship with someone, you might write yourself a note to phone that person on a given day. File that note on that day. Then when you pull out the notes for that day, you will have your reminder to make the call. This can also be used to help you remember things like your wife’s birthday or your anniversary or other things you might be expected to remember.
Of course, there are legions of methods for helping to remember. My daughter sometimes makes prayer lists and sticks them on her refrigerator to help her remember for whom she needs to pray. Matt Ruma recently spoke of electronic devices that help one to remember. Perhaps you could post notes in the middle of your bathroom mirror. You are sure to see them there. You have to find what works best for you and do it. And, here’s the trick, remember to do it!!!
This meditation has been a bit longer, but I trust it has been helpful. God help us all to remember what we need to remember in our relationship with Him and with others. I sign off today as one helping you to remember.
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