Don't Forget


"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) ... God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:4-10

I sat in the meeting helplessly distracted. My attempt to keep my notes brief resulted in an abbreviation that I simply could not recall. It wasn't a terribly significant conversation point, but the forgetting was beyond irksome. I did my best to move on and engage with the conversation only to shout out an hour or so later, "I remember what it was!" Oops. Graciously, they allowed me to share it and we moved on.

Paul told the church in Ephesus right after our verses for today, "Don't forget!" Instead, remember. Remember who you are. Remember who you were before you turned in faith to Jesus. Remember what God did for you. Remember what he promised he will do now and in the future. Remember what he has planned for you to do. Remember to be thankful for all of it. 

Our "rememberer" can get distracted in the realities of this life. It's one the primary reasons Jesus established communion -- "Do this in remembrance of me." It's one of the key roles of the Holy Spirit -- "he will teach you everything and will remind you of all that I have told you." Mercy. Grace. Love. Death to Life. Raised Jesus. Gift. Salvation. Masterpiece. Created Anew. Good Things. ... Don't ever forget.  

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