Remember!

Last week when I was in Walmart, an elderly gentleman was driving one of those electric scooters in front of me. When he suddenly made a tight U-turn toward me, I jumped to the side. He had a good laugh at my expense and then we began to talk. He was over 90 years old and said he flew a P-38 in WWII. He was shot down over Borneo and spent over 3 months in a Japanese prison camp before he escaped. My wife was waiting for me and I had to go even though I could have stayed there all day listening to the stories he told. I can't help but think of him on the eve of Memorial Day. People like him helped insure the freedom we enjoy today. I am very grateful to them.

This has made me think of the importance of remembering. It has always played a role in man's relationship to God. God put the rainbow in the sky to remember His promise that He would never destroy the earth again by water (Genesis 9:16). Throughout the Torah (law), God instructed every aspect of building the Tabernacle, the utensils, and the garments for the priests. Several times God says these things were to be made a certain way as a memorial. Even the fourth commandment included the word "Remember" (Exodus 20:8).

Remembering helps us in so many ways.
1. It protects us. That is why Jesus said "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32). It was a warning.
2. It instructs us. The "things that were written afore time were written our learning (Romans 15:4).
3. It enriches us. Paul called Timothy to remember the faith that was in his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:4).
4. It encourages us. One example of this is found in Psalm 112:6, "Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance."
5. It connects us. This is why all Christians come together on the first day of every week. We are there for a memorial (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24,25).

On this Memorial Day, we will remember those who gave themselves for our national freedom. Yet, as important as that is, it pales in comparison to the ultimate sacrifice of love that Jesus made for us on that cruel cross. May we always be faithful to Him by remembering Him and what He did for us.