Remembering Well

Remembering Well

Often we remember what we should forget & forget what we should remember. In essence, our experiences good or bad define how we remember & categorize those events in our minds. Our memories are imprinted inside of us & how we remember those events becomes a part of who we are.

Did you know that the Bible shares that God not only teaches us, He also gives us a helper -- the Holy Spirit who will help us remember well. Jesus said: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, & bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (Jn. 14:26)

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT’S MINISTRY IS TO HELP US TO REMEMBER WELL.

“I will ask the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of truth…” (Jn. 14:16-17a) In other words, one of the Holy Spirit’s responsibilities is to bring events that happen in our lives back to our remembrance in such a way that will be beneficial & not detrimental to us. Our memories need to run through the Holy Spirit much like a water filtering system in which He guides these recollections to help influence our lives correctly. Therefore, if a memory is the final product, & remembering is the process that affects who we become, then it will be vitally important for us to invite the Holy Spirit to help us remember for He is the Spirit of truth.

I have had wonderful friendships; people who I have prayed with, laughed with, studied the bible with, done ministry with. Then some thing happened & they left the church. Some have even spoke against this church & let others know how wrong I was. And each time I’d remember the situation, I’d experience regret, I’d lose confidence & sleep. I’d be distracted & discouraged in ministry. Has that type of experience ever happened to you?

Now I have a choice. What memories about those relationships am I going to reflect on: the last months of disagreement & conflict OR all the other years of friendship & ministry together?

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to filter & guide those memories. So the Holy Spirit helps to clarify & purify our experiences so that we can…

2. RUTHLESSLY OBEY & PUT INTO PRACTICE DAILY HIS INSTRUCTIONS.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments & every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, & we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”(2 Cor. 10:4-5)

There will be times when our thoughts will war against what God has for us. It will be like drinking unfiltered, dirty water. Yet as awful as it is, many of us choose to drink what is unhealthy & filthy. Our natural thinking will be to argue with God & justify our feelings. Nevertheless, our thoughts must come under the submission of what God says is true & healthy for us. And if we have thoughts that are contrary to God’s word, we are to capture & correct those thoughts so they are obedient to Christ. Be careful of any memory that wounds you or pulls you away from God’s best for your life. God is greater than our past & the way we tend to define it. He promises to work all things for good to those that love Him & are called according to His purpose. Think with me for a moment about Joseph.

Joseph, who was treated horribly by his brothers, was at a point in time when he confronted his brothers about their treatment of him. Listen to what he said: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen. 50:20) In other words, Joseph looked at his circumstances differently, & realized how God was at work in his life. How? He “tookevery thought captive &made it obedient to Christ. ” We are to take charge of & train our minds to think biblically, & Jesus says the Holy Spirit will help us.

How do we do that? Well the Bible says: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence & if anything worthy of praise, let your mind DWELL on these things. The things you have learned & received & heard & seen in me, PRACTICE THESE THINGS; & the God of peace shall be with you.” (Phil. 4:8-9) So “let your mind dwell on” & “practice these things”. I know that there are things in life that happen that, in themselves, are not always good, that’s why it is essential we…

3. ABOVE ALL, REMEMBER THE LESSON OF THE CROSS.

Jesus was falsely accused & put on trial. The religious leaders devalued, disrespected, & falsely accused Him. Yet even when a non-Christian judge found him NOT guilty & the Jewish religious leaders found Him guilty & were relentless in putting Jesus to death. “ Pilate … said to them, ‘Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.’…When therefore the chief priests & the officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, ‘Crucify, crucify!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take Him yourselves & crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.’”(Jn. 19:3-4, 6)

As you know Jesus was condemned to death on the cross. But the result of this huge injustice was the great exchange: Jesus took our sin & exchanged it for His goodness. You see God’s ultimate plan CANNOT be frustrated by anyone’s betrayal or unjust actions against Him or us. Jesus allowed the Holy Spirit to bring the ultimate purpose of the cross to His remembrance & in turn Jesus submitted His will to the will of the Father. The Bible says, “Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus…who for the joy set before him (Jesus) endured the cross…”

To help us remember Jesus gave us communion, this symbolic act of remembering: “…‘This is My body, which is [broken] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’

In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’”(1 Cor. 11:24-25)

Many of us have never been taught to remember well. So the Holy Spirit’s is willing, if asked, to help us to filter the events of our lives through His ultimate truth. There are a lot of injustices that have & will continue to happen. Allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity of interpreting those events.

If God can take the injustice of the cross & turn it around to save the world, think of what He can do in our lives. Always remember the lesson of the cross. God assigned the Holy Spirit the job of filtering our memories in ways that will benefit & not hinder us. So obey & practice His instructions by bringing every thought to the obedience of Christ.

* Sometimes the Holy Spirit brings our sin to our remembrance.

If you have already trusted Jesus as Lord & Savior & received Him by personal invitation then all you need to do is admit the sin & ask for forgiveness.

If you have NOT trusted Jesus as Lord & Savior & received Him by personal invitation then you to can experience the great exchange. You can give Jesus your sin in exchange for His goodness! The Bible say we can do that “if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord & believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”Romans 10:9