“This I call to mind and therefore I have hope.” Lamentations 3:21 NIV
“The journey of faith is marked by milestones of obedience and altars of consecration.”
My thoughts and comments today are about “reminders.”
What would I do if it were not for Gayle, a most helpful wife, and Charlotte, a trusted secretary, who keep track of my appointments and schedules, reminding me of where I am supposed to be, what I am supposed to be doing, and with whom I am supposed to be doing that? Who could recall all they need to remember without the ubiquitous Post It notes? As I embrace the challenge of “aging gracefully,” I am not getting any more forgetful; unfortunately, neither am I getting any less. In my own defense, my claim is that I just have a more sizable and growing library of people, places, and stuff that can be forgotten. I guess we all struggle with memory; therefore, everyone needs reminders.
Ever puzzled why it is so easy to forget and so hard to remember? Someone said, “We are not slow learners, just quick forgetters.” The problem seems to me that most of us remember what we should forget, and forget what we should remember. With little effort, you may remember failure and pain, but need reminders of faithfulness and blessing. “My soul still remembers my (affliction) and sinks within me. This I recall to my mind, and therefore have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness . . therefore I hope in Him! . . It is good that one should hope and wait quietly.” Lamentations 3:20-26 NKJV. Hope is birthed in your heart and rests on God and His promises, not present circumstances.
You need reminders! You need to forget things that complicate your life and trouble your soul, and you need to build enduring memorials and altars that remind you of God’s goodness and faithfulness in your life. Those good and Godly memories renew and establish hope for the path ahead. After Israel’s decisive victory over their staunchest enemy, the Old Testament prophet, Samuel, took a stone and named it, “Ebenezer, meaning ‘thus far the Lord has helped us.’” 1 Samuel 7:12 NKJV. Everyone who appreciates the grace of God has a personal testimony of “thus far the Lord has helped me.” That blessed history needs to become a firm declaration and conviction, “Therefore I hope in Him!” Real hope is planted firmly on the solid rock of God and your personal history with Him.
Many years ago, my dear friend, Campbell, said to me, “The journey of faith is marked by Milestones of obedience and Altars of consecration.” I have never forgotten the wisdom of his words. Milestones of obedience – the places where God has spoken to you when and where you responded in faith – mark the path you have traveled and evidence the extent of your progress, or lack thereof. Such moments are enduring memorials raised to the glory of God as reminders for you and testimonials to others. They mark the way you have come, tribute to the grace of God and graciousness of others that has been shown to you.
Your journey should also be marked by Altars of consecration where you bow before God in new levels of dedication. Yesterday’s consecration cannot provide today’s sacrifice. Ashes are all that remain of your last sacrifice. To go further with God you have to go deeper in God. Consecration is the act of setting someone or something apart for a distinct purpose. “I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will accept . . let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Romans 12:1-2 NLT.
My prayer for you today is that you be a living, breathing, and holy sacrifice to God.