4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6:4 – 12, New International Version, emphasis added)
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. 19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 8:10 – 20, New International Version, emphasis added)
Theme: Discipleship
Context:
Your comments yesterday emphasized that we are not meant to be lone-wolf disciples of Jesus. Our discipleship occurs in community. Thanks to all who provided comments!
In our review of the discipleship journey of the Children of Israel, we have discussed idolatry, obstinacy, and community so far this week. Today, we turn to memory. On many occasions, God warns the Children of Israel not to forget Him. In tandem with his warning, God also instituted practices to guard against the Children of Israel succumbing to forgetfulness. For example, God encouraged storytelling and suggested written reminders, which could be attached to arms and heads and placed on doorframes and gates.
As disciples of Jesus we also need to pay careful attention to our memory of Him. “Remembering” Jesus applies to many facets of our lives, including corporate worship (e.g., observance of the Lord’s Supper and liturgical worship), personal devotional time (e.g., meditation and journaling), Bible study (e.g., study notes and memorization), and communication in general (e.g., telling relevant stories about Jesus).
Bible Passages:
The Scripture passages today provide just a few examples of the many times the Children of Israel are admonished not to forget God. Please prayerfully read the passages and consider the questions below.
Questions:
The Psalmist David said, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2).
- Why is it important for disciples of Jesus to participate in activities that enhance their memory of Him?
- Recall our discussion yesterday about community. Why is being in a community a vital contributor to preserving our memory of Jesus?
Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else. Please leave a comment on the blog.
March 21, 2024 at 7:15 am
Jesus should be the most integral part of a disciple’s existence. We should never forget who Jesus is to us, and what He continues to do for us.
It is important that we get together us fellow believers, whether it’s for worship, casual meetings, volunteering efforts, etc. Many of these “coming together” give us an insight into what Jesus is doing in the lives of the people that we spend our time with, and remind us of what he’s doing for us.
As individuals, it’s easy to depend on ourselves when we spend considerable time alone doing everything for and by ourselves. We can end up sometimes forgetting that all our strength, abilities, and success are from and through Christ.
We should never forget that we are who we are because of Jesus.
March 21, 2024 at 7:20 am
As humans, we can forget and take for granted what God has done for us. This can particularly happen, when our lives are going well and we are not experiencing major challenges and difficulties. Therefore, activities that enhance our memory are so important to help mitigate and/or avoid this from happening. God knows us, that is why he blessed us with the ability to remember and provides so many wonderful scripture verses that “remind” us of all that he has done and will do. Being in a community helps us to remember, simply because our brothers and sisters in Christ will remember things, that we may have forgotten.
March 21, 2024 at 7:40 am
At the Last Supper Jesus gives a new commandment: “do this in memory of Me.” meaning do this so future generations will know what Jesus was doing then, as if those future generations were present when Jesus spoke.
Being in community has the effect of unifying us because when we stand before God to sing His praises Heaven and earth are united because the ever present memory of Christ dying for us on the Cross, and rising for us on Easter.
March 21, 2024 at 9:56 am
Activities like prayer meeting, Bible study group, women’s support group ,helping at church like putting up Christmas decorations, helping prepare food for thanksgiving, Easter , volunteer at Vacation Bible School are some of the events I participate to enhance my memory of what the Lord has done for me. These activities not only enhance the memory but they help me to be grateful all the time. Being grateful makes you humble. The more you could worship God if your heart is attuned with Him. My church here in River Oaks Baptist Church has a prayer group where we meet every Wednesday at 8:30 am and on Sundays at 8:15 am. I love this group where members take turns to lead the prayer and devotional for the day. Each message in this early morning prayer time is encouraging and uplifting. I also like that the church secretary sends by email the updated prayer list with the names and specific prayer request of members of our church. We all pray for them , and again for me to see each person’s prayer request, praises or some maybe in difficult or trying situations only prove that there is a God who is in control. A loving and compassionate God who will answer all these requests in His perfect timing. Being in the community or in your church family, knowing each and everyone in your group is indeed vital in your growth as a Christian. It is better to worship and serve God with fellow believers. It makes you more appreciative of God’s blessings and love. The testimonies and praises of your church family is also a reminder of God’s faithfulness and love for us.
March 21, 2024 at 3:57 pm
It is important to participate in activities that enhance my memory of Christ because I am forgetful. Times of ease can lead to forgetfulness of God’s role in my life.
I didn’t participate yesterday but community holds us accountable and serve as a reminder of God’s involvement in our lives.
March 21, 2024 at 8:38 pm
It is important to participate in activities that enhance our memory of Jesus as we need to live our lives according to His commandments, promises and example. Our thoughts, our actions, our motives are all shaped by His life, why He was sent to us. Our perspectives on situations, our spiritual growth, faith, our love of others, our hope, our inner strength, the wisdom of God, are all impacted by our memory of Jesus, on which we need to meditate.
All with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Being in a community is important to share our love, our faith, our hope in Jesus, His life and teachings. Our experiences of God in our lives. As the bible states we need to do this from generation to generation.