Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Romans 12:11
When I was in school, I was one of those people that learned really easily and really quickly. I was a straight A student and could commit things to memory with very little effort. I still remember the topics and facts of reports and essays that I wrote as early as first grade. So my memory was really good, back then.
Unfortunately, with the passing of time, we don’t learn as quickly or as easily as we once did. It is not uncommon for me to leave one room with a plan and a purpose, only to arrive in the adjoining room with no idea why am there. LOL.
Our spiritual memory is pretty similar.
As a new believer we’re hungry for the word of God. We read it, study it, hide it in our hearts. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11. But, with the passing of time, we have dry spells periodically where we are not walking as closely with the Lord and aren’t in His word as much. Even when we are in the word (because of our aging minds) we aren’t able to memorize scripture as easily.
As a new believer, we want to shout from the rooftops the things that God has done for us and rescued us from. “And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” Mark 5:19. But, with the passing of time, we lose that fervency and we tell fewer and fewer people and we invite fewer and fewer people to church and/or bible study.
As a new believer we look back over our lives and we see the hand of God on our lives, we see His protection, His leading and His provisions and we praise him, both to others and in prayer. “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” Psalm 150:2. But, with the passing of time, we not only stop recognizing what he’s done for us (when He forgave us and removed the shackles that bound us in our sin), but we stop recognizing the things that he’s doing for us right now. We stop praising Him the way we once did, both publicly and in prayer.
If you stopped right now in this moment and thought about where you once were and looked at where you are now (barring some significant trial that you might be in the moment, and even then we are to count it all joy, because God’s promises are true) I believe that we would all see the abundant blessings of God on our lives. “The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. (The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10) Psalm 67:6-7
We would remember the person that we once were. We would remember sin and shame that once held us captive. And we would remember how God, through His mercy, grace and the blood of Jesus, forgave us and set us free. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” Ephesians 1:7.
We would remember the way that we worried about how our needs would be met, and how greatly God cared for us and provided, just as He promised. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26.
And if we committed ourselves to, once again, tell the world, our friends, our families, our coworkers, all those around us, about the incredible things that God has done for us, the kingdom Would be advance like never before.
But somehow the enemy lulls us into a state of complacency. We find ourselves not rejoicing over what God is doing. And perhaps we are not even not appreciating what he has done or is currently doing in our lives. We become ungrateful we become entitled, And we become spiritually lethargic. And those around us continue to be lost in their sin and destined for hell. We continue to rob God of glory, honor and praise.
I pray that today, we would be more convicted than ever to sharing the marvelous works of the Lord in our lives; That we would tell those around us of the incredible, redeeming love of God; That we would delve into His word, like we did when we first came to know Him; And that it would draw us so closer to our loving Heavenly Father. That it would draw us so close that we would have a hard time pulling ourselves away. I pray that from this point forward, with the passing of time, our love, fervor and hunger for our Abba Father would increase daily. And that we would be incredible and powerful testimonies for Him.
Do you know Jesus Christ as your Personal Lord and Savior? Or are you still bound in your sin and shame? If Jesus is not Lord of your life, I pray that you would go (right now) to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). And I pray that you would pray the prayer that is outlined there. God desires that, with the passing of time, you would come to understand the magnitude of His love for you for you. And He desires to set you free from that guilt, shame and penalty of your sin. Let Him! Pray that prayer, please?
Once you have, please reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com. And let me know, so that I can be in prayer for you. And perhaps I can even help you grow in your relationship with, and knowledge of, our Precious Savior, Jesus Christ.
Luv Ya!
