Series: The Things We Say - Forgive and Forget - Martin Wiles

But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:15 NLT

If we still remember, we haven’t forgiven. The philosophy behind the phrase, forgive and forget.

After seventeen years—nineteen if you count the dating part--Sarah called it quits. Walked out and left her husband and two kids. She couldn’t explain why she did it, but she did. Maybe it was because she never wanted to be a preacher’s wife in the first place. She had endured for sixteen of their seventeen years together. That seemed more than fair. Now the lifestyle was getting to her. She had wild oats to sow that she’d never had a chance to sow before.

John, her husband, was bitter. He couldn’t believe she would do what she had done. Leave it all—everything they had built together. And leave him with the bills and the kids. He knew what the Bible said about forgiveness—and forgave her. Forgetting was another story. Occasionally, one of his church members would remind him if he didn’t forget he hadn’t forgiven. He wondered how you could consciously forget something.

The Bible, and Jesus particularly, has a lot to say about forgiveness. One thing it doesn’t say is that we have to forget what others have done to us as a part of the forgiveness act. Forgiveness is releasing someone from a debt they owe because of a sin they have committed against me. Period. Forgetting is impossible unless we experience brain damage or contract a brain disease such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.

What we can and must do is stop dwelling on the infraction. In our own power, we can’t even accomplish this, but God’s power in us can. John eventually moved beyond what Sarah had done to him and the family. He never forgot it because he couldn’t, but he no longer sought revenge. Neither did he stew over the situation all the time.

We know we’ve forgiven when we don’t dwell on the injury, when we’re not out for revenge, when we can interact with the person who has offended us if we must, and when we don’t get angry when we think about the injustice committed. We’ll never forget others’ wounds against us, but we can forgive and move on.

Stop trying to forget the infractions others have committed against you. Just forgive.

Father, as you have forgiven me, enable me to forgive others who harm me in various ways.

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Lest We Forget - Martin Wiles

Forgetting what we want or terribly need to remember is a horrible thing.

I once chaperoned an eighth-grade trip to Washington, DC. Memorials reign high on the list of things to visit because they are constructed to help future generations remember a particular person or event.

While not the most popular memorial, for me, the Korean War Memorial ranks as the most interesting. The artist majored on the number thirty-eight. Thirty-eight was the number of the parallel that divided North and South Korea. It was also the number of months affected by the war. A problem arose, however, when trying to place thirty-eight life-size soldiers on the designated plot of land, which had only enough room for nineteen. The artist decided to design a reflective wall. When looking at the wall, one can see thirty-eight soldiers trudging through terrain representative of Korea instead of the actual nineteen there. Problem solved. Statement made.

Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. 

~Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT

Memorial Day is the day when America remembers military personnel who have died while serving their country. The holiday originated as Decoration Day, which a group of Union veterans established. Eventually, competing Union and Confederate holiday traditions merged into one and were celebrated together.

God also likes memorials and repeatedly warned his Old Testament people not to forget him or the things he had done for them. In Israel’s history, they needed to recall his delivering them from four hundred years of Egyptian slavery. For Christians, the big unforgettable deliverance is Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.

For years, I’ve worn paraphernalia with Christian symbols on them—mainly the cross. Since I got in on the tail end of the hippie movement, wearing jewelry came naturally. From necklaces with crosses to watches, bracelets, key rings, and shirts with the same, I’ve worn it all—except earrings. Needles never attracted me.

While jewelry and other clothing articles with Christian symbols can make good witnessing and conversation starters, our lifestyle is a better memorial to the difference Christ has made. Symbols mean little without actions, attitudes, and words to back them up. Just as America’s war memorials would mean nothing if we cast aside our love for freedom and our appreciation for those who bought it.

Americans remember their military dead with a holiday. Build something that will help others remember what Christ has done for you.

Father, may I never forget the sacrifice you have made for us through your Son, Jesus Christ. 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Don’t Forget God - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands. Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT 

Forgetting can be embarrassing and aggravating.

I once could memorize things, names, and events easily. Having a college professor who required memorizing long lists of answers to numerous questions wasn’t a problem. Despite having a good memory, I’ve always carried several calendars. Then I turned forty, and life changed. Names were the first thing to go. I could look at people I’d known for years and forget their last names—and sometimes their first. I still record scheduled events, birthdays, anniversaries, and a “to do” list on several calendars, but now I need to. These memory lapses disturb me, but I’ve accepted them as a part of the aging process.

God’s Old Testament followers tended to forget as well, but it wasn’t due to age. Instead, they usually forgot because they turned their attention to something else—often idol worship. Or because things were going so well they didn’t see the need for God anymore. God cautioned them to be careful.

Forgetting God is never something I intend to do, but it happens just the same. If things go too well in my life, I begin thinking I have life under control and can handle anything that comes my way. So, God sends or allows a little adversity to remind me I can’t handle life without him—at least not without messing it up.

Things can easily distract us: relationships, material things, hobbies, sports, substances, etc. 

When distracted, we’re more apt to focus on the distraction than on the God who wants our undivided attention. 

Taking precautions is necessary if we’re to focus on God and obey his commands continuously. God is behind every success we enjoy, and he will see us through every adversity we encounter.

Don’t forget God along life’s journey.

Prayer: Father, may we never forget loving and serving You are the most essential things in our lives.

Tweetable: Have you forgotten God? 

 

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Walk-on Wednesday - When God Forgets - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds. Hebrews 10:17 NLT

I stared at her, but couldn’t remember her name.

The fact that I had taught her for three years made no difference. Obviously, she noticed my blank stare.

With a smirk on her face, she remarked, “Have you forgotten my name?”

Returning her smirky smile, I replied, “How could you tell?”

Memory lapses are a part of aging. Since I’ve always had an excellent memory, these momentary lapses disturb me. While I know they come with age—especially the forgetting of names—I can’t help but wonder if they’re not foreboding shadows of some dreaded disease.

Some things in my past, I want to forget. Unkind remarks. Sinful acts. Unhealthy relationship decisions. Unwise disciplinary decisions made with children. But others I don’t. Such as what day it is. Or month. My wife’s name and birthday. Our anniversary. My address. Important things.

Old Testament worshipers never had the assurance that God forgot their sins. Repeatedly bringing animals for a priest to slaughter on an altar constantly reminded them. The blood ran, but their sins didn’t. The animal died, but the feeling that something wasn’t quite right between them and God remained. They wanted to forget . . . but couldn’t.

God is in the business of forgetting. Not that he is old and losing his memory—although he has been around forever. He forgets on purpose, and since he is God, forgetting is something he must purposefully do—not something that happens because of his age. He doesn’t forget the important things such as my name, that I belong to him, that he’s promised to meet my needs and see me through every trial, or that his Son has died for my sins.

What God does forget are our sins. The ones we’ve confessed and repented of. The ones we’ve allowed the blood of his Son—not some animal—to cover. He forgets on purpose the ways we’ve failed him, so he can use us in the present.

Confession and repentance are all it takes to make God forget our sins. Has he forgotten yours?

Prayer: Father, we praise You for not holding our sins against us when they are forgiven through Christ. 

Tweetable: Has God forgotten your sins? 

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Forgetful - Martin Wiles

Never forget this! Deuteronomy 25:19 NLT

Many things I wish would hang around…don’t.

The process began around the age of forty. Things began escaping me. Names came first. People I’d known for years now had names that appeared as strangers. I recognized the faces, but couldn’t recall the names.

Almost twenty years later, things have gotten worse. Sometimes I can’t even recall the names of students who I presently teach. They come to my desk asking for a pass to the library, and I pause before writing their name. Because I can’t remember it. Most of the time, it eventually comes to me, but not without using some brainpower.

I wish I could remember the names of all the students I’ve taught down over the years.

I would love to remember all the stories my maternal grandfather told. Just children’s stories, but with a Southern accent I wish I could still hear. I’ve forgotten it.

I wish I could remember all the stories my paternal grandfather told me about his life growing up. Many of them I do remember and have written down, but many more are lost. And all my grandparents are gone, so I can’t ask them.

I wish I could continuously remember the death dates of my relatives who have died. Sure, I can look the dates up, but that takes time, and even if I did I’d probably forget them again.

Rehearsing is a good way to remember. It’s how I remember special Bible verses I don’t want to forget. If I go too long without rehearsing them, I’ll have to start over again.

While we don’t truly forget—unless we have brain damage or a brain disease—many things are beyond our ability to pull into our present memory. God gave His Old Testament people some things He didn’t want them to forget. Some of the things their enemies had done to them were among the list, but more importantly were to love others, to show kindness, to remember the poor, and to remember that they were once slaves.

Remembering what God has done in our lives is always proper. He has delivered us from sin’s penalty, placed abundant life in us presently, and promised us eternal life in a wonderful place called heaven.

Remembering these things causes us to remember other important things: helping the suffering, giving to the needy, associating with the lonely, helping the orphans, lending to the widows. Things that Jesus says serve Him and demonstrate our identity in Him.

What can you do to make sure you don’t forget the most essential things in life?

Prayer: Father, help us never to forget Your love for us and our responsibilities to others.

Tweetable: Do you struggle with forgetting? 

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Don’t Forget - Martin Wiles

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. Psalm 103:2 NLT

What once came easily, I now struggle with.

Memory fades with age. In my late twenties, remembering things for my college classes came easily. That was beneficial. I had one professor whom we called the “grocery list professor” because his tests were solely memorization.

I noticed the change around forty. Names began disappearing. Then other things. Ten years down the road, and I could look at a student and not remember their name if I saw them in another place other than in the classroom and in their assigned seat.

I fear contracting what my maternal grandmother had: Alzheimer’s. To look at my children and grandchildren and not know who they are. Or even at my wife and not know her. Not to be able to write because my mind has malfunctioned. Or to tend to my personal needs.

I fear developing what my wife has though a young woman: a brain tumor. Although not malignant, the tumor affects her memory at times. Such as when she stared at oranges in the grocery store and couldn’t name what they were. Or when she entered our den and asked what side of her body she was pointing to.

One thing I hope I never forget are the things God has and still does for me. I perish the thought of forgetting to praise Him.

I hope never to forget God’s forgiveness. He is always faithful to His promise that if I confess my sins He will forgive. Sins that affront His holy nature. Sins that would keep me from an eternity in heaven. Sins serious enough that it costs His Son death. All freely forgiven because of God’s love. I certainly don’t deserve His forgiveness, but He offers it nonetheless. No matter how many times I mess up—or how great the mess up is—God still extends His offer of forgiveness.

I hope never to forget to thank God for the good things He gives: the necessities of life, abundant living, freedom from condemnation, an eternal home, wisdom, His Spirit, mercy. The list is endless.

And I trust I’ll never fail to thank God daily for His love. Love that surpasses any type of love anyone else could give. Love that forgives and accepts. Love that never fails and never ends.

Prevent your memory lapse by thanking God daily for all the good things He does for you.

Prayer: Father, our praise rises to You continually for the good God You are.

Tweetable: What are you forgetting to do?

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