From John F

WE REMEMBER
This month is a special time for remembering.
“Remember, remember the Fifth of November; Gunpowder, Treason and Plot…”
“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”

God’s word tells us to remember, and not just in November:
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth…” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David.” (2 Timothy 2:8)
And as we share bread and wine in the Holy Communion service, we hear Jesus’ words “Do this in remembrance of me.”
Furthermore, we are to remember not only our Lord and Saviour, but also people in particular need: for example the poor (Galatians 2:10), our brothers and sisters in prison (Hebrews 13:3), and our Christian leaders (Hebrews 13:7).

GOD REMEMBERS
Many times in Scripture we find that God himself “remembers” or “remembered.” In the days of the cataclysmic flood, “God remembered Noah and all the animals that were with him in the ark.” And afterwards, God said “I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind” (Genesis 8:1 & 9:15).
The Psalms assure us that God “has remembered his love and his faithfulness”, that he “remembers that we are dust”, and that “he remembers his covenant for ever” (Psalms 98:3; 103:14; 111:5).
And we have the wonderful privilege and eternal assurance of God’s grace and mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant sealed with his blood (Hebrews 9:11-15).

As the old chorus puts it:
God is still on the throne, and he will remember his own:
Though trials may press us and burdens distress us, He never will leave us alone.
God is still on the throne, and he will remember his own:
His promise is true, He will not forget you; God is still on the throne!

Yet also, wonderfully –
GOD REMEMBERS NO MORE
Through the prophet Jeremiah in the 6th century B.C., God made a great promise of the new covenant that he would make with his people. He would put his law in their minds and on their hearts. They would all know him, from the least of them to the greatest. Then he said “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
[Notice that God does not say that he will “forget” their sins: if you forget something, you might remember it later! But God promises to “remember no more”: end of story!]

And 600 years later God fulfilled that promise through the Lord Jesus and his sin-bearing death for us, and through the gift of the Holy Spirit for all who trust in him.

Prayer
God, our Judge and Saviour, teach us to remember your truth and to trust in your love,
that we may live each day with confidence in the salvation you have given us
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Category: Remembrance Day , The Bridge , Thought for the week