Believing

Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. Deuteronomy 9:7 NASB Remember – “To us, recollection is a holy act; we sanctify the present by remembering the past. To us…

The Introduction Matters

“O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, and chasten me not in Your burning anger.”  Psalm 38:1  NASB Rebuke me not– Have you ever prayed like this:  reaching the point, long after the Lord redeemed you, long after you recognized your sinful condition and your desperate need for grace, you are still overwhelmed by the…

Who Has Been Forgotten?

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service. Nehemiah 13:14 ESV Remember me – And Naomi said, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me”…

Fearful Recall

“Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, the love of your betrothals, your following after Me in the wilderness, through a land not sown.’’” Jeremiah 2:2 NASB I remember – I have been reading the devotional by Oswald Chambers for many decades….

The Creative Sabbath (2)

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8 NASB To keep holy – Pay close attention to the verse. Notice that the act of remembering has a purpose. That purpose is leqaddesho, “to keep holy.” We remember in order to sanctify. That’s not our usual thinking about Shabbat. We often think that Shabbat…

God of Sorrow

When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah. Psalm 77:3 ESV Moan – What do you feel when you remember God? Does a radiant joy spread across your face? Or are you one with Asaph, discovering that remembering the Lord causes you great pain? Were you taught that God likes…

Reciprocity

My youth’s offenses and my crimes recall not.  In your kindness, recall me—You; for the sake of Your goodness, O LORD.  Psalm 25:7  Robert Alter translation Recall me—You – Offenses of our younger days.  Crimes we committed but did not get caught.  At the heart of every man is the ability to become a despot,…

Why God Cares

Recall Your mercies, O LORD, and Your kindnesses—they are forever.  Psalm 25:6  Robert Alter translation Mercies/kindnesses – Why should God care about you?  You’re not exactly the best of the breed.  You’re not holy.  You have a smudged past.  You still wander off the path on occasion.  You are not absolutely devoted.  Why should He…

The Once and Future King

Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place – unless you repent.  Revelation 2:5  NASB Remember – Do you remember those days, the days when you first experienced the joy…

Lessons from the Garden

The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man who He had formed.  Genesis 2:8  NASB The boys had a day off school today, so I got to stay home. Which meant I got to go out and dig a considerable number of weeds out of my…