April 25, 2024

(Move Our Hearts To) Remember

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

This is the Body that was torn for us
This is the Blood that was spilt
Points to the pain You endured for us
Points to the shame, the blame, the guilt

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come…
move our hearts to remember

This is the Lamb who was slain for us
So we, the Church, may enter in
So bittersweet when we think of You
The One who bore our curse, our sin

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come…
move our hearts to remember

Singer / Songwriter: Laura Story

   *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  

Sometimes, we forget.  (And how could we forget?)  But we do.  (I don’t know how…but we do.)  We forget our Suffering Savior.  We forget His hurt and tortured and bruised Body.  We forget His spilled Blood.  And I think that our Lord knew we would forget; remember what He said to His beloved apostles as He shared His final meal with them?

Then He took a loaf [of bread], and when He had given thanks,
He broke [it] and gave it to them saying,
This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
Luke 22:19

Undoubtedly, those twelve men had no idea what Jesus was communicating to them.  But within a few days, they knew.  Perhaps, they also asked God to move their hearts to remember.

Paul also caused the believers in Corinth to remember:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you,
that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,
“This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood;
do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
1 Corinthians 11:24-26

There are many, oh-so-very-many, reasons for us to remember what Jesus accomplished through His sacrificial death on the Cross. Here are just a few.

Lord,…move our hearts to remember!

He himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness
1 Peter 2:24

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh,
God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,
which stood against us and condemned us;
He has taken it away, nailing it to the Cross.
And having disarmed the powers and authorities,
He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the Cross.
Colossians 2:13-15

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us— for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”
Galatians 3:13

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved by His life.
Romans 5:10-11

…Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold
from your futile way of life inherited from your fathers,
but with precious Blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the Blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:18-19

…Having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt
that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the Cross.
Colossians 2:13-14

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

And we must intentionally remember because,

“…the message of the Cross is sheer absurdity and folly
to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition,
but to us who are being saved it is the manifestation of the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:18 AMP

These next few weeks (called Lent, in some churches) are an excellent time to determine to focus on Jesus’ sacrifice, and all that He went through (His betrayal, His trial, His torture, His crucifixion) leading up to His death and (oh! joy!) His Resurrection!  There are many things one can do to purposefully remember Jesus’ accomplishments, such as…

  • Read through Matthew chapters 26 and 27; Mark chapters 14 and 15; Luke chapters 22 and 23; John chapters 17 through 19
  • Download an app of a daily devotional focusing on Jesus’ last days. One suggestion would be the YouVersion of the Bible.
  • Listen to hymns and other Christian songs which help you to recognize and remember what Jesus went through. And sing your praise! (Perhaps make a playlist.)
  • Ask a loved one (a family member or a friend) to be your accountability partner during this time.
  • Watch a movie depicting this time period of our Lord’s final days.
  • And finally, but most importantly, pray…asking God through the Holy Spirit to help you to remember.  It is a prayer I know He will answer.

Remind Me, Dear Lord

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

All the things that I love and hold dear to my heart
Are just borrowed they’re not mine at all
Jesus only let me use them to brighten my life
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord

Roll back the curtain of memory now and then
Show me where You brought me from and
Where I could have been
Just remember I’m a human and humans forget
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord

Nothing good have I done to deserve God’s own Son
I’m not worthy of the scars in His hands
Yet He chose the road to Calvary to die in my stead
Why He loved me I can’t understand

Just remember I’m a human and humans forget
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord

Songwriter: Mrs. Dottie Rambo / Performed by Vocal Union

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Oh, if only we WOULD remember what God has done!  The blessings, the healings, the provision, the miracles, the deliverances, the protection, the guidance…along with all the love and grace and mercy!  But, like the song says, ‘but humans forget…’.  And so we ask our compassionate and kind ABBA Father to ‘remind me…remind me, dear Lord!’  I think there are any number of ways that God reminds us of all that He has done…is doing…and will do.

One of God’s greatest gifts to us (in my own opinion) is providing the Holy Spirit…the Helper, the Comforter. While Jesus was preparing His disciples for leaving them, He told them of God’s plan. One thing He said was,

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
John 14: 25 and 26

Jesus promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would help them remember what He had taught them. The disciples had seen all that Jesus did and heard all that He had taught.  And, since we too are disciples of our Lord, the Holy Spirit can help us in the same way.  As we read and study the Scriptures, we can trust that truth will be placed into our hearts by the Holy Spirit as we are taught.  He will convince and convict us of God’s will, and remind us when we stray from it.

The Holy Spirit does so much for us!   True, He does plant truth in our hearts, convince us of God’s will, and remind us when we stray from it…but the responsibility to DO—obey—is ours.  He reminds…we obey.  He guides…we follow.  He helps us…we do what is right.

So, while we surely can (and should!) ask for God’s grace in reminding us through the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts, I do think we should be responsible to remind ourselves, too!  A few things that I have purposed to do so that I am reminded are:

  • daily Bible reading

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips;
meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Joshua 1:8

  • listening to praise and worship music

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,
with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another
with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:15 and 16

  • spending time with other Christians

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,
and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24 and 25

  • having Scriptures up as decorations in our home

And these words which I am commanding you this day
shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts;
[then] you shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate,
and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house
and when you walk by the way,
and when you lie down and when you rise up.
and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand,
and they shall be as frontlets (forehead bands) between your eyes.
And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9

{I would love to hear of ways that you remind yourself about our awesome God!}

Oh!  And here is a great list of 10 BIG daily reminders:

  • God exists
  • God loves you
  • Jesus died for you, and the Father has now bound himself to give you only good things.
  • God sees you as perfect
  • That is because of Jesus’ perfection…not yours
  • You will die
  • You will live forever in the new heavens and the new earth
  • For now. you are an exile on the earth
  • Nothing on earth is truly worth putting your hope in
  • You have no right to be unhappy

(Follow this link to read the entire article this list was taken from.)

Remember

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

This is the Body that was torn for us
This is the Blood that was spilt
Points to the pain You endured for us
Points to the shame, the blame, the guilt

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come…move our hearts to remember

This is the Lamb who was slain for us
So we, the Church, may enter in
So bittersweet when we think of You
The One who bore our curse, our sin

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come…move our hearts to remember

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Singer / Songwriter: Laura Story

 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

Sometimes, we forget.  (And how could we forget?)  But we do.  (I don’t know how…but we do.)  We forget our Suffering Savior.  We forget His hurt and tortured and bruised Body.  We forget His spilled Blood.  And I think that our Lord knew we would forget; remember what He said to His beloved apostles as He shared His final meal with them?

Then He took a loaf [of bread], and when He had given thanks,
He broke [it] and gave it to them saying,
This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
Luke 22:19

Undoubtedly, those twelve men had no idea what Jesus was communicating to them. But within a few days, they knew.  Perhaps, they then were asking God to move their hearts to remember also.

Paul also caused the believers in Corinth to remember:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
1 Corinthians 11:24-26

There are many, oh-so-many, reasons for us to remember what Jesus accomplished through His death and sacrifice on the Cross. Here are just a few. “Lord,…move our hearts to remember!

He himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness
1 Peter 2:24

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh,
God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,
which stood against us and condemned us;
He has taken it away, nailing it to the Cross.
And having disarmed the powers and authorities,
He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the Cross.
Colossians 2:13-15

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us— for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”
Galatians 3:13

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved by His life.
Romans 5:10-11

…Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold
from your futile way of life inherited from your fathers,
but with precious Blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the Blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:18-19

…Having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt
that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the Cross.
Colossians 2:13-14

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

And we must intentionally remember because

“…the message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly
to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition,
but to us who are being saved it is the manifestation of the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 AMP

These next couple of weeks are an excellent time to determine to focus on Jesus’ sacrifice, and all that He went through (His betrayal, His trial, His torture, His crucifixion) leading up to His death and (oh! joy!) His Resurrection!  There are many things one can do to purposefully ‘remember’ Jesus’ accomplishments, such as…

  • Read through Matthew chapters 26 and 27; Mark chapters 14 and 15; Luke chapters 22 and 23; John chapters 17 through 19
  • Download an app (on your tablet or smartphone) of a daily devotional focusing on Jesus’ last days. One suggestion would be the YouVersion of the Bible.
  • Listen to hymns and other Christian songs which help you to recognize and remember what Jesus went through. And sing your praise! (Perhaps make a playlist.)
  • Ask a loved one (a family member or a friend) to be your accountability partner during this time.
  • Watch a movie depicting this time period of our Lord’s final days.
  • And finally, but most importantly, pray…asking God through the Holy Spirit to help you to remember.  It is a prayer I know He will answer.

Magnify the Lord With Me!

SeekingHimLogo

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
Psalms 34:1-3

Don’t you just l-o-v-e to praise God and share with others about how AWEsome He is?!!?  We have a great privilege, my friends!  It is our honor to bless the Lord…to speak well of Him…to praise Him…to boast of Him…to magnify the Lord…to exalt His Holy name together with others.  So many, many ways to do this!   For example, we can:

  • call someone on the phone and say, ‘Praise God!  Listen to what He just did in my life!’
  • text (not while driving though!) a friend telling them about His grace towards you
  • smile at a stranger in the grocery store and say, ‘Look at the abundance of all these wonderful vegetables that God has blessed us with!’
  • look across the supper table to our loved ones and remind them of just how very GOOD God has been to your family
  • echo a praise that a friend has just posted on their FaceBook page
  • dance with a child singing, ‘God is so good…He’s so good to me!’

There is much ‘unity of the Spirit’ in praising His Name together.  Magnifying God and speaking well of Him crosses all of the silly denominational boundaries that exist.  As the Apostle Paul admonished,

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called
to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:3-6

We have oh-so-very-much to be thankful for!  We know we should ‘in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  Let’s determine today that we will bless the Lord…speak well of Him…praise Him…boast of Him…magnify the Lord…exalt His Name together with others.  Can you only imagine how that will bless Him?!?

Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.  Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:18-20

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, *singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. *
Colossians 3:15 and 16

(*One version translates this as ‘making melody to God with His grace in your hearts!’)

Our lives are filled with the grace and mercy and goodness of our Great God!  As the psalmist wrote here in Psalm 34, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.’  May I encourage you…me…us to try to be so very aware of His blessings that our praises are bubbling up out of our grateful hearts through our thankful lips boasting of our wonderful Father!  Together may we magnify and glorify the Great I AM! <3

* * * * *

Dear Lord, may You always receive the praise, the honor, the glory, the gratitude and the thankfulness that You deserve!  You are so, so, SO GOOD to us!  We praise You and thank You for Your grace and mercy in Jesus’ precious name.  Amen.