The Reminder
Exodus 13:9, “And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead , that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth ; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.”
For 430 years the Israelites had endured living as slaves in Egypt. What began as a blessing to Joseph ended up as a disaster for the Hebrews. A new Pharaoh came into power who did not know the ways that Joseph, God, had blessed the Egyptian people, so he became worried that the Hebrews would become too many for him to control; and he decided to afflict the Hebrews with slavery. The Hebrews who were also forgetful had forgotten the many ways that God had blessed them, so instead of trusting in God they just “rolled over” to the wishes of Pharaoh. As a result they spent 430 years in captivity.
Many times in our lives we forget to remember the awesome works that God has done. There was a poll completed, I think by Gallup, that said the average American household has 2-3 Bibles, yet we are the most Biblically ignorant generation ever. Most people do not ever read the Word of God, and His promises of a great future. Certainly, if they do know about His promises they don’t understand His reliability to back them up, so we live in a culture that bows down to Pharaoh, Kings, Presidents and Governments allowing them to command us “into slavery.(Don’t mishear I’m not advocating anarchy, but the government cannot give us a great present or future only God can.)
We as Christians need to stand up for the privileges that God has given us through Christ, and if we do not remember His many blessings that have already been given then we will not be confident in the future blessings that He wants to give us.
2 Timothy 2: 8, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal ; but the word of God is not imprisoned. 10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”
God has blessed us through Jesus Christ, and His Word is complete with the blessings that He has given us, and the blessings that He wants to give us, but if we do not read His blessings of the past then we cannot be confident about His future blessings.
There is an old saying, “Those who do not remember the past are destined to repeat it.” If we forget about the blessings of God already given then we will end up in “slavery” like the Egyptians. If you are facing a crisis, even if you’re not, I invite you to read how God has deliverd people from sure destruction in the past.
One of my favorite Victory over defeat stories is found in Daniel 3.(click here to read)
______________________________
Father, I thank You for the ways that You have worked in the past, and I ask that You help me to draw closer to You through Your Word that I may be reassured of the glorious future You have prepared for me.In Jesus’ name, Amen
___________________________
The image above can be found at:
Yes, You Can Ministry 