Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in... that is the time to be careful. Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you... Do not forget that he led you... He did it so you would never think that it was your own strength and energy that made you wealthy. Always remember that it is the LORD your God... (Deuteronomy 8:11-18)

    Like a lot of folks, I’ve got more to do than I can get done. Or at least it seems that way much of the time. So to keep track of my appointments, projects, and responsibilities I use a personal information manager (pim). When I get caught away from it, I am lost. So I jot down all sorts of reminders and notes to enter into my pim when I get back to it. I’ve learned the hard way that I can’t remember what I’ve forgotten and if I don’t jot it down, I’ll forget it!

    Yes, I know it sounds redundant to say it that way! But, I can’t remember what I’ve forgotten and it drives me crazy. I know there was something I was supposed to do, but what was it? Oh yeah, and there was someone I was supposed to contact, but who was it? And what about meeting that person, when was that supposed to be? I know I’m supposed to remember something, but I can’t remember what I’ve forgotten.

    I’m not alone in this affliction. Most adults, as they move into their thirties, have kids, busy schedules, and many other responsibilities. They also have trouble remembering that they are supposed to do something; unfortunately, they can’t remember what it was. Some panic and think it is some kind disease that is causing them to lose their minds. Instead, they’re just trying to juggle too many things and their minds can’t remember what they’ve forgotten.

It’s why worship with other believers is so important.

    The affliction is nothing new. It’s been going on for centuries. It’s why worship with other believers is so important. Worship is about remembering, reliving, and retelling the great things that God has done. We sing songs and these songs trigger emotions and memories as well as allow us to speak to each other about God’s greatness. We take the Lord’s Supper and remember Jesus’ death as we remind each other of the Lord’s coming for us in glory. We read Scripture and remind each other of the lifestyle God calls on us to live. We hear messages that recall God’s great deeds and that call us to live with our Father’s character and grace in the world.

    Worship is in many ways the corporate act of remembering. Worship is important for lots of reasons, but one of the primary reasons is that we are so prone to forget. We are a forgetful people and we can’t remember what we’ve forgotten. We know something is missing, but we can’t recall what it is. When forgetfulness sets in, then so does our drift away from God and from godliness. We become religious sounding versions of the culture around us. Our religion then becomes a tool to justify and validate the life we live rather than being a transformational power that calls us beyond the limits and liabilities of the culture in which we find ourselves.

    Worship, however, calls us to remember God — to his character, to his lifestyle, to his grace, to his transformational power. We are lost if we forget such things and we can’t remember what we’ve forgotten. So come, let’s worship and remember...

 

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Title: "I Can't Remember What I've Forgotten"
Author: Phil Ware
Publication Date: October 21, 2002