Remember Jesus Christ. He came from David’s family line. He was raised from the dead. That is my good news (2 Timothy 2:8, NIRV).
The Bible teaches two disciplines with memory—first, how to forget the past, and second, how to remember the past.
It’s Memorial Day weekend in the U.S.A. We remember those who have lost their lives while defending our country. This is a good memory. These memories fortify the exemplar of freedom in America that doesn’t exist in many other countries.
The Apostle Paul tells Timothy to remember that Jesus was raised from the dead. C.S. Lewis writes:
“Jesus really did rise from the dead, and this changes everything.”
We have bad memories when life crumbles, but one memory gives hope. On the third day, Jesus was raised from the dead!
The Bible also says that we should forget many things from the past. As Isaiah writes…
Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep on thinking about them. I am about to do something new (Isaiah 43:18-19a).
And Paul adds…
Dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead… (Philippians 3:13, NLT).
Remembering and forgetting. If we master these two disciplines, our lives will be blessed and filled with the Spirit. But how are we doing? Are we constantly considering our failures? Or do we remember the power of the resurrection and cast our anxieties on Jesus?
If we can forget bad memories and remember God’s calling, we can experience peace.
I want peace. How about you? Fortunately, the two disciplines (forgetting and remembering) merge into one simple exercise. That’s right, forgetting the past and growing into a godly future can be done with one practice…
Confession!
So confess your sins to one another. Pray for one another so that you might be healed (James 5:16a, NIRV).
If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9, NASB1995).
Confession to healing would be impossible without the profession of Jesus and a belief in His power of forgiveness…
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those [of us] in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Today, we remember sacrifice for our country, but also the one sacrifice that enables the confession of both healing and eternal life.