Remember Redemption

Peter, in his second epistle, writes: "Therefore I intend always to remind you of theses qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.  I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.  And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things."

Notice in this brief selection that Peter talks about remembering the truth three times.  This is not by accident but is fully intentional.  Peter is saying that, although we have known the truth, we should not ever fear or shy from remembering it.

Practically speaking, this means we remember Christ, His salvation and place in our lives.  This has special importance for us.  When we forget Christ, who He is and what He has done, we are prone to backsliding.  This is a real threat.  When we are complacent, we are not growing.  This is not to say if we're not under duress then we're not growing.  Rather, we are unable to live according to His will without His Holy Spirit working in us.  This requires an approach of remembrance towards all of life.

Remembering God keeps us from not remembering Him.  This may sound rhetorical, but think about it.  We are commanded to live in the Spirit, to abide in Him, to unceasingly seek after Him; if we are remembering Him, we cannot but live these out.  It is when we are not remembering Him that we get into trouble.

Numerous times in their history, before Israel was judged and forced into exile, the Scripture says that they had forgotten the Lord, that they had forgotten how He brought them out of Israel and had forgotten His law (Jdg. 3:7; Hos. 8:14).  When we forget about God, we do not set our sights on His righteous will and perfect path, we settle for our imperfect, futile paths.  This can only lead to sin and despair.  God wants so much more of us, for us, and from us.

Therefore, we should set it in our minds and upon our hearts to fix our gaze on Jesus, always remembering Him.  Additionally, this is the purpose of the Communion: a regular remembrance of who He is and what He has done for us.  Remembering Him should not feel like a burden but it should be a struggle of joy for we desire to love and serve Him.  And there is nothing more joyous or joyful than to pursue Him.