The Work of God

 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

~[John 6: 25-29]~

I've always really loved these verses and my attention has always been grabbed by the use of the word 'work', three times in three little verses.

 The work of God is to believe in the one he has sent. I've repeated those words over and over in my head wondering...what does that really mean? What does that look like? 

Work is something you do everyday. Something you have to put effort into...Everyday. Believing in the One He has sent - Jesus. And standing on the promises He has made!

To do the works God requires I must first believe in the one He has sent. It takes work to pray and pray persistently - but I must believe the one who I am praying to can (and will) answer!

It takes work to worship but I must believe and trust the one I am worshiping.

It takes work to go out and serve but I must believe that this work is not for 'food' that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life. 

 It takes work to obey God, but I must believe that He is who He says He is, abide in Him, remember that believing in Him is the reason for all this work and in the midst of it that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. :)

Ducks In A Row

I took this picture the other night and thought of the phrase "Having all your ducks in a row" and then I started laughing because, at first glance this picture certainly looks pretty organized, the ducks are in a row, they've got everything together, just like they should have.

And I just felt like writing a short little something about the expectation to have everything together and have a plan. Yes, it's good to be organized and to plan things, but God is ultimately the one with the plan for us, the master blueprint.

A lot of people, younger people especially, feel the pressure to have it all figured out or have a totally reliable 'plan' for life like "At this age I should be at this stage doing this or that..."  And if  this or that thing hasn't happened, we compare ourselves to others around us. When we have this plan not working out how we want it to we ask the question 'why?' a lot...because those are hard things to wrestle with. I just want to encourage anyone who may be thinking along these lines a lot lately to trust God with the blueprint, with the ultimate plan, and then to keep trusting Him.

Because really, when you take a second look at this picture, you'll notice that none of the ducks are looking the same direction and the forth one isn't even facing the same way, it looks all perfectly lined up... but you know, a minute later those ducks swam off and most certainly were not in a row.

Desperate

A lot of people have a hard time asking for help, let alone asking for help while drawing attention to yourself.
 It would be highly unusual to see somebody running down the street or crawling or shouting after somebody, let alone one particular person... 'Help me! Please!'
It would be seen as weakness, pathetic, embarrassing and...desperate. Nobody wants to appear truly desperate, our pride won't let us.

And I wonder how deeply this affects our spiritual lives as well...
How often do we *desperately* come to Jesus? I know for myself it's when there is a major crisis and I'm sure many would probably say the same (whether they'd like to admit it or not)

There has not been any crisis or emergency in my life recently - for which I'm thankful, but as I was reading through the gospels the other night, I saw example after of example of all people coming to Jesus, desperately seeking Him out, desperately asking for help or healing with their situations,  breaking societal politeness, embarrassing themselves in front of crowds of people and I thought, "Wow those people must have *REALLY* needed Jesus", (As if I don't).

Now I'm not saying I'm going to be making a spectacle of myself in public, but this mini realization has challenged me to be more desperate in seeking Him and His will, in praying, in trusting, obeying and enjoying Jesus and break down this mentality that God will find it embarrassing if I'm grieving over situations in mine or other's lives, that I might be 'annoying' if I keep asking Him about this, or for this or that. Because God is not me, or any other person, He won't get annoyed, or think I or anyone else is pathetic.
This 'weakness', this desperateness in coming after Him will be made into strength, as long as we remain unashamed before Him.

Retreat

The last week and a half I've been on retreat. Except this retreat featured the brilliant lime green walls of the room I share with my younger sister. Sounds refreshing eh?

The last few months I've been really busy, which is something I'm usually not... at least not consistently for several months on end.. and it started to get overwhelming all this keeping busy... So with God's prompting I decided I needed to retreat. There were still commitments I couldn't avoid - work, household chores that sort of stuff. But I cancelled my social plans, And didn't make new ones.

I'm not saying being busy or overly social is a sin, but for me it was hindering the time and energy I had to talk to God, which honestly was very little and very shallow.

 So on my evenings and days off I sat and got to think, reflect and enjoy the peace and quiet. I reflected on things that were and weren't drawing me closer to God and just started to ask Him what He wanted of me...because I didn't really have a clear idea anymore (PS. Still working on that)

I thought about the prayer that is in 2 Chronicles 20. In this chapter King Jehoshaphat is told a vast army is coming against him and so he addresses the people in the temple with a prayer and he ends it in verse 12 with "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you" 
And I found that so encouraging - so refreshing! Though I do not and never have had a vast army come against me or my nation, I understood that overwhelmed feeling, the 'something's gotta change or else I'm toast' scenario. So that was one thing that God said to me.

 But the main thing He kept saying to me was to grow in my knowledge of Him, to learn of God and who He is in a deeper way and to better discern in the future whatever social plans, projects and other commitments are going to help rather than hinder in this area of my life.

That's all for now!

Free Indeed

I have walked in darkness, I have cried through the night
I'm sinking in a storm, I am trapped in a battle - that I'm too weak to fight..

Oh sinner come stand in the light

Then the son He said
 to me, be free
The Son He said - go and sin no more

Whom the son set free is
Free Indeed,
Oh free indeed.

Alone in my sorrows, alone in this world,
Crying out -do you hear me, will somebody save me?

Chains were holding, darkness was gripping on tight
I was trapped in a battle , I was too weak to fight

Then the son He said
 to me, be free

Holding on to the things not intended for me
Grieved when I should have let go
Surrendering now is the most joyful thing,
oh free, yes free indeed!

Then the son He said
 to me, be free

Whom the son set free is
Free Indeed,
That is me, oh free indeed.

Free forever, Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a poem I wrote several months ago and have just now felt the need to post it.

I completed this sketch last week and well I didn't plan on posting this either but it goes perfectly and is based on the verse repeated in the poem. So I thought I would share. Hope this encourages somebody out there! :) 

Use This

The last six or seven weeks as I've settled into a new routine and stage in my life so I've been asking God some questions. Questions like ''What do I do with the things and talents I have now?'' ''When will this thing or that thing happen in my life?'' "Why is this situation happening to my friend?" "God, How could you possibly use this?"

And He said to me:
I will show you what to do with the things and talents you have,
I will use this time in your life whether this thing or that thing happens,
I know it hurts to see friends and loved ones struggle, but there is a purpose to it,
 Child, I can use everything and anything you could possibly give me for good.


So for the last couple weeks, my prayer has been "Lord, use this"

Whether it applies individually - my time, energy, talents, money, heartbreaks, or joys.
Sometimes it's easy to look around in your own life, at things that are largely within your control and ask God to use it for His glory.

But things that are far reaching, not particularly related to me at all, such as a brutal murder you've heard about on the news, or terrible injustice done to someone on the other side of the planet, makes people wonder if God can really use things this tragic for good.

But God is SO good and so faithful! He has used injustice, cruelty and slavery and brought good from it, He has used heartbreak of every kind and used it for good, He has used happy, joyful things and brought more joy to them, He has brought forth goodness from hopeless situations, He is able to redeem peoples, nations and situations, He brought used the death of His own son to bring good.

Therefore, ask Him to use whatever you have and are, even when it seems silly if you ask Him:

'Even this Lord?'  He will answer.
"Yes, even this."

Dehydrated Grapes

The past couple weeks God has been convicting me in some areas of my life and asking me to take action and let some things go. And I've been fighting, telling myself that my sins aren't really that bad (in comparison to others), I've ignored my own personal convictions. Because when I'm not actively pursuing God, not focused on Him, sin looks really attractive and is tempting.

 I've had to be be honest with myself, and learn to understand that I and every one else have weaknesses, We all have one (or a couple) things that would immediately come to mind here and it really does affect my (and your) relationship with God.

So this week I asked Him for the strength to give up those things and to turn away from them. And I felt an incredible weight off of my heart and so much freedom, freedom to be joyful (after some tears) and spend time in God's presence rather than trying to 'hide' from Him and be half-hearted in my worship 

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" -John 8:36

 Those were the words from scripture I kept thinking about that day - I had resolved (for the past couple weeks) to get right and honest with God and myself, but like New year's resolutions, convictions can start to slip away awfully quickly, and the temptation to turn and run away from God again was there because well honestly, it's just really hard to let go. 

The next day, after my talk with God and personal reflection, I was packing some grapes in my lunch for work and...well... the grapes had maybe been in the fridge too long and dried out... because when I went to pull them off the stem they just fell off. I barely had to touch them, let alone put in the effort to pull them away.
Suddenly this strange little picture hit me, and made me think of Jesus' illustration of being the Vine in John 15.

 I realized that my intentions were to stick to my resolve on my own, with no one's help. That I was so much like that little grape, falling right off the vine because it was dehydrated - and not asking the one who has living water (Always and in abundance) to keep me attached to the Vine. And so that morning as I packed my lunch I asked God for help - to keep me close, to abide in me. I had no other words because I knew if I didn't I would fall (again) without much prodding. 

The rest of this week has been pretty amazing!  Each day God has been keeping me close and giving me a verse that has been so encouraging, that I've been able to meditate on and focus on Him rather than other things. 
Yesterday He gave me a verse from Psalm 27: [13]

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" 

And God really does intend good things for us! This verse made me think about even though it can be painful to surrender things to Him, that it doesn't seem like giving it up IS a good thing, it is for our ultimate good in this lifetime and the next! 

Earlier in this Psalm in verses 4 & 5 it says:
"One thing I ask from the Lord,  this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock."

I love that David - in dwelling in the house of the Lord and in seeking Him is 'Confident, that he will see the goodness of the Lord' Because it's SO true because God ''rewards those who diligently seek Him''! [Hebrews 11:6]. 

The last thing I want to add is another verse that God gave me today which was 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?" 

So I would encourage everyone to examine themselves and surrender to God those things He may be asking you to no longer ignore in your life, to earnestly seek Him and that you too will see His goodness!  :) 

Far more

In September I wrote about a hopefulness God had given to me, Him speaking and saying ''Trust me, pray, believe I am going to do amazing things in the coming months"
I had no idea in what areas of my life, or what He was going to do, only Him asking that I PRAY and trust. 

Well... God has done some miracles in several areas of my life and with things that I had been praying about all Autumn! 

The thing is with each issue I had worries (was God really going to do something amazing?) and there were times that the circumstances were getting worse and not better..like there would be no resolution for them. A lot of times I felt like I was sitting and doing nothing... like the cord had been cut on the prayer line to God (or to be more modern; like there was no service!)
But still I had a deep rooted hope that told me 'But God said He was going to do something'
And then He did... 

Actually He did "Immeasurably more than all I asked or imagined!" [Ephesians 3:20]

The best part is I can't take any credit for any of the things He has done because I never even thought to ask or imagined that He would pour out so many big blessings and miracles over the course of a few weeks and the only thing I can say is that 'God did that' and all the glory goes to Him! 

So if there are things you have been praying over, things that have happened, things that you are waiting on to happen, that hurt you, that didn't work out...I encourage you to Pray, Trust, Believe and think on these verses -for they were written in a time of waiting, wondering, questions, and lamenting too.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD 

                                                           [Lamentations 3: 21-26] 

Illustrated Verse

Just sharing a small illustrated verse I made last week.

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." 
~Hebrews 1:3 ~

This is a favourite verse of mine because it always reminds me of Who Jesus really is and what He has done!

If anyone has requests for verses they might like to see On here -comment and let me know!

Seeking & Serving

So, I realize I have basically disappeared from blogging for several months. I have been completing my full-time placement and summer assignments to finish my post-grad schooling - and I finally finished it a month ago.

So what have I been up to?
I've been looking for a job, which is important and I'm waiting on that ... but more importantly - I've had lots of time to spend seeking God and asking for direction in my life. And I've had some really sweet times where He has been clearly showing me what I should be doing in this time.

The first thing God put on my heart was to get involved in serving at church now that I've moved home and will be there consistently for the next while. The past two years I haven't been actively involved in any kind of ministry or serving and it really impacted my relationship with God.. and not in a good way.. so I'm very glad for this opportunity to be serving in some capacity again!

The second major thing God has been putting on my heart  is an intense hopefulness that God is getting ready to do something in my life and to TRUST Him - to stand on His promises -- and that they really are true, and that He will provide (even if it might not be in the ways I am thinking)! I am really excited to watch and wait for God to do....whatever He's gonna do! :)

I Will Build My Church

 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

~Matthew 16:15-18 ~

I was doing some thinking on this passage from the sermon on Sunday which was about the Church and whether it's still needed (Hint: The answer is yes!)

So a few thoughts... This section has always confused me a little bit. I know Peter went on to preach and help establish and encourage believers - but the church is not about Peter.
So I read and re-read and found what I was searching for in the previous two verses which I have summed up and understand as meaning: 

Jesus will build His church, not directly on Peter, but on the revelation that Jesus Christ is the Messiah as revealed to people through God the Father. 

This truth that God revealed to Peter, the other disciples and every single believer since is what the gates of Hell can not and never will be able to overcome. Satan and all his demons and all evil can not change who Jesus is or what He's done and.. that's just really amazing! 

Building an altar

The past week I've done a lot of reflecting from a convicting sermon last week at church where there was some things I needed to repent of and get right with God, and this week I have been asking the Holy Spirit to show me all the distractions and things that have a pedestal in my mind and heart and to put those things in the right place or eliminate them entirely if need be.

It is so easy to build up an altar in our hearts or minds. And often because it's not realized (or worse, maybe it is...and it's ignored!) because we don't know the things that go on in others' thoughts it can sometimes be hard to identify that issue if it is happening to another believer. But it's not an issue one can be apathetic about, but rather one should be proactive about it.

I was reading chapter 22 of Joshua and that chapter is set just after the tribes have been allotted their land and are settling into their land the Israelites heard that some of the people had built an alter, the Israelites gathered to go to war with them (v.12) and confront them saying: “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?  Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! And are you now turning away from the Lord? If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel." (v. 16-18)

The people of Israel took it very seriously and we should as well! While the concept of building altars to other gods or idols is a little foreign to us today or not something that's typically seen in a physical sense, it happens with celebrities, others we look up to and even concepts such as relationships, money, power, or (fill in the blank).  

Fortunately, in this case it was actually a big misunderstanding!

The alter that was built by some of the tribes was a copy of the one in God's tabernacle and they built it as a reminder or witness (v. 27) for their descendants and the whole misunderstanding was cleared up nicely after a good honest talk!

But reading this chapter brought me joy in seeing how wonderful being proactive in confronting the hints of possible sin - no matter what it is, whether that's confronting yourself with personal reflection or confronting another (with compassion!) it is something God honors and makes His heart happy when His people, then and now do the same. 

A Violence

This past week I've had a bit of a break from the onslaught of school work and have been able to get in a lot of time with God and ponder different things. And one of the things I had been pondering was just how damaging sin REALLY is, because sometimes you just need to really deeply think about that. I started to imagine what it might look like if we could actually *physically* see sin on our bodies.  Pretty terrifying thought, No one would look very appealing. The example I thought of  was an example of leprosy being a curse from God because of sin, as was believed by many of the pharisee's in the New Testament and in the case of Miriam in the Old Testament. Now, leprosy is pretty gross, and I wouldn't recommend going onto Google images to confirm that a bacterial infection can look pretty bad... But for some reason this just didn't get to me and so I was still left with the question to ponder... what would  physically seeing sin on someone look like?


Well shortly after this, I was reading a book, and it was giving a vivid description of Jesus carrying His cross to the hill where He was to be crucified. For all the times I've read over the gospels and known what happened to Jesus - where it describes a brutal beating and intense physical pain - I don't like to picture it because I am very squeamish at almost everything to do with blood, cuts, wounds, but the description just got to me....more than it has in a long time, and I discovered that THIS was the exact picture of what sin would look like on a human body. Absolute violence against it that makes you turn away, close your eyes, not wanting to look on something so horrid (again, especially if you're squeamish!)


It looks like a slow death... because that's exactly what sin is. It looks disgusting.

That's what we look like to God.

That's the bad news, however the bible is full of 'But God..." statements. But God chose to show us what sin physically looks like on the human body when Jesus took it on for us.

And that's just caused me to think about those times when I don't really care or take pleasure in my sin and that it's like getting joy out of someone violently beaten and killed, because that's what happened, even though because of Jesus it didn't happen to me. God hates violence, He is the opposite of death -which He can and did overcome.  

Sometimes I really need this kind of reminder to run away from sin that so easily entangles and it's something that will be on my mind as Easter time approaches.

Short thought on Ezekiel 36

I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

~Ezekiel 36:23~ 

Some quick thoughts on this verse I read today... how often do we profane God's name in the ways of our daily lives? Not just in using His name in vain but in some many other ways when we make idols of things and mortals. And this verse really convicted me today.
But I love that even though His name has been profaned - a heart breaking thing to Him. But He still loved Israel and would redeem her and He still loves us and *WILL* prove Himself to be holy *THROUGH* us! I really love that a lot! :) 

Perfect in Weakness

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"

~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 ~

I understand intellectually what those words mean but for over a year I have had a little pink sticky note in my bible beside this verse with a little note saying 'I want to experience what this means'. Which is a very dangerous thing to ask. 

Because God likes to give when we ask things of Him.  For the past year I have tried to skip over this little pink note because my flesh wants the exact opposite. It does not want to know or experience this. And so God decided to give me a small dose. 

I came into the New year with a 'super confident, nothing will get me down, "I'm gonna chase all my dreams", not procrastinate on school work, make all these great plans AND be super spiritually disciplined' attitude. 

And then... two days before school was set to start back, where I could put most of these things into practice -  I got sick. 

I got the worst flu I can remember having -  it was a pretty brutal 3 days. 

It's quite laughable to be honest, for anyone suffering from sickness, chronic pain or diseases that don't go away but God definitely used those days to teach me. 

So much for that nothing's going to get me down - I couldn't get prepared and organized for school, I missed the first day of classes, my dreams seemed suddenly halted and I was groaning about how miserable I was - which isn't the best attitude to have when trying to be 'super spiritually disciplined'... 

So, I was forced to sit in bed and just talk to God! 

And during that  time I had to repent of this pride I had in my back to school resolutions, and admit that I was doing all this planning but not allowing or waiting for Him to direct my steps and relying on myself. 

In this time of (admittedly short) physical weakness I was able to see more clearly the weakness and sin within my own life and then in His grace He gave me the strength of humility to turn everything I had talked about over to Him again. This was a small dose of what I had been asking for, what I was curious about - 'what does it mean to experience this?' was answered.   

 And I reflected about this truth: How His power IS made perfect in weakness - in what we can not handle or bear (no matter how small or trivial) because God's power was shown perfectly in the weakness of himself clothed in humanity bearing what we could not. 

Pro Life

I love babies, anyone who knows me, knows I love looking at adorable baby pictures, tiny little outfits, holding little fingers snuggles. And every time I hold a baby I think of God and remember and am thankful that He's the author of all life, it's so amazing to learn about child development - from conception and on wards because it's a total display of God's glory!

Around this time of year, I'm especially heartbroken by the thought of abortion. This may be a strange thing to think of and pair up with the Christmas season - I could write a blog post attacking commercialism of this season but I'm not going to go there.

When I think of the baby in the manger sometimes I think of mothers who feel ashamed that they're pregnant, of those who can't afford the cost of having and raising a child, for those who were assaulted and raped, those who for any reason feel like they have no other option. And yes, it does make me angry to know that in many cases that little life is going to be snuffed out because destroying the life is destroying a part of God's masterpiece and a piece of His very own heart.

But mostly, it makes me have compassion on all those mothers who have had to face the decision.
I had a dream a few months ago and in this dream I faced that decision  and I wept for a long time after I woke up. I know I haven't had to face such a situation in reality, but many have, and that dream was so real to me that I think I can start to understand the emotions of such a reality.  It was truly terrifying.

While the killing of unborn children and destruction of life is horrible and wrong I also think of another reason that makes the thought of abortions burden my heart.

I believe God the Father loves His son Jesus more than anything else in the universe.

And I know that God chose to place His son in a womb for 9 months as the safest, most secure place that He would ever be. From the time Jesus was born He was hunted down by Herod and then eventually by religious leaders trying to take His life, the womb was the place where He was safe. And to violate that sacred place, and kill any life in it... is heartbreaking.




* I want to add that Abortion isn't a stand alone issue, and that "Pro Life" doesn't just mean Pro Life until a baby is born. It also means helping those families who do choose life - when maybe, the decision was hard to make. It means helping feed and clothe them and to help improve that life of the child and parents if it is in your power to do so.


And so as I sit on Christmas eve and think about Jesus in a small baby body, as a toddler, a teen, an adult -  I'm pretty thankful for life!

Remember

It's exam season and that means I'm burdened with test reviews from five different teachers on six different subjects of all the things I need to remember!
But perhaps burdened is the wrong word. I know there is a reason that my teachers want and need me to remember the majority of the things I'm learning... because it will be helpful and beneficial to me in my future career.

In the same way God asks us not to forget some  important things that will be beneficial and helpful to us, which is why throughout the bible He has continual reminders to help us remember.



I've composed a list of four things God asks us not to forget, so here they are:

1. Do Not Forget The Lord  
    This one seems like a no brainer but Chapter 8 of Deuteronomy is dedicated to this. God through the remainder of this book is going to give them a collection of laws surrounding their worship, theirs leaders, priests and kings as well as laws on civil life and social justice. So if they're about to get all these laws directly FROM God doesn't that mean they'll automatically remember Him?

Nope, and it's clear throughout the wandering in the desert, as the people go through their daily life they get caught up in the routine, they complain, they wonder why they are in the middle of a desert.

 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,  and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,  then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
[Deuteronomy 8:11-14] 

 

WE do this as we go about our daily life too, we forget that He's a part of it, that He's the very reason for life. And so God reminds them and reminds us -  I am here - providing for you daily and I intend to bless you.  


2.  Do Not Forget His Laws, Commandments and Teaching
  Constantly through both the Old and New testament God is telling us to remember His laws, commandments and teaching.

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity 

[Proverbs 3:1-2]  

“If you love me, keep my commands..." [John 14:15]

God wants us to live holy lives pleasing to Him. Unfortunately if we don't know or remember these teachings we tend to make up our own version of it, based on what we 'kinda' remember, eventually we only remember the basics and do only what is easy, what suits us, and what everyone else in the world is doing. God gives us these laws, commandments and teachings because they ARE trustworthy and they preserve our (spiritual) lives.


3. Do Not Forget The Message You Have Heard
   This one is interconnected to the previous two. We must remember Him and His teachings because they are part of His message, who He is (Father, Son, Spirit) and His teachings reveal His character.

The message is this: His plan of salvation available to all and redemption of the human race through Christ.

This message is TRUE. But it means little if we know about God or know His teaching as a list of rules but don't understand the real purpose behind knowing it. God sent His own son because He wanted us to know this message and remember it, to hold onto when the trails come because when we don't  remember, to put it very simply: our lives will lack any meaning at all.



4. Do Not Forget That He Will Not Forget You 
  People fear being alone, lonely or unloved. We tend to feel this way when we think or feel like everyone has forgotten about us. Going back to the last three points: Why would we care or even want to remember someone and their message/teachings if we think they will forget about us after a while? We wouldn't, and so we forget about that person too and whatever it was that they may have taught.
But God has made covenants and promises to His people that He upholds. I can imagine that it's difficult to forget the people who are engraved on the palm of your hands [Isaiah 49:16], or those that you said you would be with until the end of the age [Matthew 28:20] or One who has promised over and over again to never leave us or forsake us. 

Because He remembers us, loves us and asks us to remember these things, are more than enough reason to do so!