Paul tells us that there are lessons that the church can learn from the history of the nation of Israel. One of those important lessons is seeing how quickly they forgot what God had done for them.  Psalm 106 records Israel’s “spiritual amnesia”, “they remembered not the multitude of Thy mercies.” It also says that they soon forgot His works. They forgot God their Savior. Incredible! Think about that, beloved. After all of the amazing signs and wonders and miracles performed by God in the judgment plaques of Egypt and Pharaoh, they forgot all about the parting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven, the cloud before them by day and the pillar of fire by night. The prophet Hosea tells us that Israel drifted so far from God that they went after her lovers and forgot God. In other words, they found more pleasure in their flesh than in their God.

Now before we put our self righteous hands on our hips and begin judging and scolding Israel, let’s look into the mirror for a moment and see if there isn’t a bit of spiritual amnesia in us as well. Three days after being delivered out of Egypt by God’s mighty hand, the people of God go from singing His praises to complaining about some bitter water. Have you ever done that? How many times has The Lord spared of some deserved consequence of either rank sin or plain old stupidity? How many times has The Lord provided a touch of physical healing in your life? How many meals has He provided for you? I could go on and on, couldn’t I? And yet, truth be told, just like the nation of Israel, we seem to gravitate towards the things of the world even as believers. That is what James warns us about in James 4.4. That is what John warns us about in 1 John 2.15-17. That is what Paul warns us about in Romans 13.11-14. That is what Peter warns us about in 1 Peter 4.1-6.

Beloved, when we forget the message of the cross, we begin to forget about our purpose in life. In our flesh, we must all battle “spiritual amnesia”. Because we have such free access to God’s Word, it can become so easy for us to become calloused and forgetful hearers of God’s word instead of doers of The Word. And when this happens, we by default begin to think like the world, and inevitable act like them. Dear ones, how vital it is for us to determine to meditate on God’s Word day and night. Not in a heady, intellectual way, but in our hearts. By meditating on The Person of Jesus throughout our day, we are kept from slipping into either extreme of despair or worldliness. Think about what Jesus did for you on the cross. Think about why He died for you. Think about how His sacrifice is to affect the choices that you make today. May the truth of God and the love of Christ fill your hearts and your minds today beloved.

Let me leave you with Jesus simple, yet powerful words spoken in the upper room. Remember Me. Selah. May your meditation of Jesus be sweet today.