I’ve been a Christian for about 45 years now. That means I’ve been reading the Bible for a very long time. But the older I get, the more the Bible’s “onion layers” are peeled away—I find deeper meaning in what I’m reading as my relationship with Jesus deepens. It’s like a pair of glasses with lenses that automatically adjust the prescription as my eyes change, so I can see clearly. Here’s one example of something I see now that I didn’t see when I was younger….
Pay attention to the story of the people of God in biblical history and you see them move through a cycle that repeats itself over and over. The people stray, the people are disciplined, the people remember, the people return to faithfulness, the people forget, and the people stray again…. This cycle begins when “the people forget.” And the redemptive turning point comes when “the people remember.” Remembering is the key to living a redemptive life—a life that is ordered and fueled by the truth about God, and the truth about ourselves.
The hub of all spiritual disciplines is remembering.
So, with Thanksgiving upon us, what to do with the repeated reminders that we should be more thankful than we are? If we back up a little, the better question is this: How can we truly offer our gratefulness to God when we’re serial forgetters? The most thankful people you and I know are those who live with a visceral awareness of God’s grace and mercy in their lives. People who are hyper-aware of their need for God are surprisingly thankful. That’s because their vision, clouded by forgetfulness, finds clarity when pain or regret or neediness drives them into passionate dependence. When sheep are unthreatened, they forget that they have no natural defenses against predators. It’s only in the face of a threat that they return their attention to the Good Shepherd.
Jesus says: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). The reason we sheepy disciples listen to the voice of Jesus is simple—we recognize our need for the Good Shepherd’s guidance. It’s a visceral awareness that we are lost without Him, moving us to seek Him and commune with Him in all of our everyday moments, not just our overtly religious ones.
Here’s a big question: Is it possible to remember Jesus at all times, no matter whether we feel threatened or not? Those who answer yes to this question have journeyed deep into maturity. Maturity in our relationship with God means remembering our need for Him outside of any obvious catalyst. The Apostle Paul, when he was old and near death, gave a startling piece of advice to his surrogate son Timothy. By this time, both Paul and Timothy had risked their lives for the sake of Jesus for years and years—and that makes Paul’s statement in 2 Timothy 2:8 even more powerful: “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal.”
Why would Paul have to tell Timothy to remember Jesus? Because the “forget” cycle has an inexorable momentum in our lives. Our great offering of worship is remembering to remember. Outside of this, we’re guaranteed to stray into forgetfulness. And we don’t remember God because we’re supposed to—because we should ourselves into it. We remember God because we’ve grown to deeply appreciate His goodness and beauty and magnetism.
Here’s a simple way to fuel our appreciation—follow the direction of God’s audible voice in Luke 9:35: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” Every day, listen to the voice of Jesus as you read Scripture, pray, interact with others, or explore Him through a book or podcast. And every day, notice and embrace something about Jesus that is good, beautiful, or magnetic. In your remembering, offer your gratefulness. As you practice this simple rhythm, find ways to invite the people you serve to do the same…
Just for You!
My new book Editing Jesus is now out. Just click on this link and you can download a pdf of a long excerpt from the book.
Help Is Here!
Fall is here, and Advent isn’t far behind… Check out our innovative, practical resources for help infusing your ministry environment with “rich soil” for transformation. Advent TalkCards, for example. It’s 25 predesigned, ready-to-use cards—you can gift them to members of your church, use in small groups and formation classes, or share to social media. And our newest resource is The Sacred Stories Project. This multi-media resource offers your people a simple, safe, and “normal” way to share aspects of their story in natural, genuine ways. And you get a more connected, honest, and “known” congregation. It’s four guided sessions with accompanying video segments from Adam Young, trauma counselor and host of the podcast The Place We Find Ourselves.
And check out our new resource Listening to Jesus Together. It’s a set of six carefully crafted “listening encounters” designed for three people to experience together—online or in-person. The goal is to give people in your congregation a weekly “reminder habit” to help them listen to Jesus in the context of a short-term small-community experience.
Next, Following Jesus is a curriculum resource you can use with both adults and teenagers in your church this fall—help them explore what an ABIDING/REMAINING relationship with Jesus is like. It’s an experiential, highly interactive, co-discovery way to invite people into deeper intimacy with Jesus.
And The Life of Jesus TalkCards is a simple, devotional way to invite small groups into the heart of Jesus.
Rick Lawrence is Executive Director of Vibrant Faith—he created the new curriculum Following Jesus. He’s editor of the Jesus-Centered Bible and author of 40 books, including his new release Editing Jesus: Confronting the Distorted Faith of the American Church, The Suicide Solution, The Jesus-Centered Life and Jesus-Centered Daily. He hosts the podcast Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus.
Save your seat for… Home-Centered, Church-Supported Formation Strategies, taught by Dr. Nancy Going. The parents who are part of Vibrant Faith’s 4th-Soil Parenting project are using innovative tools and strategies to explore their own spiritual lives, then learn to better influence their kids toward spiritual growth. Learn what we’re learning about the church’s role in supporting home-centered faith formation. Learn More Here
