In this New Year, we need to look back to the years gone by and learn lessons from them. Sometimes people caution us to never look back, but that would be disastrous because if we didn’t look back, we would never realize or admit the mistakes we made. We should rather want to look back to remember things we didn’t do right or things we should have done better. Hopefully, we can look back and find satisfaction in knowing that we admitted the mistakes and did our best to correct them. God expects us to do that.
In His Law to the children of Israel, we read God’s instructions to them to “remember all the way which the Lord God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble and prove you and to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 8:2). From this, we see that God not only intends for His people to look forward, but He also expects them to look back so that they may learn from what has happened in the past. In other words, God’s intent is that we learn from our mistakes and become better people in His service. Frequently when we ask someone about something or talk about something that happened, we hear, “I can’t remember.” A good deal of this lack of remembering comes from the aging process when our minds become more limited, and they are so full of things from the past. However, even young folks can’t remember everything. Let’s look at some things we truly need to remember.
In the Old Law, the people were instructed to “Remember you were bondmen in the land of Egypt and the Lord redeemed you” (Deuteronomy 15:15). Paul repeated this to the early Christians in Hebrews 13:3; “Remember those that are in bonds as bound with them and those who suffer adversity as yourselves being also in the body.” Those who don’t know Christ today are still in spiritual bonds (that is, bound to Satan and sin), and it is our duty to do what we can to help them learn and remember the Christ Who died for them.
Christians must always remember to help those who are less fortunate than they are. “I have shown you how that laboring you ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). There is so much pain and suffering in the world, and it is a Christian’s duty to do what he or she can to help alleviate that. We can’t all be missionaries and go to foreign countries that need relief, but we have those close by who need help. We must do what we can to reach out to them, particularly doing what we can to teach them the Gospel.
In Jude 17-18, we read, “Beloved, remember the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how they told you there would be mockers in the last time who would walk after their own ungodly lusts.” Peter took this thought to the next level as he said, “There shall come scoffers in the last days, walking after their own lusts and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).
Christians must remember the promises of God. Paul told Titus that “We should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13). Everyone should remember that, at the Judgment, every person will be “judged according to his works” (Revelation 20:13). Please remember and never forget that the only thing that can bring a good outcome at a sure Judgment is to “Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Always remember that man was put here by God for that purpose!
