This weekend in America we remember and honor those who have given their lives for our freedom.  I am personally grateful for the men who gave their lives in defense of this country, especially my uncle, whom I never met, who died in the Battle of the Bulge.  They are heroes and deserve to be remembered.  Officially we observe the final Monday of May as Memorial Day, but many of us also remember this weekend all those who have gone on before us.  It is both fitting and proper that we should remember them because they mean so much to us.

But our minds are really amazing machines.  We can remember obscure events from our childhood but can’t remember where we put the keys!  There are some things which we would like to forget but can’t, and there are other things which we try to remember but can’t.  As Christians, we sometimes forget some very important things which we really should remember.  Here are a few things God wants us to remember.

First, He wants us to remember Him.  “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Eccles. 12:1).  The world has purposely forgotten God, because they don’t want to retain Him in their knowledge (Rom. 1:28).  Forgetting God makes sin much easier.  As Christian we must always remember God and put Him first (Matt. 6:33; I Pet. 3:15).

Second, we should remember from where we came (Eph. 2:11-13).  Paul encouraged the brethren at Ephesus to remember that they were once Gentiles in the flesh, having no hope, without God and in the world.  It is important to remember just how far we have traveled down this sometimes lonely road.  Some people become rich, successful and famous in life and forget their roots, but God wants us to appreciate all that He has done for us and how much we have accomplished.  Once we were the servants of sin but now we are free from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:16-18).

Third, we should remember the apostles (Heb. 13:7).  Just as many soldiers died to give us the freedoms we enjoy here in America (though many of these freedoms are being taken away from us day by day), the apostles gave their lives to deliver the gospel to the world.  We should never forget their devotion but should consider and follow the example of their faith.  These men were martyred for the Cause of Christ.  They loved the Lord and His word more than their own lives.  Remembering them encourages us to also stand as they stood.

Fourth, we should remember the Lord’s death till He comes again (I Cor. 11:23-30).  Jesus specifically instituted the Lord’s Supper to commemorate His death (Matt. 26:26-30).  This is the one thing which the Lord instituted which is to be done every first day of every week (Acts 20:7).  It should be a solemn period of worship in which we reflect upon the meaning of the death of Christ.  When it is turned into a feast or frivolous affair, we jeopardize our souls (I Cor. 11:27,28).

Finally, we should remember that the servant is not greater than his Lord (John 15:20).  Jesus said if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  Christians should count it a privilege to suffer for the Cause of Christ (Acts 5:41).  Most today do not want to make waves or to upset the delicate balance of “peace.”  But if we stand for the Truth, then we will make waves and we will suffer persecution.  “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Tim. 3:12).

May we always remember God’s will in our lives.

Eric L. Padgett