Memories

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body… 2 Pet 1: 12-13

The years rolled back and the memories rolled over me as I walked the grounds of Eku Baptist Hospital where Becky and I and our two oldest children had spent two years as medical missionaries. Our career there had been cut short in God’s planning, but the events there lived on as I stepped from ward to ward and into the hospital chapel: memories of God doing awesome and impossible things and memories of a deep dedication to His service that we as missionaries shared. Those were the days.

Memories are great for nostalgia, for helping us feel alive when the busyness of life has numbed us to true living. However, memories in the scripture were far more than that. Memories to Peter were vital for our moving forward in this present life toward God’s plan for our future.

It has been twenty-five years since my time in Eku, but these recent memories have recharged my spiritual batteries for the steps' God has planned for me this next year. They have reminded me of my purpose in this life and have made real to me again the power of God, who will accomplish all that He has for me if I yield my life to Him.

What memories are buried in your own life? What times with God and for God have you forgotten that need to be remembered? What moments of His overwhelming presence need to be revisited so that you can be refreshed and dedicated to the only life that matters… a life poured out at the foot of the Cross?

I challenge you, as you go through this day, to relive in your mind the times in your life when God was most real to you, and you were most devoted to Him. Measure your steps this week by those memories. Remember, be thankful, recharge, and live today with the same truth and Presence as you did before.

Dear God, Thank you for the moments of this life with you. Remind me frequently of the times you have been visible in great love and power. Let these memories ignite me to a life lived for you.