WHAT DID YOU FORGET?

by: Bill Bratt, Portsmouth, Ohio

Email: info@icogsfg.org
Some time ago I went to the hospital to pick up my father. He had had some one-day surgery done.
It was sprinkling rain so I took an umbrella.
At the hospital I left the umbrella in a place that was obvious so I would see it when we left.
WHY? BECAUSE, UMBRELLAS are easy to forget.

There was a humorous story that I read about Albert Einstein. One day after Dr. Einstein moved to his home at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., the telephone rang in the office of the dean of the Princeton Graduate School. The voice at the other end inquired, "May I speak with Dean Eisenhart, please?"
Advised that the dean was not in, the voice continued, "Perhaps then you will tell me where Dr. Einstein lives."
The dean's secretary replied that she could not do this, since Dr. Einstein wished to have his privacy.
The voice on the telephone dropped to a near whisper: "Please do not tell anybody, but I am Dr. Einstein.
I am on my way home, and have forgotten where my house is!"

The mind receives an enormous amount of information, much of it unimportant.
Somehow the mind sorts it out and allows important information to be given emphasis so it is easier to remember.
Importance, however, is relative.
The absent minded scientist forgets things because he has something else occupying his attention.
His theories are far more important to him than where he put his glasses.
As an architect, I sometimes have to work overtime toward the end of a project. In working a lot of overtime I become totally involved in my job to the point of almost thinking about it 24 hours a day.
If my wife calls me at work and wants me to bring a gallon of milk home, I have to write myself a note or I will forget it. My mind is on my job, not on milk.
At times we all are absentminded.

LET'S FOCUS IN ON WHAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER!

God gives us some advice about what is important to remember.
The word FORGET occurs 60 times in the Bible.
The word REMEMBER occurs 164 times in the Bible.
I have some Bible software on my computer and in doing a search on the word "Remember" I came up with about 15 typed pages of scriptures.

1. ) What was one of the first things that God wants us to remember?

How about: REMEMBER THE SABBATH TO KEEP IT HOLY.
Exo 20:8 (NKJV) "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (9) "Six days you shall labor and do all your work," (10) "but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates." (11) "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."
As we continue to study the Bible we find that there is more than just a weekly Sabbath.
In LEV. 23, we find that there are also 7 ANNUAL SABBATHS.
This truth sets God's Church apart from the World's churches.
Why would God tell us to REMEMBER the Sabbath?
Because mankind has forgotten it.
In ancient days there were two major things that the Israelites did that got them into trouble:
  1. BREAKING THE SABBATH
  2. IDOLATRY
Israel was like a yoyo. They would be in slavery, they would call on God for a deliverer. God would send them a Moses or a Gideon. Israel would obey God for a while, then they would begin breaking the Sabbath and committing idolatry. God then would let them go back into slavery. One example of this was when the southern kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity into Babylon in the days of Daniel, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Later they returned under the guidance of Ezra and Nehemiah.

2.) God tells us a second thing to remember.

LET'S READ: Deuteronomy 8:11 "Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today".
If we obey the ten commandments we will receive blessings.
If we disobey, we will receive cursings.
Deut. 28 is the blessings and cursings chapter. There are blessings for obedience to God and there are cursings or consequences for disobedience.
Let's look at an example:
If we obey God and keep the seventh commandment we will be blessed, but if we break the seventh commandment we will reap the consequences. The Bible says we will reap what we sow.
If we commit adultery with our neighbor's wife we are asking for trouble. This sin could have tremendous consequences. This sin causes broken homes, traumatized children, financial hardships and unwanted pregnancies. Sexually transmitted diseases are rampant. Aids is a curse of sexual looseness.
If we obey this commandment we can maintain a stable home, happy marriage, well adjusted children and many other blessings, such as peace of mind, not having to worry about aids.
If we remember to keep the ten commandments, we will have WISDOM.
King David was a man after God's own heart.
David wrote in Psalms 119:97 "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day."
David studied and pondered over God's law all day long! He learned how to apply it to every situation in his life.
This gave David wisdom. Psalms 119:98 says: "You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;"
God's law showed David the way to go - a way of life. Throughout this 119th Psalm, David declared how he loved God's law, and used it as his guide in his life.
The 10 commandments can make us wiser than our enemies.

A physical umbrella protects us from the rain.
Let's remember to use our spiritual umbrella by drawing closer to God in our prayers, Bible study, meditation and fasting. Let's not forsake the assembling of ourselves together with others of likemind, to have brotherly love and to refrain from evil.
Jesus Christ said "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing."
Spiritual priorities, like a forgotten umbrella, will be needed on a future day, a day that will catch many unprepared.

IN CONCLUSION:

What did you forget? Please remember the things that God says are important?
LET'S REMEMBER THE THINGS THAT GOD SAYS ARE IMPORTANT.

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