Don't forget to be grateful!

I have been known to forget things.. often, so it was some consolation this morning when Angie forget a dental appointment – very un-Angie! She’s obviously been with me for too long!
Of course being forgetful can at times be positively advantageous, as in the case of quickly forgetting bad things that happen to us, and even biblical when it comes to unhelpful complacency:But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.. Phil 3:13. But on the whole, forgetfulness is unhelpful and leaves us bereft of things, such as car keys, wallets, and more importantly, peace, joy and all the benefits of being a new creation in Christ!

One thing I am determined not to be forgetful of is God’s goodness to me in healing me from cancer. Even as the weeks pass, I remind myself daily of how blessed I am, how good God has been to me, and how valuable each day is with all it’s opportunities. And I find that daily reminder to be very helpful, keeping me from any sense of gloom or personal discouragement. Psalm 103 is very helpful counsel: ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…’

So being grateful to God for his benefits to me this last year really does do me good. Gratitude does that; you should try it. But even more fundamental to our joy and daily well being is the discipline of not forgetting, but bringing to mind each day (repeatedly!) the awesomeness of being a Christian, of being called, forgiven, made new, alive in Christ and bound for heaven, in short, remembering the Good News, the Gospel! Milton Vincent puts it like this:

‘The gospel is so foolish (according to my natural wisdom), so scandalous (according to my conscience), and so incredible (according to my timid heart), that it is a daily battle to believe the full scope of it as I should. There is simply no other way to compete with the forebodings of my conscience, the condemnings of my heart, and the lies of the world and the devil than to overwhelm such things with daily rehearsings of the gospel’

Be grateful, not forgetful!

Goff

(you can now follow Goff on Twitter)