“[Then] beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.” (De 6:12-13 AV)
God has given us the means by which we can remember Him. Above, there are three provisions. These are fear, service, and ordering our character. To fear God is to respect Him and His word. It means to yield to His law and accept the consequences when we fail to obey. To swear by His name means to be identified with Him to the degree that our character and lives are defined by His existence. But it that second one that I care to contemplate this morning. Service is as old as the garden of Eden. God gave Adam a task. One that He could have done Himself. God could have created a garden that needed no tending. The LORD created plant life that takes care of itself. Just take a walk in an meadow and you will quickly realize that the LORD could have, if He so wished, to create a self-managed world. Rather, He gave Adam responsibility to tend to the garden as a means to worship and remember Him. Service to our God is a great way to have Him in the forefront of our minds.
Around our home, Saturday was chore day. We had paper routes to finish. We had our bedroom to clean. Our beds were stripped and remade. Then there was preparing Sunday’s papers to deliver. There was recycling to tend to. There was yard work, there was straightening to do. We were busy from sunup until dinnertime. My dad had us doing something. It was impossible to forget why we were busy. We were busy because my father asked us to do these things. It was impossible to separate our business from the one that assigned us the task. As children, we resented the business. All we wanted to do is play. Yet the wisdom of my father kept us close to him where we could be protected, mentored, and affirmed by him. Working for him meant we could not escape his presence. He may not have been in the vicinity, but the task was from him and he was as good as there with us. Serving my father meant we could never forget who it was that gave us life, provided our needs, and took measures to assure we were raised right. Serving my dad kept him alive. It kept him close.
This is why serving God is a good way to keep Him in memory. When our lives are all about Self, forgetting God becomes easy. Those believers who are filled with joy and seem to love God more than others are usually those who are also serving God. Show me someone who is doing nothing for God, and I will show you someone who does not read their Bibles, pray, or talk of Him. Those who do not serve the LORD soon forget the One who died for their sins. David served the LORD with all his might. No wonder he was a man after God’s own heart. David defined his existence by the purpose for which God created him. Sure, the LORD could do everything Himself. He is God. He created man to know Him. He provides service as a means to do just that. Adam kept the garden because God asked him to. In keeping the garden, he remembered his Creator. If we are forgetting God more and more, perhaps we need to find something He wishes us to do and do it with all our might. After all, if my dad wrote me a note with detailed instructions of something he needed done, it would be impossible to forget him as I was working through the project. Find that which God wants from you and do it. You will never forget God while doing the things of God.
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