“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  (Galatians 5:1)

This week, as we remember the fallen soldiers who have given their lives for our freedom, we can’t help but also remember the great sacrifice that bought the freedom of our souls!

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  (Galatians 5:1)

Jesus Christ willing gave His life to purchase freedom for you and me; freedom from the darkness that draws us into behaviors, habits and life style choices that enslave us and take us far from the plan of grace and goodness that He holds for each of us. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event that planet Earth has ever seen. Have you experienced the freedom for your soul that His sacrifice bought?

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:3 & 4)

I’m sure God knew how easy it would be for us to forget this great sacrifice as we hurry through our busy days. He actually provides a regular reminder for us. He calls us to take part in Communion and with good reason. It helps us remember.

“Do this in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Corinthians 11: 26)

In the business of “doing life” we often forget just what is actually proclaimed by Jesus’ death and His resurrection. It can so easily slip to the background of life and we can find ourselves living in dryness of soul, with divided hearts and sometimes with powerless, defeated lives that become burdened by the things that can enslave our souls.

Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. That’s why He calls us to regularly remember Him; to keep proclaiming, in our individual lives, the truth of what His death on the cross means to us each day. Proclaim it out loud, right now:

• I proclaim I am forgiven (Thank you Lord! You alone know how I need You.)
• I proclaim I am loved (Thank you Lord that Your love is unconditional!)
• I proclaim I am cleansed (Thank you Lord that my past is now behind me!)
• I proclaim that by His grace I have all that I need (Thank you Lord for your undeserved grace and mercy to help me in my time of need!)

Do you believe it? The very same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that will be at work in your life as you believe and proclaim these truths.

Welcome His forgiveness and love.
Welcome His freedom.
Welcome the celebration at the Communion table.

Have your heart refreshed with forgiveness and wholeness as you remember the great sacrifice Jesus made for your freedom.

Father God,
Amaze my heart today with the truth of these proclamations. Thank you for the hope that Your death and resurrection revives in my heart! Fill me with Your Spirit and let Your resurrection power flow in new ways in my life. Help me to remember the power, through You, that is mine every day. Help me to grow into all You have planned for me to be and to do.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

 Question: How can you proclaim Jesus’ death and His resurrection today?

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” (Deuteronomy 4:9)

This week I walked into a restaurant and came face to face with a wall of white hearts, each bearing a name of a soldier recently lost in the battle for freedom. Today is a special day of remembering those heroes and heroines who have courageously stood, and have bravely fallen, in order to keep freedom alive for those who come behind them. To each we are eternally grateful!

Today there are many who share a painful memory of a loved one gone in this brave fight for freedom. For some it is a faded photograph from years ago. For others, it is an empty chair at the dinner table tonight. We must remember! We dare not forget! Freedom is precious! The freedom to speak, to pray, to write, the freedom to vote, the freedom of religion, the freedom of expression are just some of the freedoms for which precious blood was spilt.

Today, let us pause and remember. Let us pause and give thanks for those brave ones who have brought us this far. Let us pause and determine to hold these freedoms high and dear and to defend them now as they have been defended in the past.

The ancient call to God’s people, the Israelites, to remember the path the Lord had led them on in their journey to freedom is a call that is well worth repeating today. It’s found in the historical record of their journey in Deuteronomy 4:9:

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

Father God, 
Today I pause to say “thank you” for the freedoms I enjoy; freedoms that were gained at great cost and freedoms that I do not want to take for granted. Comfort those hearts today that ache with the void of a loved one lost in this great battle. Please grant wisdom to the leaders who carry on the high cause of freedom.  Fill our hearts with Your great love and may we each do our part to bring peace today, right where we are, as we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy.  We pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.

Question: How do you and your family remember those who have fought to bring you freedom? Let’s today remember Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our eternal freedom.

This week I walked into a restaurant and came face to face with a wall of white hearts, each bearing a name of a soldier recently lost in the battle for freedom.

Today is a special day of remembering those heroes and heroines who have courageously stood, and have bravely fallen, in order to keep freedom alive for those who come behind them. To each we are eternally grateful!

Today there are many who share a painful memory of a loved one gone in this brave fight for freedom. For some it is a faded photograph from years ago. For others, it is an empty chair at the dinner table tonight.

We must remember! We dare not forget! Freedom is precious! The freedom to speak, to pray, to write, the freedom to vote, the freedom of religion, the freedom of expression are just some of the freedoms for which precious blood was spilt.

Today, let us pause and remember. Let us pause and give thanks for those brave ones who have brought us this far. Let us pause and determine to hold these freedoms high and dear and to defend them now as they have been defended in the past.

The ancient call to God’s people, the Israelites, to remember the path the Lord had led them on in their journey to freedom is a call that is well worth repeating today. It’s found in the historical record of their journey in Deuteronomy 4:9:

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

Father God,
Today I pause to say “thank you” for the freedoms I enjoy; freedoms that were gained at great cost and freedoms that I do not want to take for granted. Comfort those hearts today that ache with the void of a loved one lost in this great battle. Please grant wisdom to the leaders who carry on the high cause of freedom.  Fill our hearts with Your great love and may we each do our part to bring peace today, right where we are, as we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy.  We pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” (Genesis 8:1)

Do you sometimes feel as if God has forgotten you? Is there something in your life that you have been praying and believing for but God has not yet moved on your behalf? It could be an unanswered prayer of petition and deliverance for a loved one, a great need for healing and restoration, a breakthrough in your finances or just the return of His joy, peace, and rest for your soul. Many times God moved in the lives of His beloved ones, bestowing His promises. It may have been many years later, but He delivered. He came through for them and He will come through for you too.

We all know that Noah was in the ark for a great length of time during the vast flood God had sent upon the earth. I wonder if Noah began to think whether God might have forgotten him after so many days and nights in that ark. Yet God did not forget the promise that He made with Noah. “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” (Genesis 8:1)

 Even after the stopping of the waters, Noah still had to wait patiently in the ark for the floodwaters to recede. He had to wait on God’s timing to open up the doors of the ark so he and his family could come out. Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.” (Genesis 8:15-16) God promised to protect Noah and his family and He came through on His promise by preserving their lives and even providing for their needs through the devastating flood that cleansed the earth.

Other beloved ones God remembered were:

Abraham and Lot -“So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.” (Genesis 19:29)

Rachel – “Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.”  (Genesis 0:22)

Hannah - “Early the next morning they arose and worshipped the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hanna his wife, and the Lord remembered her.” (1 Samuel 1:19)

Is there something that you have been trusting in God for but He has not yet came through? Are you about to give up hope and abandon your prayers? Don’t give up! God has not forgotten you. You must continue to believe that He is faithful, He will answer, and He will bring forth that which you have been trusting Him for. Do not grumble. Praise Him while He has you in waiting.

Then when He remembers you – when He comes through on your prayers of petition, when He comes through with healing and restoration, when He sends a breakthrough in your finances – do not forget to praise Him even more.

Heavenly Father, We thank you for all the promises that are written in your Word. We thank you that as with Noah you have not abandon nor forgotten us. We profess that you will remember us too. Amen.

Are you having difficulty letting go of the past? Come talk to one of us.

After many years away, I was visiting my hometown, Ocean Gate, New Jersey.  For a long time I had wished I could go back – perhaps because of all the wonderful memories I cherished.

Parking my car near the deserted yacht club and boardwalk, I walked toward the house in which I had grown up.

Standing across the street, I stared at it.  It seemed so forlorn and different!  The large plate-glass windows that had surrounded my parents’ real estate office (and our living room) had been replaced by two small windows framed in black. The place looked closed up, unlived in.

Memories flooded back to me – my parents, my little brother, all the friends I had had. Since I played the piano, that living room had been a meeting place for young people.  Guys would bring their instruments, guys and gals would come to sing or listen.  Or we’d meet at the nearby beach to swim, duck each other, laugh, and have beach parties with fires, hot dogs, and marshmallows–and sometimes music.

A tear slid down my cheek – those days were gone forever!  They couldn’t be found here. This was no longer my beloved Ocean Gate.

While there, I visited some old friends.  Through the years they had changed a lot – and so had I.  Also, my brother and my father were with the Lord.  They too were gone.

It’s nice to remember all the good family and friends times.  We can cherish them.  But we can never go back to them; they are gone with time.

These thoughts occur to me:

1) We can’t go back and undo the past
Of what value are useless regrets?  If we feel guilty about something we did or didn’t do in the past, our Lord has a remedy: His precious blood that cleanses us of all sin.  When we ask for forgiveness, He grants it.  And if He forgives us, we need to forgive ourselves!  Jesus said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  How can we love our neighbor, if we can’t love ourselves in the certainty of forgiveness?

2) We can do something about the present and the future
Starting today we can begin making our lives count for Jesus Christ and eternity.  If you need salvation, receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior.  If you desire God’s guidance as to what you should do for Him, ask Him for it – and then follow His light.  God said, “I will guide you with mine eye.”

Let’s follow the Apostle Paul’s example.  He said, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14, NIV).

Questions: As Easter has come and gone do you need to reach forward to what God has for you in His resurrection power?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for April 26th, AM.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2010.

“This do in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

Christians will sometimes forget Christ! There would be no need for Paul’s loving caution if there were not a fearful supposition that our memories might prove treacherous. This is not merely conjecture, because it is sadly too well confirmed in our experience. Forgetting Christ is not just a possibility, but a lamentable fact.

It would seem almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God, could forget our gracious Savior. But, if startling to the ear, it is,  too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime.

Forget Him who never forgot us?

Forget Him who poured His blood forth for our sins?

Forget Him who loved us even to the death?

Can it be possible? Yes, it is not only possible, but conscience confesses that it is too sadly a fault with all of us, that we suffer Him to be as a traveling man, stopping over only for a night. The one we should make the abiding tenant of our memories is instead merely a visitor. The cross, where our memories should linger, is desecrated by the feet of forgetfulness.

Doesn’t your conscience say that this is true? Do you not find yourself forgetful of Jesus? Temptations steal away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things which distracts us from Christ.

Let us firmly resolve to not forget Jesus our Beloved in our hearts, and, whatever else we let slip, let us hold fast to Him.

Question: What are some of life’s distractions that cause us to “forget” Jesus, if only briefly?

About the Author: Charles Spurgeon

Hurting from the pain of losing a baby or child? We care and want to pray for you.

“People will not necessarily remember your words or deeds as much as they will remember how you made them feel.”

I don’t know who to credit with this bit of wisdom but I know it’s true. When I stop to think of those who have touched my life in significant ways I am keenly aware of how they made me feel. I don’t always remember their words or what they did but I remember how I felt.

God also knows the impact we have on each other as we interact. He knows our ability to show kindness or to take the extra moment to show gentleness. He also knows our ability to ignore, overlook or disregard the feelings of others. That’s why He reminds us to consider how we make others feel. Listen…

“Be kind and loving to one another with brotherly affection and take delight in honoring each other” (Romans 12:10, The Living Bible).

“Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Chris.” (Ephesians 4:32, The Living Bible).

Be aware today of how people are left feeling after an encounter with you. Remember, you are representing Jesus to the world around you. Let them feel His care through you.

Prayer & Reflection

Father God, Thank you that You understand my personality and how I think and feel. Today I ask that You would make me aware of my interactions with the people around me. Help me to be aware of how I speak and behave. Give me a gentle and loving spirit that shows people that I care about them. Thank you that I have the privilege of representing You today. Slow me down as I hurry through my day.  May those I encounter feel appreciated and cared for. Give me grace today by the power of Your Holy Spirit and may I in turn give grace away.
In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Questions: Why don’t take some time and think back to people that have made you feel good about yourself? What is it that you remember about them? Is there someone in your life that you could show an act of kindness? Please comment.

About the Author Gail Rodgers

“…wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her” Matthew 26:13

In just a few short hours Jesus will agonize in the garden and go to the cross. But for now he is in Bethany with his friends, where at dinner a woman — most likely his dear friend Mary — approaches with an extravagantly expensive gift of perfume which she pours on His feet. The disciples are displeased at this seeming waste of money, but Jesus quietly dismisses their reaction (“Leave her alone”), graciously accepting her humble, sacrificial act as evidence of deep faith and love.

We immediately read that, at this point, Judas — as keeper of the common purse — has had enough of Jesus’ disregard for what he perceives to be the “real” needs of the people. He goes to the chief priests and offers to sell the Savior for 30 silver coins.

Two people. Both remembered. One for faith without seeing, the other for seeing without faith. What will I be remembered for?

Thank You, Father, for loving me and for Your grace which accepts my too-small sacrifices and somehow transforms them into offerings which glorify you. May I each day humbly offer myself to You so that the world will see Christ in me and long to know Him.

Question: What we (you and I) be remembered for?

About this Author: Marilyn Ehle

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30am EDT.

After many years away, I was visiting my hometown, Ocean Gate, New Jersey.  For a long time I had wished I could go back – perhaps because of all the wonderful memories I cherished.

Parking my car near the deserted yacht club and boardwalk, I walked toward the house in which I had grown up.

Standing across the street, I stared at it.  It seemed so forlorn and different!  The large plate-glass windows that had surrounded my parents’ real estate office (and our living room) had been replaced by two small windows framed in black. The place looked closed up, unlived in.

Memories flooded back to me – my parents, my little brother, all the friends I had had. Since I played the piano, that living room had been a meeting place for young people.  Guys would bring their instruments, guys and gals would come to sing or listen.  Or we’d meet at the nearby beach to swim, duck each other, laugh, and have beach parties with fires, hot dogs, and marshmallows–and sometimes music.

A tear slid down my cheek – those days were gone forever!  They couldn’t be found here. This was no longer my beloved Ocean Gate.

While there, I visited some old friends.  Through the years they had changed a lot – and so had I.  Also, my brother and my father were with the Lord.  They too were gone.

It’s nice to remember all the good family and friends times.  We can cherish them.  But we can never go back to them; they are gone with time.
These thoughts occur to me:

1) We can’t go back and undo the past
Of what value are useless regrets?  If we feel guilty about something we did or didn’t do in the past, our Lord has a remedy: His precious blood that cleanses us of all sin.  When we ask for forgiveness, He grants it.  And if He forgives us, we need to forgive ourselves!  Jesus said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  How can we love our neighbor, if we can’t love ourselves in the certainty of forgiveness?

2) We can do something about the present and the future
Starting today we can begin making our lives count for Jesus Christ and eternity.  If you need salvation, receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior*.  If you desire God’s guidance as to what you should do for Him, ask Him for it – and then follow His light.  God said, “I will guide you with mine eye.”

Let’s follow the Apostle Paul’s example.  He said, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14, NIV).

Questions: As Easter has come and gone do you need to reach forward to what God has for you in His resurrection power?

About the Author Muriel Larson

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Listening will Transform your Relationships, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog