A big part of our relationship with God takes place in the act of remembering.  To stay in touch with the realities of God, to build up our faith, to find encouragement, to nurture a deeper sense of gratitude, we stop and remember who God is and what He has done.  We remember what Psalm 103:12 tells us, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” That’s a long way.

We also remember what He has not done such as Psalm 103:10 says, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” That should bring us to a deep place of relief.  I know that If God “rewarded” me according to all that I have done wrong, it would not be the most shinny trophy in the case.

Remembering is so important to our faith that Jesus even gave us a tangible act to make sure we did not forget. “And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  

Today on Good Friday we pause to remember.  We need to remember with our minds and emotions a historical fact. Someone who did not deserve to die, died. He was perfect. He was God in the flesh. His friends left him. One of His inner circle sold Him out. He was beaten.  He was shamed in front of everyone.  People spat on Him. They hit Him with a staff and a whip.  They drove large nails through His hand and feet. He endured more pain than any of us can really understand. He hung on the cross naked for everyone to see. 

He did that for me and you.

As His followers, we need to push ourselves to focus and remember.  We need to push ourselves because it can be too easy for our minds to only remember that this is something we “celebrate” about this time every year.  We need to push ourselves to remember because it is too easy for the death of Jesus to become “old news”. We need to push ourselves to remember so that we can have a glimpse of what it means to love people, even the ones who “spit in our faces.”

So make time to slowly remember what Romans 5:6-10 says, “For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. ⁸ But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for you…while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” Think on every phrase, every thought, every action. Think on what it says about us. What it says about Jesus. Think slowly on the truth that this was all done for me and you.  Do not hurry in remembering.  What you are remembering is the greatest act of love ever.

It was done for me and you.

When you come to the end of remembering, tell Him, “Thank you.” 

Then give Him everything.

 It is worth it.

Abide in Jesus by remembering. 

He really does love you more than you can imagine.