We human beings are a forgetful lot. This is especially true with memory of God and the many things he has done to bless us. So we shouldn't be surprised that one of the most powerfully convicting books in the Old Testament stresses that God's people must not forget what the Almighty has done for them and remember all they have comes from him. (12 times God warns his people not to forget him and 22 times God challenges them to remember all he has done!)
Knowing that we are forgetful people, God built into our lives, faith events that stir our memory and re-awaken us to his ongoing presence and work. During the Old Testament times, he gave his people the yearly pilgrimage feasts when people would journey to Jerusalem and take part in rituals, celebrations, and activities where they would re-live the great acts of God's deliverance. Today, God has given us the Lord's Supper and Baptism and the other sacraments as regular reminders and opportunities to re-live the center of his saving work — Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection and to remind us that he will return in glory.
God wants us to work at remembering ... remembering His grace, His love, His great acts of redemption, His promises, and His ultimate salvation offered to all of us. So many other thoughts crowd into our minds that we often can't remember what is most important. Before long, we end up living based upon the most urgent or most flashy immediate thoughts that catch our attention. We forget the crucial, life-giving, and eternal truths necessary for our faith to truly shape our lives.
So the next time you forget something, please remember how easy it is to forget what is most important to you. Make a conscious effort to go back and rehearse, remember, and re-live the great acts of God in your life. Don't lose your spiritual passion in the sea of forgetfulness or the laziness of not intentionally remembering the greatness and goodness of our Father.