But Recall

 

Hebrews 10:32-35 New King James Version 

32 But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; 34 for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves [d]in heaven. 35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010%3A32-35&version=NKJV) 

What have you recalled lately? Have you recalled past hurts? Have you recalled regrets and disappointments? Have you recalled a lost loved one? How did the recollection of those events or people affect you? Past events and past relationships are a part of our life, they are things we remember, yet just like the future, they are things that our out of our control. We can either let them consume us or we can dwell on the One who saves us and will judge us. The One that loves us so much to die for us on the cross so we can have eternal life with Him. Let’s look at what God’s Word tells us we should recall. Recall “after you were illuminated” in other words, after the light in your heart came on and you saw the wickedness of your heart and you met the invisible Savior who could clean up that heart, when you accepted Christ as your Savior. 

 For myself, I was a little girl who accepted Christ as my Savior at a young age. I was quiet and it was not like me to use words to declare my Savior but I tried by my actions to live for Him. In middle school, I lost friends that, in their words, “did not want to corrupt me” so they shunned me and made jokes about me or at least I thought they did. Christ walked me through those times and today I know that He cleaned house of the old and gave me new friends that encouraged me in my faith and helped me grow to know my Lord more intimately. I can see how he protected me during those fragile years of my life. I need to recall those times and give Him the glory. Do I fail? Yes. Does He draw me back? Yes. 

 For others, who have come to know Christ as an adult, I have seen radical changes in their lives. They stop drinking, smoking, doing drugs and they become sold on serving Christ no matter the cost. They want to study His Word constantly and ask a lot of questions. Most generally they put older Christians to shame with their new found love for Christ. They make a radical change in their lives and all they want to do is talk about how God changed their lives. Have you been there either as the old or new Christian ? Are you there now? Then something happens and they become the older Christian. So secure in their faith that they forget about where they came from, they are so secure in their faith that they tend to think about it on occasion but they never talk about it. They get stuck in the happenings of the world, perhaps doing things for a good cause, getting involved in their community, and still being radical but for other things, not for Christ. Have you been there? Are you there now? 

The Scripture for today reminds us to hold fast to that faith. Remember the past that changed your life for the better. Remember the One who saved you, the One who died on the cross for your sins, the One who changed you into a person bold in proclaiming your faith, the One who gave you reason to live by faith. Remember the One who protected you from evil or gave you strength in a difficult trial. We should not be ones to want to go back to sin because Christ lives in us. We should not be ones that are so arrogant and proud that we reject those who we see as weak and worthless. We should always be humbled by the One who loved us so much that He gave us the power to change. We should always remember that all the work we do should be to build the Kingdom of God, not for recognition in this World. These works never perish. Our drive should be, when He comes back and we face Him, that we can stand before Him, in faith, and we can hear Him say, “well done” rather than “My soul has no pleasure in you.” Have you been there? Are you there? Recall and be renewed in Him and continue walking in faith and proclaiming Him to the world. 

 Seeing Him with all my heart, 

 Sheila Koop