DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER ME!

“Don‘I Forget to Remember Me,” is the title of a song by Carrie Underwood.  In the lyrics, she is leaving home and her Mama does not want the wave goodbye to be goodbye to memories. Her parents had invested a lot in her and they did not want her to forget—they would not forget her. One parting gift was a Bible, and later she finds herself on her knees asking the Lord to remember her. She has now remembered Him!

One thing we may be sure of—God will always remember us. That is a point made by Jimmy Dodd and Larry Magnuson in their book, “Pastors are People Too.”  That is most encouraging!  Let us not forget that Christ has taken a seat on His throne where He watches over His own, and He is cheering us on!

The language of Hebrews 12:1-2 suggests that others who have completed their race now sit in the grandstands of glory and are urging us onward. 

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (‭NKJV‬)

Champions of faith, listed in the previous chapter like Abel,  Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, and the rest have run their leg of the race and passed the torch of truth on to generation after generation of God’s spokesmen, who now can faithfully pass it on to the next runners.  How encouraging!

“There are numerous studies detailing the impact of home field advantage. Simply stated, it is well documented that the home team always wins more games than the visiting team. This is true in all four professional American sports leagues (MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL). The same is true for sports around the world. In fact, the two sports with the highest home win percentage are European soccer and NBA basketball, both exceeding 60 percent. The host country of the Olympics always performs at a higher level than in years in which they travel to another country. Why do teams play better at home? While theories abound, the general consensus is that individuals and teams perform at a higher level when the majority of fans are cheering for them. We all want to know that there are those who are for us.” (Pastors Are People Too, Dodd and Magnuson, pp. 48-49, Kindle edition).

October was Pastor Appreciation Month. Did you remember your pastor? Did you express gratitude? If not, then remember November is about Thanksgiving, and tell him how thankful you are for him and why. December follows—a time of gift-giving—and you can remember to give him a present that honors his presence with you in your time of need, as well as his preaching week by week. Next, a New Year comes and a new opportunity to be appreciative of what he did last year and offer encouragement for the new year. 

Get the picture?

Church folks—regularly encourage your pastor. He needs it. A true man of God lives to encourage you in your race.

Preacher—I hope you focus on the grateful and not the grumblers. No doubt, you have critics, but you also have cheerleaders!  Most significantly, you always have a sympathetic Savior who understands what it means to be forgotten, abandoned, and betrayed, yet who pressed on and has now taken a seat in victory!  He tells us to press on. One day He will greet us with, “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your Lord!”