“Do this in remembrance of Me.” – Luke 22:19
The call to remember is not simply “Don’t forget what has happened”; it’s a call to remember that the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead has not been exhausted, nor will it ever be. Everything God did at the Cross continues with power that is available to us in a constantly broadening spectrum of possibility. That’s what He doesn’t want us to forget—that what was launched at the Cross continues till now.
Memorial Day is an important time for us to remember what Jesus did for us. Without seeming to diminish that or turn it into mere patriotism, it’s also a time to remember those around us who have suffered loss in order for liberty to be preserved in our land. We must never take lightly the fact that we enjoy the freedoms we have because we are the beneficiaries of that loss.
So we are called to remember loss, perhaps for our own lost loved ones, which may not have anything to do with a heroic cause. We are also called to be sensitive to those who are facing loss in their own families.
And on this Memorial Day, we need to remember hope, for the Lord calls us to lift our eyes toward Him. Don’t let yourself become soured by society or by the things that press in on you. Over and over, Jesus will show His love where you are.
Most of all, we need to remember Jesus:
He’s alive
John is on the tiny little isle of Patmos, cut off with nothing he can do about his future, when Jesus appears to him and says, “Behold, I am He who was alive, died, and am alive forevermore, and I have the keys to death and hell.” Hallelujah! There’s nothing He can’t unlock. He is alive.
He’s able
Daniel is in the lion’s den. The king didn’t want to put him there, but he had to because of the legal demands in the society. The king honored and respected Daniel and thought this should not be happening. The next morning, the king came down and called into the den: “Daniel! Has your God been able to deliver you from the mouth of the lion?” A friend of mine was preaching and gave this picture: Daniel lifted his head from the lion’s belly which he’d used as a pillow the night before. That’s probably stretching it a little, but the Bible says Daniel called back, “Oh, king, my God has been able to stop the mouths of the lions. He is able to deliver you.”
He’s active
Hebrews 7:25 says Jesus continues always to make intercession for us. Jesus is praying for you and me right now.
He’s alongside us
That day on the Emmaus road, the disciples thought every hope they’d had was ended in the city behind them, Jerusalem. That their hope for a Messiah had gone up in the clouds of a stormy day at Calvary, and now, His grave’s been robbed. What’s the hope of the future, they wondered. And then a Stranger joins them on the road, and before long, they discover that the One who’d come alongside them when they thought everything had been wiped out was the resurrected Savior.
He’s advancing
Philippians 1:6 says, “He who has begun His work in you will keep on performing it until He comes again.” Jesus is advancing everything in your interest.
Let us remember these things, this Memorial Day and every day, loved one.
Copyright 2012 Jack W. Hayford, Jack Hayford Ministries
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