Titus 3:1-15

We all suffer from selective memory loss.  There are certain things that we all want to forget but there are other things that we must never forget.  Unfortunately, we have a tendency to let that which should constantly occupy our minds, fade from our memory while we recall that which should be forgotten.  If we are to have an intimate and obedient walk with Christ we must be careful to remember the right things and let other memories fade away.

REMEMBER WHAT WE WERE WITOUT CHRIST: As time goes by, it is easy for us to take our salvation for granted.  We tend to forget the hopelessness of our sinful state before Christ forgave and freed us.  I think that this is a grave mistake.  There are those who would teach that we should never look back on our past sins.  Certainly, it is not productive to relive our sins, but we must never forget how desperately we need the work of Christ in our lives.  I think it is healthy and biblical for us to consider where we would be apart from the grace of God in Christ and then allow those thoughts to drive to worship and the cross.  What Christ has done for us and why we needed Him to do it are realities that we must strive to remember.

REJOICE IN WHAT WE ARE BECAUSE OF CHRIST: Christ’s work in our lives is a blessing that should cause us unbounded joy.  If our prospective of the past is correct, this will not cause us to be proud but will inspire us to a joyful humility.  Obedience to Christ should naturally flow from a gratefulness over what the Lord has done and is doing in our lives.  We are not saved because of any good deeds that we have done, but we were certainly saves so that we might life a life of good deeds as we remember the mercy of Christ and rejoice in His grace.  We have a greater hope in eternal life as we recall the transformation that Christ has made in us during this life.

REFUSE TO RETURN TO WHAT WE WERE BEFORE CHRIST: The changes that Christ has made in us are intended to be permanent ones.  We must never confuse looking back with going back.  The foolishness, strive and pride of our lives before Christ saved us must forever remain in the past and must never be allowed to invade our present.  The horrible history of sin in our hearts should cause us to hate sin and strive to avoid it in the present at all cost.  It is when we allow the memory of our sinful state to slip from our minds that we are most prone to repeat those sins.  May our recollection of our former sins become fortresses that prevent sin from invading our lives and motivate us to worship our Lord with grateful hearts.