Thursday, April 11, 2013
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Okay, here's the scene: My wife and I are sitting together on an airplane. I'm busy working, trying to be a good time manager; getting my work done on my way to Chicago. And my wife has headphones on listening to whatever program happened to be on the stereo system, and she's laughing out loud. You know how frustrating that is? I'm trying to get work done and she's ho, ho, ho, ho! Listen, that drives you crazy when you don't know what somebody's laughing at.
So, I finally gave in and got the headphones myself. She was listening to Bill Cosby talk about his 50th birthday - Bill Cosby on being 50. And you know, he has this great ability to capture the real everyday feelings of our experiences. Well, this was a hilarious description of getting up to get something from the other room, and it sounded all too familiar. You know, you get in the other room. As soon as you get there, you totally forget what you went there for. So, you return to your chair. As soon as you sit down, of course, you remember. And he took off from there. Well, we were laughing so loud, because I think… Well, because it was "us." I do that all the time.
I used to remember every phone number. Today it seems to slip between the cracks in my brain very shortly. Now, names; I have no problem remembering names. Just ask my engineer, Fred. Oh, no! It's Jason. I'm sorry, excuse me. Wait. I tell you, names, phone numbers, whatever it is. You say, "Well, that's a problem for old people isn't it?" Oh no, no, no. Memory loss? That's a serious problem for all ages.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Soul Amnesia."
Our word for today from the Word of God is from the 78th Psalm. David is writing, and he says in verse 40, "How often they (speaking of the Old Testament Jews) rebelled against God in the desert and grieved Him in the wasteland. Again and again they put God to the test." Do you suppose we could update that? Maybe it could be you and me? "Again and again they put God to the test. They vexed the Holy One of Israel."
Now, why? Why did they keep messing up? Here's why: amnesia. They did not remember (the Bible says) His power. And then this scripture goes on to show the many times He demonstrated His power, His faithfulness in the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, etc.
I was with a friend for lunch not too long ago and he was talking about some of the mountains in his life and faith when it comes to moving mountains. He said, "You know what disease I think a lot of Christians have, Ron? Spiritual amnesia." Well, that got me thinking. That was the problem back with God's ancient people, and it's been the problem for all these centuries. We forget what God has done! We keep wandering into rebellion and dumb decisions because we forget God's past deliverances. And that's a problem for all ages.
But look back, would you? Yesterday's mountains that you thought would never move -it was impossible. Today those mountains are monuments to God's power and faithfulness. You say, "Yeah, but this mountain…" We start to panic; we hotwire some solution. We turn from God. If you look back, your life is a series of cliffs you came to the edge of, but you never went over. Of rescues that came at the last minute, but always came. Of times when waiting really paid off. At times that looked like this was the end, but there was one more chapter wasn't there? That you didn't expect. The waters always ultimately parted! But today's obstacle is making you forget.
Settle back; flip through the scrapbook of God's adventures in your life. You'll see that He has always come through, and He will this time. So, don't go wandering off somewhere into some deadly mistake because of spiritual amnesia. Many a major mistake is made because of spiritual memory loss. Don't forget the miracles.