May 14 Devotion: The Need of Remembrance

2 Peter 1:12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

         Our opinion may be, if we already know something, we don’t need to be reminded. That is not true according to the above verse. We need constant review, renewal, and reminding. We tend to forget or stop putting into practice the things we should know to do. Hebrews 2:1 gives us a warning concerning this very truth.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

         If we let things slip, then we don’t use them when the time comes. That was the point in 2 Peter 1:12. We need to be “established in the present truth”. The “present truth” is what we need for guidance in our current situation. It is the biblical principle that applies directly to what we are encountering right now. We may have heard it before, but if we let it slip, then we don’t have it available to use now. God’s truth will apply to all of life’s situations, but we must have them readily available to use them.

Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

         God’s word is not to be tucked away and then we forget where it is. It must be constantly taken out and refreshed in our mind. We forget what’s on the back burner, so we must keep his word in the forefront of our mind. We must read his word, meditate in the truth, study to show ourselves approved, hide it in our hearts, be faithful to Sunday School, attend worship services where his word is preached. In other words, we need to be saturated with truth and stay under the spout, so we don’t dry up in forgetfulness. We need his truth every minute of every day. We live in the present, so we need “present truth”.

Psalm 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

         David makes this statement in his great Psalm of repentance. He knew better when it came to the situation with Bathsheba, but he didn’t put in practice “present truth” because it wasn’t remembered in that time of trial. If that truth had been fresh in his mind, it would have taken him down from that lofty place where he looked upon Bathsheba and he could have walked away. “Present truth” would have reminded him that what he was thinking was wrong. So, let us be reminded to stay in the book so the book will stay in us.

In Christ’s Service,

Bro. Adrian Moore

2 Cor. 4:5