A Forgetful God

Please read Leviticus 25-26, Psalm 25, and Acts 22 if you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year.

Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good. -Psalm 25:7 (NIV)

Occasionally I run into someone that I grew up with in Pulaski. As is often the case when I see someone I haven't seen in years, I'll get asked what I'm doing with my life. When I tell them that I'm a United Methodist pastor, my long lost acquaintances usually laugh and say something like, "Tommy, you've still got that great sense of humor! What are you really doing?" Sometimes it takes a while to convince them that I'm serious.

After I convince them that I am in fact now a pastor, it's apparently funny to people to recall my more mischievous days. "Remember when you..." is almost always the next phrase that comes out of people's mouths.

I am thankful that God does not remember the sins of my youth or my rebellious ways. My hometown friends might, but God doesn't. Why? If the psalmist in this morning's assigned readings is right, it's because God is merciful and loving. It's because I pray daily that He will show me His ways. I'm much more intentional about asking Him to guide me in truth. I yearn for Him to teach me and I want more than ever to be teachable. In a way that I didn't always do as a child, I'm placing my trust in the Lord.

Oh yeah, I occasionally lose my focus (more times than I'd like to admit). But when my eyes are on Him, He keeps me out of the snares that seek to entrap me.

May God grant you the grace today to place your trust in the Lord. May you know the freedom that comes from knowing that your sins are forgiven and forgotten by God. May you experience the joy that comes from walking with God as you are guided in truth. And may God's tender mercy and love be everywhere you look.