God has created us with the ability to remember, and He expects us to take advantage of this ability (1 Corinthians 11:24-25).  There are many things that we should remember when it comes to the things of God, but the first thing we should remember is God Himself.  It sounds strange to say this, especially to the people of God, but God’s people have always struggled to remember Him in their day-to-day lives.  Moses warned the Israelites about this.

Deuteronomy 6:12 (ESV)
¹²  Then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

The Israelites failed to follow these instructions once they settled into the land of promise, and they forgot God.

Judges 2:10 (ESV)
¹⁰  And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.

It is hard to imagine this happening.  After all that God had done for them, how could a generation of Jews arise who do not even know Him?  The parents failed to do what Moses told them to do.  They were told to teach the words of the Lord to their children diligently (Deuteronomy 6:7).  They were to write the words of God on the doorposts of their houses and on their gates.  It was the responsibility of the parents not to allow their children to forget God and yet that is exactly what happened, and the results were predictable.  Their children’s generation did evil in the sight of the Lord (Judges 2:11).

When we fail to remember God, bad things happen, at least from a spiritual standpoint.  Things may go well in the physical realm but the most important thing in our lives—our relationship with God—will suffer.  How do we prevent that from happening?  There are a few things we can do.

We can be sure to study the Word of God regularly.  Paul once said, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 ).  This translation emphasizes what we are to do.  The King James Version emphasizes how we are to do it.  It reads, “Study to shew thyself approved to God…”  The best way for you to present yourself to God as one approved is to study His Word.  Remember, studying the Word strengthens our faith (Romans 10:17).

Another thing we can do is focus on the many blessings that God has given us.  The great mistake that the Israelites made was thinking that it was by their own power that they obtained wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17).  Moses reminded them that it was God who gave them the power to get wealth (ver. 18).  We should remember the same thing.  The homes that we have, the beds in which we sleep, and the running water that we enjoy, are all blessings that should remind us of God.  The most important blessings, however, are the spiritual ones, especially the hope of heaven.  When we think of heaven, we cannot help thinking about God.

Ultimately, we remember God by obeying Him.  The admonition of Moses was, “Take care lest you forget the Lord thy God by not keeping His commandments…” This is the best way to never forget God. 

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.