Jamais Forget

This morning as I progressed in reading through the Bible in a year, the passages (Deuteronomy 5 and 6) continued to reflect a theme I've been noticing throughout the Old Testament, especially the past few mornings of readings.

"You shall teach them diligently to your children..." Deut. 6:7

Teaching.  Passing down.  Leaving a legacy.

The Old Testament is full of references for being sure not to forget the lessons of the past, of passing down these lessons to our children and our children's children, and of obeying the commands of the Lord.  

"then take care lest you forget the Lord..." Deut. 6:12

I don't want to forget any lesson the Lord teaches me.  I don't want my children to grow up and not know about the impact the Lord has had on my life.  I want to leave a legacy of faith for my family to cherish.


It's interesting to me that Moses, who wrote this book, was so insistent about not forgetting 
the Lord.  Hebrews 11 (the faith chapter) devotes 7 verses to the faith of Moses and credits Moses with "choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin" and says that he "considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt."  Moses taught his children never to forget, they taught their children, and so on.  Eventually Moses' faith became his legacy - remembering the Lord and teaching God's truths to our children.


Our eyes are to be set on the Lord and our hearts are to be seeking Him.  One of the easiest ways to do that, to set our eyes and focus our hearts, is to tell future generations about the works the Lord has done, about the favor He has shown, about the grace and mercy He has so generously poured out on us - and to bring glory to His name in doing so.  Just as it is a lesson to the younger generations, so also is it a reminder for ourselves of just how faithful the Lord has been.


I met a new friend and brother in Christ last week in Paris named is Amir.  As the week ended and we were saying our goodbyes he told me, "Jamais forget" (jamais is French for 'never').  Amir's mixture of French and English has even more meaning to me now.  He meant for me to never forget our trip to Paris, to never forget the work that is being done or the people that we met or the souls that still need saving.


But it's bigger than that.


Never forget the Lord or His works.  Never forget the great sacrifice that's been paid for your sins.  Never forget to share these truths with your children and your children's children.


Jamais forget.