To Remember and Remind

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF PETER

TO REMEMBER AND REMIND

2 Peter 1:12-15

12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

NIV

It is interesting that Peter wanted to make sure, although his readers were aware of the truth, that they had something to remember. Of course, they did not have the whole of the bible as we do today, so what they knew of the truth was only given to them orally. For us, it would be like we read the bible once and never picked it up again. How much of the truth would we remember? In addition, they also did not have a dedicated shepherd or pastor that had the written word to study and bring a message regarding some aspect of the truth every week. What they did have is these two letters from Peter, and maybe another letter from another Apostle that might be circulating around cities. However, even with weekly oral messages, we average humans are only able to retain about ten percent of what we hear. This is why God inspired various men to write and watched over others who kept and assembled many of those writings into one complete volume, we know as the bible. So we can read and reread, being constantly reminded of the truth. It would seem we are in need of always being reminded of the truth for we have a tendency to stray from time to time. There is always another idea that springs up from this statement of Peter. He knows that his time is coming to a close and he wants to make sure he makes a permanent record of the truth for those who live on,  so as to be reminded. We too are but temporary in this world and we live and then we are gone. Have we made any permanent record to remind others of the truth who remain after we are gone? Sure, they have the Bible, which is the only truth, and they too can find all the truth they need within those pages. It is not that we compare ourselves in any way at all to men like Peter or those others who walked and talked with Jesus. Far be it for us to even consider such a thought. Yet, our lives should have some meaning in this world. We know the first meaning is always to bring glory and honor to God. However, should we not also leave a record of our lives for others in the future, a record that would assist in leading them to search the Bible. Telling stories, being a witness, or even preaching a weekly message are all good things, but how much of what we say will anyone ever remember? How can our words remind them to search out the truth? Maybe it is a good thing to keep a written record of our thoughts, as we are doing here, so others might find them and read the words which, hopefully, will lead them to read the bible which will lead them to everlasting life. We can only hope in some small way that our written words can assist others, can lift them up, encourage them, exhort them, inspire them to search out the truth, and to fill their lives with the truth. Of course, we have no hope or aspirations of reaching that many people. The Bible alone is the bestselling book of all times, but of course, that is due to the work of the Spirit, who inspires people to search for the truth. But if we are able to reach out to just a few over the years, assisting them in their journey and bringing honor and glory to God, then we have fought the good fight, we have run the race in hopes of attaining the prize at the finish line. We have and will continue to remember and to remind.