Yesterday on our podcast and incidentally if you've just recently joined us here although we're at the tail end of the year you're very welcome indeed

Yesterday we were reflecting on the practice the old spiritual masters recommended of keeping a note of the providences of God in our lives and they meant

it quite literally to write it all down in a notebook so that you could remember and not forget. And it's a very good discipline.

And it wasn't just good advice for Christians in the past.

In essence it's a biblical directive isn't it? God's people were told many times

Remember or Don't Forget. Positively they were told to keep things in mind and negatively because of their tendencies and let's be honest

we all have them they were told how prone they were to forget and that's why it was so important actively to remember.

Two passages come to mind. One is Deuteronomy chapter 8.

The first seven chapters of Deuteronomy contain Moses' account of God's redeeming

grace to his people in the exodus and also the way of life to which God was calling

them through his commandments. And then Moses drives

things home by saying in verse 2 of chapter 8 remember and in verse 11 take care lest

you forget.

And then in verse 18, you shall remember.

And then in verse 19, and if you forget.

There's a kind of rhythm here, isn't there?

The life of faith has this underlying rhythm. It's the drumbeat to which

the Christian marches. Remember, don't forget. Remember, don't forget. And the same principle holds good not only in life in general but in our

worship in particular. It's Sam 103 underlines this.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

So observing, understanding, appreciating, noting down,

remembering, fixing in our minds and hearts,

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