Are We Forgetful?

September 13, 2007
2:16 p.m.

By: Joshuah Ellis

This past week, many Americans and people all over the world were reminded of the horrific tragedy which occurred on September 11, 2001. We revisited the sights of the incidents and watched as those present remembered through various ceremonies. While watching this, I could not help but revisit my own feelings the day it all happened and in the following months. I remember a great sadness which fell on our country, but I also remembered the great sense of pride and patriotism which followed. It occurred to me that our new found pride occurred only because of the attack. I realize now, as we have all gone on with our lives, that the sense of patriotism, for the most part, is now gone and we choose to remember only on anniversaries and few other times.

This got me thinking about an application to our spiritual lives. It seems that the times when Christians are the strongest are when they are met with adversity head on. We know this to be true because we have seen the church thrive through periods of severe persecution. I doubt there are many Christians who, if they were asked to choose between their lives and God, would not choose the latter. It seems that when there is a clear distinction between right and wrong, the right will usually prevail among God's people. It is rather the gray area that can prove to be the most dangerous. In the same manner that there is nothing like an attack on our country to boost our sense of national pride, there is nothing like clear persecution to bring out the zeal in most Christians.

What about the rest of the time? Should we only be proud of our country when it is suffering? Should we only be faithful and zealous Christians when the church is being persecuted? Though I cannot answer the question regarding our patriotism, I do know that God does not only call us to faithfulness when times are tough, or even only when times are good for that matter. The inspired writer of the book of Hebrews writes that ''we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end'' (Hebrews 3:14). The same writer also speaks of our ''need of endurance'' so that after we have done the will of God, we may receive the promise (Hebrews 10:36). The idea of being ''steadfast to the end'' or in ''need of endurance'' is not one which suggests that there are designated times in which our zeal should be strong. We should not sit around and wait for persecution to find us before we decide to serve God with all we have. It should be a constant effort. Are we forgetful of our calling?

Just like we tend to forget about the 9/11 tragedy except for on certain days, I fear that as Christians we sometimes forget where it is we came from. I am not speaking of our family lineage or the work we have put in to make the life that we have now. I am speaking of where we came from in a spiritual sense. Paul, as he writes to the church at Corinth, lists a number of sinful descriptions, but he is quick to remind them that ''such were some of you'' (1 Corinthians 6:11). He goes on to tell them, however, that they were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord. That is where we came from. We were in the same boat as the Corinthians. We were dirty and filthy. We were sinners, but that has changed for those of us who are Christians, and that is a wonderful incentive to remain zealous in our service to God yet so many are not. Are we forgetful of where we came from?

One thing that we can see to be true in the world around us is that things change. Seasons change along with fashion trends and fads. Even we change our opinions of different issues as we get older. As we have seen from incidents like the 9/11 tragedy, even our emotions change. Jesus, however, said, ''Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away'' (Mark 13:31). We may change but God and His Word do not. Are we forgetful of that? Are you forgetful?

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