PLAYBOOK DEVOTIONAL
Athletes, what will you remember?
Tom Petersburg
Psalm 106:7 (ESV)
Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider Your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of Your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
Why have you held on to a jersey, a ball or a picture from important games that you played? Because those things trigger the details of that competition, the struggle you endured and the enjoyment of teamwork. You want to remember the impact it had on your life.
Number 4 effect on your spiritual growth – what you remember.
By nature, we are pretty forgetful people. We forget so many things that we have seen God do in our lives and in the lives of others around us. You may think, “I have the whole Bible in my hands for quick reference, so what is the big deal about remembering?”
God is continually teaching us about Himself and our relationship to Him as we spend time in the Scriptures. God reveals more about Himself in the way He answers our prayers or resolves a difficult set of circumstances. As a result, we draw biblical conclusions about God’s character; it enables us to see God for Who He is.
Notice today’s verse. Israel saw God perform miracles as He led them out of Egypt. But when they encountered new challenges, they forgot God’s past goodness and then refused to trust and obey Him under new circumstances.
When we fail to remember our past conclusions about His character, we often take a step backwards, put His character on trial, and then struggle in our faith.
Remembering (to retain in thought) what God has done, and what His character is, has a profound impact on our spiritual growth. Remembering what is true about God enables us to trust Him to greater lengths in the next difficulty we encounter.
A helpful exercise: keep a personal journal of what you learn about God; keep a prayer record about the ways that God has answered prayers.
Today’s devotional is one of five this week on “Spiritual Growth” by Tom Petersburg.
