Spiritual Reminders Yield Encouragement

This has been on my mind a lot lately. Spiritual Reminders.

It all started as I was reading my Bible. I follow my own plan which has me read a Psalm or a Proverb every quiet time (I just keep going through them). Then I read whatever book of the Bible I am in, usually I read an Old Testament book (not Psalms or Proverbs, they are well covered already by serving as my devotional start!), then a Gospel, then a New Testament book, then repeat, reading only one of those at a time of course. This way I am not waiting for September to start the NT like I was when I was reading cover to cover - any ways, it works for me.

However, this particular week I was stuck in the NT because if I moved on I would be reading Ezra. I love Ezra, but was not in the mood for Ezra (stomach flu while pregnant and then miscarriage will do that to a girl!), so I was reading Thessalonians, Timothy and Titus back to back to back. And I noticed a recurring theme.

Paul repeatedly refers to spiritual reminders - he is writing to remind you, he wants to remind you...and variations of this appear in his writings.

Note these few verses in the NKJV just for an example:

2Tim. 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

2Tim. 2:14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.

Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work,

2Pet. 1:12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.

Jude 5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

This got me thinking - I need reminders for every thing - my weekly to do list, my weekly housework schedule, my weekly menu, my online calendar to remind me of events, my grocery list, my errand list, etc.

And how much more important are spiritual things than remembering to buy stamps?

Then my thoughts turned to Romans:

Rom. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

My thoughts turned to all the times life seemed horrible and overwhelming and how God used those times to bring amazing things into our lives, to bless us, to encourage us, to teach us, to reveal more of Himself to us.

One of the things God did was after a horrible first year of University I did not want to go back, it was too horrible, and I could not face it, but I did, and I met Mr. Pear, that was over 12 years ago!

The list is long and I am sure we don't even see the half of it!

When we started recounting how God had redeemed circumstances and events in our lives, and had faithfully cared for us, it encouraged us that even though we are going through a tough time right now, God is going to get us through this, and it gave us the courage and encouragement we needed to keep on keeping on.