Things began slipping away . . . things I didn’t want to lose.
Memory. An interesting thing. When I was young, I had no trouble memorizing—anything, or a lot of things. Even in my twenties, I sailed through one college class that required tons of memorizing, earning an A with ease.
Then it happened. In my late thirties, people’s names started to escape me. Then other things. My wife became my memory board. Now, as I age, I exercise my mind, hoping my memory will hang around a little longer.
I also discovered that age isn’t the only thing that affects memory. While attending a training conference for teachers, I took a class on technology, since I teach middle schoolers. I discovered why they couldn’t seem to retain anything. The rapid advance of technology, which makes knowledge available at our fingertips, has shortened the short-term capabilities of our younger generation. They struggle to memorize—or don’t even try—because they don’t have to. If they want to know something, they Google it.
While most things I don’t want to forget, some things I do want God to forget—my sins, in particular. And according to Jeremiah, He will when I ask Him to forgive me.
How God can forget when the Bible pictures Him as omniscient (all-knowing), I don’t understand, nor can I explain. The best I can say is He chooses to forget. For me, age takes care of forgetting. For others, it might be busyness or brain damage. For still others, doing so is a choice.
God wiping our sin slate clean bears importance. If He didn’t, He would still hold us accountable. That would bring His punishment—presently and eternally. But because of what His Son accomplished on Calvary’s cross, God can clothe us in Christ’s righteousness when we come to Him for forgiveness. This involves His forgetting our sins. If He didn’t choose to forget, He couldn’t clothe us this way.
We no longer fear God’s condemnation when we stand in this wonderful position. Instead, he loves us and has accepted us into His family, with all the fringe benefits. His forgetting our sins should prompt us to love others and to do good for them as God has done for us. It should also lead us to stand in daily appreciation to our loving heavenly Father.
Has God forgotten your sins?
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Martin Wiles lives in Greenwood, SC, and is the founder of Love Lines from God. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, pastor, and author. He serves as Managing Editor for both Christian Devotions and Vinewords.net and is an instructor for the Christian PEN (professional editor’s network). Wiles is a multi-published author. His most recent book, Hurt, Hope and Healing: 52 Devotions That Will Lead to Spiritual Health, is available on Amazon. He and his wife are parents of two and grandparents of seven. He can be contacted at [email protected].