Sunday School, December 30
Title: The Necessity of Forgetfulness
Text: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Phil. 3:13).
Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:7 – 14
Introduction
Often we hear people complain about their inability to remember. Particularly is this the case concerning names. If we are to remember vividly, we must concentrate with our undivided attention.
We are told by those who have studied the human mind that nothing is ever completely forgotten. The things that we have done, said, heard, or seen are stored away in the computer of our unconsciousness. Sometimes without any deliberate effort on our part, something will happen that will provoke the computer to lift up into our conscious thought something that happened decades ago. We need to give careful attention to that which we feed into our minds and memories.
Memory is one of the most valuable faculties we possess. To be a victim of amnesia in which the past with all of its relationships is forgotten is a tragedy of indescribable proportions. One of the greatest sources of joy we possess is that of memory.
There are two sides to the coin we call memory. Memory can be a great blessing to us. There are many things we should remember, such as the goodness and faithfulness of God (Ps. 103:2), the kindness of others, the truths that make life worth living, the warnings of both God and humankind’s highest wisdom (Ps. 9:17), and the high resolves that have lifted our lives closer to God.
There is also an evil side to the coin we call memory. Memory can be a devil to defeat and destroy us both in the present and in the future. In view of this, the text “forgetting the things which are behind” is most appropriate. On this last Sunday of the year, there are some things that it would be wise and profitable for us to forget.
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