Since leaving full-time ministry, I have come to have a lot of idle time on my hands. To fill up some of that time constructively, I decided to start doing some “new” things. One of the things I have decided to do is learn to play guitar. While I am not very far along on this journey (partly due to being without air conditioning for over two months), I am thankful to Logan Smith and Jeremy Clements for starting me off on the right track. Something else I wanted to pursue is proofreading books prior to publication. With Rob Robuck putting me in touch with the proper people from Chalice Press, I have recently started proofreading a book on the history of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) which is due to be published in 2023. Reading the manuscript for that book has reminded me of where we come from as a denomination.
Remembering can be a good thing. We are often so focused on what is going on today, or what may happen tomorrow, that we forget our roots. Thinking about this, I felt it would be nice to see what the Bible says on the matter. Here are three verses from Scripture that popped into my head where God basically says, “Remember where you come from.”
• Train children in the way they should go; when they grow old, they won’t depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). Children are a gift from God. May we seek to train them up in the way they should go. May we share with them the good news of Jesus Christ and point them in the direction of godly conduct, wise choices, and appropriate accountability, always praying that when they are grown, they will remember the true path and not stray from it.
• Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God (Leviticus 19:34). Too many of us are focused on what’s mine and building walls. Scripture tells us time and time again, though, that the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord. In Leviticus 19, we are told to remember that we are all immigrants, and we must love immigrants as we love ourselves. Hmm, didn’t Jesus say something about that as well?!
• I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). Here, the Apostle Paul reminds us that anything and everything we do is only because of the One who gives us strength. When things are going great, or if it doesn’t seem they can get any worse, remember to draw upon the living water that the Lord freely offers to strengthen you.
Friends, no matter how old, important, or knowledgeable you may be, it is imperative to remember that you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes (James 4:14). This being so, don’t get so worked up over today or tomorrow that you forget who you are as God’s children and whose name you bear as Christians. Always remember where you come from!
God’s Best…Rev. Steven Sherrill