Of all the things that the Bible teaches, one of the subjects that I would think unnecessary is the reminder to remember God. But, the little heading over Dueteronomy Chapter 8 in my Bible reads “Remember the Lord Your God”. Verses two – six say:

And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.

Even though I shouldn’t have to be reminded to remember God, I can tell you that I need the it. Too often I live my life as though it is actually my life rather than His. I have the unique (common) ability to read God’s word in the morning, set it down, and completely forget about it until the next day. I also have the ability (bad habit) of praying once or twice a day but totally missing the idea of continually praying throughout the day. These are bad habits.

Instead I want to really learn to live out the Shema that I wrote about recently. I want to talk about the scripture and meditate on it when I am lying down, and when I rise, and when I am walking by the way, basically in all things that I do at all times of the day. I think really living this out helps us to continually remember God and continually seek deeper relationship with Him.

Continual, unbroken community with God is the goal. Attaining it is an unending process, but a beautifully mess one.