Precious Memories Over Bad Experiences

The previous post which I was inspired for this article is in this link My Progress in Memorizing Romans (Chapters 4-6).

 

Philippians 3:13 - Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead

 

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

Have you watched a movie or heard a story about someone who had amnesia and forgotten all including the bad memories he or she had and turned out to be a blessing for he can start a new fresh life? I had watched many that even those villain became suddenly a good person, or maybe they had found their knight in shining armor who saved them and accepted them no matter what their past was. Well that might be a fantasy but actually we can see that even Paul has not made it himself to forget some unfortunate past. He used to recall that he was then a blasphemer and persecutor of the church for example. I am not an exception, I use to daydream that I could have amnesia and forgotten some of my bad experiences. Even when I was already a Christian, something happens or someone reminds me of those things that I cannot change. I take comfort on the verse that promises us that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Maybe this is the reason there are some people who had dementia or Alzheimer's, maybe they have hoped to forget their bad experiences and the enemy used it to them to steal all else of their memories.

Thanks be to the Lord who has given me a better medicine. While I am memorizing the scripture, new memories are being built. I smile and sometimes burst to tears of joy of truth I am experiencing. Slowly the bad past are fading and becoming no value nor power over me. I will never ever exchange the precious treasures of God's truth in my memory and in my heart for anything. Those verses also reminds me of the sweet memories I had while memorizing them. For example our sweet memories while we were in Batam, Indonesia for my 2-year old baby's birthday celebration - I was memorizing Romans 2 then so that always goes back to my memory while reciting that chapter.

Somehow the memories while memorizing the verses became more pertinent that overwrites any other bad past. The Lord is brilliant who gave me the doze of my own medicine. Whenever I find difficulty reviewing some chapters, I pray to the Lord to improve my memory to be able to achieve the goal that has been planted in my heart, and guard the truths that I already have.  I also ask the Lord if any other bitterness of the past I might still holding to help me cast them in order that I could free up some space. Not only the bad past I am trying to forget but also the self-righteousness and things I was proud of then that I realized now they are dead works - that I ask the Lord to forgive and help me to forget them and replace by the righteousness of God through my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, by the sanctifying power of His words.

 

Romans 5:17b

...much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

 

I know I am work in progress, but one thing I can do now is not to waste any single day to behold His glory and be transformed by His words daily though the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.

2 Corinthians 3:18 - And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

I've added this in the benefits #15 for memorizing.