Memory

Psalm 139:1-4 – O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. (ESV)

To keep abreast of my everyday communications, I store my e-mail files on a flash memory stick. When I arrive at a computer — at home or at work — I plug in the memory stick, and keep up-to-date with my correspondence.

The other day, I went in to work on a Saturday and collected my e-mails, because I wanted to avoid a backlog on the following Monday. When I got home — tragedy of tragedies — my personal e-mail file had been corrupted. I think I had been too impatient in removing the memory stick from my computer. Not only had I lost the current unread e-mail from the few days when I had been away, but I had also lost all the previous ones that were kept for reference!

Fortunately, I had saved the file from the previous Friday onto my office machine. Phew! All I needed to do now was to e-mail those regular contacts from whom I had seen but not read an e-mail, and ask them to resend their messages. (Incidentally, I give my apologies to anyone, staff or readers, who have sent an e-mail and not heard from me. Please send me another one!)

This incident made me reflect upon how our own "memory" — our minds — may sometimes become corrupted and unusable for God. Mine is definitely faulty, occasionally: the odd compromise here, a little envy or a lie there — not to mention driving, television, and the like.

I understand that all these things, whether seen or unseen, encourage rebellious thoughts, which can make our minds an affront to the indwelling of God. Sin is sin.

Only one person is able to cleanse our thoughts and the desires of our minds, and to replace our carnal nature with His holiness, through an act of grace: Jesus!

Memory update needed today?

Psalm 139:23-24 – Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (ESV)

Prayer: Lord, we rejoice that in You we have a safe place to renew our minds when they have become tainted. Please wash us clean once more in the blood of Jesus, so that when we go into the world today, the joy of the Lord will go with us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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