It’s been about a month since we flipped the calendar to a new year. Most people start the year with a sense of momentum: new goals, new habits, new commitments about how this year will be different. But now that some time has passed, here’s an honest question:
Do you even remember the resolutions you made?
That’s not a criticism, just a question. We tend to forget. We can really want to change, really mean what we say, really intend to do better … and still forget. We don’t usually forget because we don’t care, but because we get distracted by other things. Other responsibilities. Other needs. Other distractions. And before we know it, what was important gets buried under what’s happening in the moment.
That idea … the fading of important commitments … is not new. It’s not a 21st-century problem. It’s a human problem that God has addressed for thousands of years. And because God knows our nature better than we do, He teaches us to remember what matters most.
“I Will Stir You Up by Way of Reminder”
The apostle Peter understood this as well as anyone. He wrote to Christians who already knew the truth and were already trying to live it. Yet even to them he said:
“…I will not be negligent to remind you always…and I think it is right, to stir you up by way of reminder.” (cf. 2 Peter 1:12-13)
Peter wasn’t scolding them. They weren’t failing. They weren’t rebellious. They just needed to be reminded. Even faithful people forget. Even dedicated Christians can unintentionally drift. Even sincere hearts need to be stirred at times, not because they don’t love God, but because they live in a world full of noise.
Peter’s words teach us something essential about spiritual growth:
Knowledge isn’t enough. Commitment isn’t enough. Passion isn’t enough.
We must learn to refresh our memory continually.
Because if we don’t intentionally remind ourselves of the goodness of God’s word, something else could take its place.
This Isn’t Something New — Moses Said It First
Long before Peter, Moses stood before Israel and told them almost the exact same thing. God was about to bring them into the land of Canaan … a land they did not build, a land they did not conquer, a land full of blessings they did not earn. So Moses warned them:
“…beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 6:10-12)
They didn’t get the land because they were powerful. They didn’t overcome because they were mighty. They received it because God gave it.
But blessings can make us forgetful. Comfort can lead to complacency. When life gets easier, faith isn’t challenged to grow. Moses understood that the greatest danger Israel faced was not Pharaoh, and not the Canaanites … it was forgetfulness.
So what was the solution? Repeat. Remember. Teach. Talk. Write. Surround your life with reminders of who God is and what He has done.
“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and talk of them when you sit in your house…
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house…” (Dt 6:7-9)
God told His people not just to believe, but to build lifestyles immersed in remembrance.
The Thorns That Choke Out the Truth
Jesus later explained another reason such reminders are necessary. In Matthew 13, He spoke of seed sown among thorns:
“…the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)
Think deeply about that. These weren’t wicked people, hostile rebels, or hardened hearts. They simply had too much growing in the same soil. The word was there … but so were the thorns. The problem wasn’t hatred. It was overcrowding. Much like Martha, who was “worried and bothered about so many things,” we can let worries and pleasures choke out the gospel seed that we should be carefully nourishing.
A busy house can be clean, until it gets too full. A garden can be fruitful, until the weeds multiply. A heart can love God, until it gets congested with earthly priorities.
The thorns don’t win because they’re stronger. They win because we forget to pull them.
And what does God give to prevent forgetting? Abundant sources of reminders.
Teaching Our Children (and Ourselves)
Before we completely move on from Deuteronomy 6, it is worth pointing out that Moses didn’t simply say to remember … he (God) instituted culture of remembrance. God’s word wasn’t just to be studied occasionally; it was to be spoken in conversations, displayed in homes, woven into identity, shared with children, and passed on to the next generation.
Why? Because if we do not teach our children to remember God, the world will gladly teach them to forget Him.
Parents don’t shape children through a single great speech, or one powerful Bible class. Children learn from repetition, example, tone, habit, and atmosphere. They learn not only from what we say, but from what we repeat. Not only from what we preach, but from what we practice.
We don’t instill faith by accident, we promote it through consistency in teaching.
Practical Reminders for Today
So how do we make remembering part of our lives?
- Place Scripture where you live life. On mirrors, fridges, phone backgrounds, dashboards.
- Talk about God daily, not only in Bible class.
- Pray with your children over real decisions, not only meals.
- Record prayer requests to God…and outcomes.
- Memorize verses…and meditate on them.
- Worship with intention, not just habit.
None of this is complicated … it’s consistent. And that’s the point.
Conclusion: Remember on Purpose
It’s possible to lose faith without ever rejecting God … like an unused muscle, our faith can grow weak and disappear. That’s why Peter stirred hearts by reminders. That’s why Moses commanded constant repetition. That’s why Jesus warned about thorns.
Faith doesn’t just need taught. It needs to be refreshed.
So as the year continues, don’t just try to change. Don’t just make spiritual resolutions. Surround your life with reminders of who God is and what He has done.
Because truth, even when we already know it, still needs to be remembered … on purpose.
