Refresh Your Memory

“This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.” 2 Peter 3:1 (The Message)

It was the official dedication service for the new church building we had spent two years erecting. It was a brand new building on a four acre lot and we were proud to move into our new accommodations. District officials were present, dignitaries from the town were in the congregation and even representatives from some of our vendors were there.

I had prepared a PowerPoint presentation detailing the history of our project. I had put a lot of time and energy into making it not only appealing but somewhat humorous as well. There was one possible small kink, but I was aware and had taken the proper precautions.

Not every item had arrived for our new Sanctuary. We wanted as much state-of-the art electronics and multi-media as our budget would allow. So far, though, we had not received the ordered laptop. For the dedication service, I used my personal laptop.

It had a habit of freezing up if left on standby for too long. There was a “fix” that would work about 80 percent of the time, and I knew how to remove the battery and reboot the system quickly if the fix did not work.

The time came for the slide show came and our District Superintendent was sitting right beside me, along with his assistant, a former pastor of the church. As luck would have it (for those who do not believe in “luck”, you may substitute “destiny”, “God’s will”, or “Satan’s attack”), the 80 percent solution failed. The projector, or more precisely, Dreaded MS Windows, froze up!

I quickly turned the laptop over, disengaged the battery bay and removed the battery, thus shutting off power. For whatever reason, when I went to reassemble it, something I had done dozens of times, it simply would not latch in correctly.

I began to feel nervous, wanting to make a good impression among District officials. To make matters worse, a board member came over to try to help me. He was being thoughtful, but his presence, staring straight over my shoulder with his hands poised to put my hands where he thought they should go, increased my stress.

I believe it only took about 60 seconds, but the whole maneuver happened in slow motion. My heart was beating fast, I was thinking I might never get the battery back in the bay and our slide show would not be viewed. Here I was, at one of my proudest moments, taking a church through a building project, and I couldn’t remember something I had practiced over and over. I had purposely gone over it time after time just in case of this very scenario.

It is true; we do have to be told twice. Or 100 times, or 1000. I hear my mother’s voice as clear as day, “How many times do I have to tell you?” Peter felt the need to write a second letter to his friends, to stimulate their memories about what he had taught them before.

In this case, he is reminding them about Jesus’ Second Coming and the rise of false teaching during the latter days. But it really doesn’t matter what truth it is, we must admit we need reminders. If I could get rattled about simply removing and replacing a laptop battery, imagine how easy it is to let go of truths which are spiritual in nature.

I remember an Evening Service some 20 years ago. Our regular nursery attendant had not arrived and so someone else volunteered. Afterwards I thanked her for watching the children. She said, “That’s ok, I’ve heard what you preached about before.”

I didn’t feel much like giggling then; now it makes me laugh. But it is amazing how many times we say that “Oh, I already know that”, or “I don’t need that topic again.” Peter knew his young disciples needed a refresher course.

And, it wasn’t because they were unconcerned or neglectful. In fact, he refers to their present understanding of Christ as “wholesome thinking.” They were not reprobates who needed to be brought back to belief, nor were they babies who were so immature they needed the same lessons constantly repeated.

No, from his tone, it appears these were good-hearted, normal-thinking believers. He calls them his “dear friends”. So we know there is no adversarial relationship involved either.

This verse, along with my laptop experience (and many more experiences like it), reminds me that I do need to allow God to “refresh my memory”. I don’t go to church because the preaching is the best I’ve ever heard. (I pastor the church I attend, so I know that is prima facie untrue.) I don’t read my Bible because I’m trying to make points with God. I don’t talk about spiritual things with my friends who follow Christ to show them how mature I am.

No, just like the friends to whom Peter writes, I need reminders. I need to talk with my friends about the sadness I feel because a friend is no longer near. I need to hear their reminders of God’s faithfulness during similar times. I need to read the passages in Scripture that awaken me to God’s personal care. I need to be in groups where followers of Jesus worship God and share His truth because I forget the grandeur of His presence on my own sometimes.

I need my “wholesome thinking” refreshed so often that I dare not say that, having “already heard this” I can act as if I know it all. For heaven’s sake, if a laptop computer can arm wrestle me on a day when I thought I had done every due diligence, how much more should I take the things of God into account on a regular basis.

Father, I know that, though I want to know You well, I sometimes need to be reminded exactly who You are. Though I want to obey You well, I often need to be reminded exactly how that is accomplished. Let me be ready for You to remind me often of the truths I sometimes forget.