Blake Long

I’m a tad forgetful about important things (somewhere my wife is saying, “A tad?!”). And on too many occasions, I “forget,” per se, the most important thing: Jesus. I go throughout my day not giving much thought to Him. My work day becomes busy, my thoughts are consumed with other things, so Jesus falls by the wayside.

I forget to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

I forget to keep my eyes focused on Heaven (Colossians 3:2).

I forget to take all thoughts captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5-7).

I simply don’t “remember Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:8). But that’s what I—we—must do. We must remember Jesus Christ.

Remember His humble birth. “… but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬). Jesus displayed the greatest example of humility in taking on human flesh and being born to a virgin. His virgin birth was incredibly important, as He was not tainted by original sin, like all of us are. The biblical reality of the God of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos, becoming a man and was born of a virgin is extraordinary.

Remember His sinless life. Jesus was, in fact, sinless (Hebrews 4:15). He never disobeyed His Father, never grumbled, never let His thoughts run wild. His life, in all areas, was perfectly pleasing to the Father—and it was so for us. We could never measure up to God’s perfect, righteous law, but His Son did—for us.

Remember His atoning death. Jesus didn’t merely die, but also absorbed the full, unadulterated wrath of God in our place. What Jesus set out to do, He accomplished (John 19:30). Whereas His sinless life is credited to our account, His atoning death wipes our sin away (Romans 5:8-9). So upon our salvation, not only is our sin removed as far as the east (Psalm 103:12) is from the west, but God declares us righteous in Christ (Romans 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Remember His victorious resurrection. If Jesus didn’t rise from the grave, we’d still be headed for Hell (1 Corinthians 15:12-16). But, of course, He did rise again (Matthew 28:5-6)! And His resurrection vindicates Him as the Son of God. Because Jesus lives, we can face tomorrow.

Remember His glorious ascension. Since His ascension into Heaven, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for you. This oft-neglected doctrine is crucial to understanding Christ’s complete work. We must understand that this was a literal, bodily ascension. Jesus will be both God and man for the rest of eternity.

Remember His sovereignty. Jesus is in control of all things as a member of the Holy Trinity—He is God ya know. From tiniest insect to the massive avalanche, Jesus is sovereign over every last detail. RC Sproul famously said, “If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.”

Remember His friendly care for you. Jesus is your friend. Pastor, professor, and author Jared C. Wilson once observed that there “is no friend closer than Jesus. As we follow him, he never strides too far ahead. He never dodges or ditches us. If we are weary, he slows. If we pull up lame, he stops. If we wander, he circles back. He won’t let us be lost.” As our friend—a perfect one at that—we can be assured that Jesus will always be there for us, through the good and the bad.

Remember His compassion and boldness. Many emphasis the compassion of Jesus too much; others emphasize his boldness or harshness too much. When we remember Jesus Christ, we must ponder His compassion for the sinners—even the chief of sinners. But we must also remember his boldness—flipping tables in the temple because of the money changers (Matthew 21:12-13).

When we remember Jesus Christ—and all that He does for us—we are quicker to yield for the Spirit, to not be thrown by the winds and waves of the culture’s influence. Perhaps it’s not about following society, but just not necessarily focusing on Jesus throughout the day. When we remember Jesus Christ, we are able to respond better to what lies ahead in each day, for we know Jesus is with us. Home life is better, work is less stressful, and our spiritual disciplines thrive when we remember Jesus Christ.