| Bad Memory - article by Joel Hempel
In a book I’m reading entitled They Walked with God by Max Lucado, he asks if Peter is the only person to do what he swore he’d never do. You know, go back on your word.
Peter to Jesus: Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away!
After Jesus’ arrest, when Peter was identified as a disciple: I don’t know the man! Of course, the Peter of Scriptures represents all of us. You and I make promises to God and ourselves like: I will never again lie, gossip, go to shady websites, overeat, get drunk, let my arrogance hurt other people, cheat at work, neglect my family, overreact with anger, disregard my neighbor in need, and countless other things we swear we will never do again! And then, sooner or later . . . I once told a friend that when I pray and ask for our Lord’s forgiveness at night, I wonder if he says to the Father, “It’s him again!” I wonder how longsuffering God can be. I sometimes wrestle with that thought until I fall asleep. One of the many things I admire about Marcia is her memory of hymn verses from multiple songs we’ve sung in church for decades. Emeritus Pastor Steve has a similar memory, which I also admire. I don’t have good recall. I want to attribute it to old age, but I’ve never had a good memory. Then, I realized I am in good company, the best of company – God. Because of the new covenant God established with us through Christ’s death on the cross, God declares I will be merciful toward their iniquities and will remember their sins no more (Hebrews 8:12). Can we trust such a promise? Does God really “forget” our sins? Technically, God doesn’t forget. He could access our sins in his divine database if he ever chose to do so. But Scripture states that is not who he is. Through his Son, God reconciled us with himself and does not count our trespasses against us (2 Corinthians 5:19). Do you remember when Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive a brother or sister who sinned against him? Jesus’ counsel to Peter reveals the heart of God: Quit counting! (Matthew 18:21-22) A confessing, repenting child (that would be you and me) – however frequently they come before the throne of God will ALWAYS hear, “I forgive you. Go and sin no more.” And when we sin more, our loving Father – not because of a bad memory, but because of love – will forgive us and give us strength to resist temptation. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). | 
