13 Mar 09
Friday of the Second Week in Lent
The Forgetfulness of Ingratitude
Acts 7:30-40
Instead of welcoming his people with open arms after he struck down an Egyptian, Moses’ own people rejected him with a derisive question, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?” Things did not pan out as Moses had hoped. Instead of a saviour, he became an exile. For the next four decades, he was a forgotten man.
But God did not forget him. Nor did the Lord forget his afflicted people in Egypt. The world may forget. Our world may fade. And we may even have grown accustomed to our chains. But the Lord remembered. He hears our cries.
Through a flaming bush and a commanding word, the Lord summoned Moses to His service. With a punishing flurry of signs and wonders, Israel was rescued from Pharaoh’s grip. God delivered on His promises through Moses.
Yet, no sooner had the erstwhile slaves tasted freedom that they began to clamour for the gods of Egypt. Rejecting Moses, the people wanted gods on their own terms. And this from those who had just witnessed and experienced the Lord’s mighty deliverance.
Unfortunately, the tribe of forgetful ingrates lives on even today. The delivered are wont to forget the Deliverer despite enjoying the blessings of deliverance. When we name no effort to recall and celebrate God’s gracious acts on our behalf, we soon find ourselves hankering after the many glamour gods of this world.
The antidote to such forgetfulness is gratefulness. Calvary is God’s definitive act of deliverance. What happened in the Exodus is but an anticipation of the more profound deliverance from sin that God achieved through Christ on the cross. Remembering Calvary and being grateful for the gift of new life in Christ keeps us firmly in God’s love.
Friday of the Second Week in Lent
The Forgetfulness of Ingratitude
Acts 7:30-40
Instead of welcoming his people with open arms after he struck down an Egyptian, Moses’ own people rejected him with a derisive question, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?” Things did not pan out as Moses had hoped. Instead of a saviour, he became an exile. For the next four decades, he was a forgotten man.
But God did not forget him. Nor did the Lord forget his afflicted people in Egypt. The world may forget. Our world may fade. And we may even have grown accustomed to our chains. But the Lord remembered. He hears our cries.
Through a flaming bush and a commanding word, the Lord summoned Moses to His service. With a punishing flurry of signs and wonders, Israel was rescued from Pharaoh’s grip. God delivered on His promises through Moses.
Yet, no sooner had the erstwhile slaves tasted freedom that they began to clamour for the gods of Egypt. Rejecting Moses, the people wanted gods on their own terms. And this from those who had just witnessed and experienced the Lord’s mighty deliverance.
Unfortunately, the tribe of forgetful ingrates lives on even today. The delivered are wont to forget the Deliverer despite enjoying the blessings of deliverance. When we name no effort to recall and celebrate God’s gracious acts on our behalf, we soon find ourselves hankering after the many glamour gods of this world.
The antidote to such forgetfulness is gratefulness. Calvary is God’s definitive act of deliverance. What happened in the Exodus is but an anticipation of the more profound deliverance from sin that God achieved through Christ on the cross. Remembering Calvary and being grateful for the gift of new life in Christ keeps us firmly in God’s love.
(Rev Dr Mark Chan,
Coordinator, Faith and Society,
Centre for teh Study of Christianity in Asia,
and Lecturer in Theology,
Trinity Theological College, Singapore)
Commitment:
I resolve to keep Calvary fresh in my mind and be ever grateful to God for His wondrous deliverance in Christ.
Prayer:
Knowing how prone I am to forget you and your goodness, help me, dear Lord, to be always mindful of your presence and grace. Amen.
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