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Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:11–13
There’s a kind of remembering that heals you, and there’s a kind that keeps you stuck. Paul isn’t telling the believers in Ephesus to dig through the old wounds or relive their failures. He’s reminding them to remember grace, to remember what God has done, and never forget it.
They had been without Christ, without hope, and without God. That’s as lost as a person can get. But even when they didn’t know His name, God already knew theirs. He never forgot them. The only reason they could remember Him now was that He remembered them first.
That’s where real healing begins when you realize that God’s been faithful to you the whole time, even when you were too lost to notice.
Remembering the Right Way
In the Bible, to remember doesn’t mean to just think back. It means to bring something close to your heart until it changes the way you live.
When you remember your past without grace, it’ll break you down. But when you remember your past through grace, it builds you up.
You don’t remember to feel sorry for yourself. You remember so you can say, “Look what God did for me.”
The Scripture says,
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.
Not a story of guilt but of grace. You were dead, but He gave you life. You were far off, but He brought you near.
Remembering that will comfort your heart every time the world starts shaking underneath you.
What It Means to Remember
Real remembering will always lead you back to rest. It’s not about trying to fix what’s behind you. It’s about seeing how faithful God has been every step of the way.
He remembered you when you were running from Him. He came after you when you weren’t even looking for Him. That’s the kind of remembering that changes everything.
When you bring your past before God, don’t stop at what you did. Go further. Remember what He did.
Bringing the Past Forward the Right Way
There’s a holy kind of remembering that brings peace, and there’s a harmful kind that brings shame.
When you remember sin, you relive the chains.
When you remember salvation, you relive the rescue.
You don’t need to keep dragging your past into the present to prove you’re sorry. The cross already did that for you.
The psalmist said,
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
So you can remember the pit without crawling back into it. The same God who met you there is the one who pulled you out.
What to Remember as a Believer Today
Remember where you were. Without Christ. Far off. Hopeless. But don’t stay there long move quickly to But now in Christ Jesus.
Remember who brought you near. It wasn’t your effort, your discipline, or your promise. Ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Remember who you are now.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.
Remember so you can rest. Every time you think about what you were, let it lead you to praise for what He’s made you now.
When You Remember, You Find Rest Again
The kind of remembering God calls us to will always bring peace. Every time shame starts whispering or fear tries to rise up, stop and remember what’s true.
You are loved.
You are known.
You are His.
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
So when the enemy, Satan, the Devil, the Liar and Father of Lies, the Slanderer, the Separator says, “Remember what you did,”
Smile and say, “I remember what Jesus did, and that’s enough.”
Think this way
The Biblical way of remembering is not to reopen old wounds. It is to see the scars but see grace written over every one of them.
It’s not about dragging the past behind you. It’s about seeing that goodness and mercy followed you all the way here.
Remember His grace. Forget your shame.
And rest in the truth that the God who remembered you first will never forget you now.
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