Spiritual Amnesia

“He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, and yet the world did not recognize Him.” John 1:10 CSB

I have heard of cases where people were in terrible accidents and yet survived. However, when they come to their senses in the hospital, they have a case of amnesia. They forget who they are. They have forgotten their parents. Can you imagine walking into your child's hospital room only to have them look at you with no idea who you are? That would be extremely heartbreaking for a parent. You reared them, raised them, loved them, and yet they have no clue who you are. John presents a very tragic scene in the verse above. The very universe, the very planet, the very nation, and the very people Christ created did not know Him. In the next verse, John says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” We can have a tendency to shake our heads at those to whom Jesus came, yet they did not recognize Him. The real question is, do I recognize Him, having known Him? Do I recognize when He speaks to me? Do I recognize when He is moving in my life?

We can have spiritual amnesia and forget that we belong to the Lord Jesus, bought and paid for by Him. We attempt to live our lives independently of Him, yet we belong to Him. You see, we all have been affected by a terrible event. It is called sin. Sin has a way of causing us to forget what is most important, and more importantly, who is most important. Another cause for this tragedy is other things can cloud the Lord in our lives. For Israel it was the religious legal system, poor spiritual leadership, and a lack of interest in the things of the Lord (Malachi).  It is such a tragedy to see men and women who once walked with the Lord Jesus, yet have forgotten their relationship with Him. They forget that He came to them, and they no longer recognize Him because they have allowed sin to dwell within. Or they have allowed worldly things to take priority. It was the church at Ephesus that Jesus charged with leaving their first love, which was Himself. To correct this, He called them to remember from where they had fallen, repent, and do the works they did at first. Very simple, yet how many of us are actually willing to do this? 

The Lord invites you today to remember who you belong to. You belong to Christ. It is through Him and by Him that we exist. If you find that your heart has grown distant, remember Him. If sin has clouded your vision, repent. If you have forgotten your first love, return to Him. May we never grow so distracted, so distant, or so consumed by sin that we fail to recognize the One who created us, redeemed us, and continually calls us back to Himself.

Agape,
Frank