But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him.
John 12:37 (NLT)
Our memories aren’t what we sometimes wish they could be. It’s easy for us as we age to lose track of important things like our eye glasses, car keys, or the TV remote. (The last one is easy to blame on the kids; the other two, not so much.) We forget about appointment times, class times, anniversaries, birthdays, and a thousand different types of things we are supposed to remember. The mind is a wondrous thing until it fails you when it is needed.
A short time after the joy-filled parade give in honor of Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem, many in the crowd also suffered from memory loss. Some people came and sat at His feet to receive further teaching. Jesus knew His time on this planet was running out, so He began to teach about His impending death, a permanent sacrifice so that all who believe in Him would have eternal life. Those gathered around began to argue with Jesus. Their rabbis (teachers) had told them that the Messiah would never die, but would reign forever as the actual king of Israel. The teachings of Jesus conflicted with the teachings of men. So, they abandoned their Savior, forgetting all that He had done. Their minds could remember the details drilled into them by the religious teachers of the age, but, as the verse says, they could not remember the miracles, the godliness, the love, and the authority of Jesus Christ. So, they left.
We are often times not too different than these men and women. We find it easy to question the divinity and power of God. We find it easy to forget the miracles that Jesus has already done, both in recent and past history. We find it easy to question why one bad thing happens, yet Jesus has provided healing, support, love, grace, acceptance, mercy, and forgiveness every day of our lives. We, too, suffer from memory loss.
Today, spend some time remembering all that Jesus has done in your life, your friends’ lives, and that of your family. Recall the details, the moments when you encountered Jesus. Maybe even write down the miracles you have seen Him do. Remember that Jesus loves you; that Jesus died for you; that Jesus forgives you; that Jesus is waiting to take you home. Then, spend some time thanking Him for all that He has done.
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You pose thoughts and questions that would fall under steps 1, 2, and 3….
1We admitted that we were powerless over our problems and that our lives had become unmanageable.
“I know that nothing good lives in me…I want to do what is right, but I can’t.” – Romans 7:18, see also John 8: 31-36; Romans 7:14-25.
2We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
“God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” – Philippians 2:13; see also Romans 4:6-8; Ephesians 1:6-8; Colossians 1:21-22; Hebrews 11:1-10.
3We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God.
“Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will find acceptable.” – Romans 12:1; see also Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 10:14; James 4:7-10.
4We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
“Let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:40; see also Matthew 7:1-5; 2 Corinthians 7:8-10.
5We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” – James 5:16; see also Psalms 32:1-5; 51:1-3; 1 John 1:2-6.
6We were entirely ready to have God remove these defects of character.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” – James 4:10; see also Romans 6:5-11; Philippians 3:12-14.
7We humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
“If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” – 1 John 1:9; see also Luke 18:9-14; 1 John 5:13-15.
8We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” – Luke 6:31; see also Colossians 3:12-15; 1 John 3:10-20.
9We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.
“If you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar and…someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” – Matthew 5:23; see also Luke 19:1-10; 1 Peter 2:21-25.
10We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, we promptly admitted it.
“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” – 1 Corinthians 10:12; see also Romans 5:3-6; 2 Timothy 2:1-7; 1 John 1:8-10.
11We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out.
“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” – Colossians 4:2; see also Isaiah 40:28-31; 1 Timothy 4:7-8.
12Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.” – Galatians 6:1; see also Isaiah 61:1-3; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Peter 4:1-5.
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