Have you forgotten?

"They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt," Psalm 106:21

In a recent study published in the Journal Memory, it was found that the reason marathon runners might be able to continue to race, time and again, is because they actually forget the pain of the last experience. Of the 62 marathon finishers surveyed immediately after crossing the finish line, the runners described their pain level as 5.5 on a 7-point scale. However, just three months later, when asked to recall the pain of running the race, the runners described their level at an average of only 3.2. The study concluded that, by failing to fully recall the negative effects, runners can continue to run marathons. Talk about a forgetful group. 

The bible tells us of another group of people who would also forget the pain their actions caused and continually return to their old ways... the Israelites. Time and again, the Israelites would be unfaithful in keeping the commandments, be punished for their unfaithfulness, repent of their sins and then do it all over again. They just kept forgetting the pain! Psalm 78:10-11 tells us that, "they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law. They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them." But aren't we much the same way? When confronted with our sins, we repent for a while and then, like the Israelites, return to our old ways. We feel the pain of our actions, vow to never repeat them, but soon forget as time goes by.

Perhaps, like the Israelites, you have returned to a sin you once repented of too? Praise God, 2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us this promise offered to the Israelites and also to us, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Heavenly Father, thank you for forgiving us of our sins. Let us not be like the Israelites who, time and again, after repenting and being forgiven, continued to return to their old ways. Let us, once and for all, repent of the sin we are struggling with, turn completely from it and have our sin forgiven. Lord we pray that time will never erase the memory of the pain sin causes so that we may always remember and stay faithful to you. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!
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Give us clean hands - Kutless

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDAfRJ7CuFw

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marathon-runners-forget-the-pain-of-the-last-race/