Never Forget What God Has Done For You

As Bible translators Andrew and Anne stepped from a single-engine plane in a remote village of southeast Asia, they were surrounded by several hundred men and women in full celebratory dress.  The joyful people were brandishing bows and arrow, hooting and chanting, swirling around the astounded missionary couple, draping honorary net bags around their necks.

Though Andrew and Anne were responsible for translating the New Testament into the native language which had been dedicated 11 years earlier, they were caught off-guard by the celebration. And they were further baffled when they noticed not everyone was celebrating. A somber group of eight young men stood off to the side, motionless and silent, also dressed in full traditional regalia, but covered in white mud from head to toe.

The elders explained “Today we celebrate your return, you who brought God’s words to us in our own language. But we don’t want to forget what life was like before we had the Word, so we asked these men to represent or lives before we understood God’s words to us. We were like dead men walking. We didn’t know God or His Son.  We lived in guilt and fear and constant warfare under the power of evil spirits.

“Now we are alive in Christ, part of God’s family and free from our dark past. But our children don’t remember what it was like to be outsiders and walk as dead men, because they were born after the coming of God’s words. We want them to understand our past so they will fully value what they have with Jesus and always give thanks to God. We older people don’t want to forget how much God has changed us, either!”

Since that time, the people have not forgotten and have not kept the good news to themselves. They have shared the Gospel with neighboring language groups and planted churches,and they themselves are working to translate a shortened version of the Old Testament under Andrew’s careful guidance. In Deuteronomy 4:9, Moses instructs the Israelites to be watchful, never forgetting God’s deeds and remembering to teach them to their children and grandchildren. The isolated Asia tribesmen took God’s Word to heart and made sure what they’ve done for Christ will last.

–condensed from a true story by Bob Creson

Questions to ponder:

• How do you remember what God has done for you?
• How do you teach your children?