Somewhere between passwords, appointments, and the pace of everyday life, we all know the feeling: you meant to remember… but you didn’t. John Little opens this message with a humorous, painfully relatable story about trying to create a “secure but memorable” password—only to forget it instantly. It’s funny because it’s true.

But that laugh quickly turns into something deeper.

Because the bigger issue isn’t just forgetting a password. It’s what can happen when a busy, noisy, distracted life causes us to forget what matters most.

As we wrapped up 2025 and gathered for communion, John Little reminded our church family of a spiritual truth that matters for every home and every heart in Collin County, Dallas County, Rockwall County and beyond: when we stop remembering God, we start drifting—often without realizing it.

We Forget… and We Also Struggle to Forget

John pointed out something unique about the human mind: the part of us that remembers is also the part of us that forgets. That means we’re constantly managing two battles at once:

• Trying to remember what we shouldn’t lose

• Trying to forget what we shouldn’t carry

Scripture speaks to both.

The Apostle Paul tells us to “forget those things which are behind.” And while that can feel easier said than done, John highlighted something helpful: biblically, “forgetting” often means neglecting—refusing to feed the memories, wounds, and thoughts that keep trying to dominate your mind.

If you’ll stop giving certain things attention, you can eventually starve them out.

But the message didn’t stop there—because while some things must be neglected, there are other things we can’t afford to let go of.

The Secret to Remembering: External Reminders

Before smartphones and calendar alerts, people used physical reminders—like tying a string around their finger—to keep from forgetting something important. You’d feel it. You’d see it. And the moment you noticed it, you’d remember.

John showed how Scripture actually builds on that same principle.

God instructed Israel to place His Word in visible places—on their homes, on their gates, even on their bodies—because He knew something about human nature: we need reminders.

Not because God forgets… but because we do.

God Doesn’t Forget You

One of the most powerful moments of this message comes from Isaiah:

“I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”

John explained that in Israel, mothers would sometimes write the names of their husbands or sons on their hands when they went off to war—so every time they looked down, they’d remember to pray.

Then God says something even stronger: “I’ve engraved you on My hands.”

In other words: You may feel overlooked. You may feel forgotten. Life may be loud. But God hasn’t lost track of you—not for a moment.

And John connected it straight to Calvary—because the scars on Jesus’ hands are proof that He remembers.

Remembering God Is More Than Thinking About Him

This is where the message becomes a wake-up call.

John reminded us that when the Bible says “remember God,” it doesn’t mean giving Him a passing thought every now and then. It means:

• Keeping Him at the center

• Living in loyalty and obedience

• Seeking His kingdom first

• Refusing to drift into “God-when-I-need-something” faith

Israel witnessed miracles and still forgot. So if you’ve struggled to remember, don’t feel condemned—just recognize what’s at stake.

Because when remembrance fades, drift begins.

Memorials: God’s Strategy Against Spiritual Drift

Throughout Scripture, God established memorials—stones, feasts, ordinances, visible reminders—not so that He would remember them, but so they wouldn’t forget Him.

John walked through several:

• God’s Name as the first memorial (“This is my memorial unto all generations.”)

• Twelve stones after crossing the Jordan

• The Passover meal as a yearly remembrance of deliverance

Then he brought it to the moment we were living in: communion.

Communion: “Do This in Remembrance of Me”

When Jesus sat with His disciples for Passover, they expected it to go like it always had. Same meal. Same story. Same tradition.

But Jesus called a different play.

He extended the meaning beyond deliverance from Egypt to deliverance from sin—for all humanity.

He didn’t point back to feeding the 5,000.
He didn’t point back to turning water into wine.

He pointed to His body and His blood.

• “This is my body given for you.”

• “This is my blood shed for you.”

• “Do this in remembrance of me.”

John made it personal: Jesus wasn’t trying to protect His ego. He was anchoring the disciples to the truth that everything they would need—hope, forgiveness, healing, salvation—was found in Him.

And if He remembers us with covenant faithfulness, then our response is simple:

Don’t forget to remember.

A Word for the Hurting

As the service moved toward prayer, John spoke directly to the needs many carry quietly:

• broken hearts

• stressed minds

• wounded spirits

• unresolved bitterness

• relationships fractured by hurt

Healing isn’t only physical. Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and set at liberty those who are bruised.

And John offered a gentle but direct challenge:
If there’s someone you need to forgive… make the call. Meet for coffee. Take the step. Let the Lord heal what has been stuck for too long.

Because what God has extended to us is meant to free us—not imprison us.

Start the New Year Remembering What Matters

As we step forward—into a new year, a new season, and new opportunities—this message is a needed reset.

If you have to “tie a string around your finger,” do it.

Put reminders in your life that keep your heart anchored:

• Worship in your home

• Scripture where you’ll see it

• Prayer built into your day

• Faithful church attendance

• Communion with intentional reverence

Because when we remember Jesus, we remember what He made available—and we live differently.

Don’t forget to remember.