Little Flowers called Forget-me-nots explain the desire in all our hearts, young and old, not to be forgotten…

Listen to this sermonForget Me Not

There are little flowers called Forget-Me-Nots. People give these little flowers to each other to be reminded of their friendship. As parents get older they normally have only one request to their children: forget-me-not. That is why good news from a foreign land is so refreshing: someone remembered you. This is the basis of David's psalm about the goodness of God: he addresses his own soul and instructs it not to forget the Lord.
In Romans 1 we read about people who forgot God. They do not want to retain God in their knowledge. God finally hands them over to their own sinful desires. That is why there are homosexuals and lesbians: people who forget God. They do not want to know there is a God, because they want to continue in their perverse ways without feeling guilty. God loves the people but hates their sins. Listen to the result of people who forget about God: it is horrendous!
Romans 1
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither werethankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another;# men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full ofenvy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but# have pleasure in them that do them.

If we retain God in our knowledge we will not go against His will. David sais he set the Lord continually before him so that he would not sin against him. Moses used his eyes of faith to see the Lord before him so that he would not sin against him.
That is one reason why we go to church and belong to a body of believers: so that we would not forget about God and drift into a life of sin and shame. The discipline of hearing the Word of God on a regular basis helps us to retain God in our thinking. His word is a light to our path and a lamp for our feet. Young men can keep their way pure by keeping it according to the Word of God.

The word bless is barak in Hebrew and it means to kneel in an act of adoration. It is a form of a holy salute in humility before the Lord who bestows all his benefits of his people.

None of us want to be forgotten. We all want to be remembered. Joseph asked a fellow prisoner who was released to remember him. But the man forgot about him. Joseph had reason to be bitterly disappointed. Joseph was innocent when he was cast into prison. He helped some people to get out of prison by interpreting their dreams and visions and when they left he asked them not to forget him in prison. Two years later when the king had a disturbing dream the kings waiter was reminded of his pledge to remember Joseph. He repented and told the king about Joseph in prison. The king had Joseph brought from prison and removed his prison clothes and asked him to interpert his dream. Joseph's gift made room for him and he gave the glory to God. He did not claim to have a gift but said, there is a God in heaven who can interpret dreams. This was Joseph's first step to promotion in a foreign land. He became prime minister and had authority next to the king. Someone remembered him.
This morning we want to remind ourselves of five reasons why we should not to forget about God.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

1. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
2. Who healeth all thy diseases
3. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction
4. Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies
5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things
6. So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's

David provides us with three main reasons why we should remember the benefits of the Lord:
1. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
2. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
3. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

David reminds us of the transient state of our lives on earth:
We are like the flower of the grass: today we are here; tomorrow we're gone. When a hot wind blows over the flowers they wilt and disappear and their place no longer know them. They disappear, they are missing in action, without leaving a trace. The place where they used to be no longer remembers them. Its hard to understand that the home you lived in, the office you worked at, the car you drove, the ground you walked on, the suburb where you stayed, the city, the nation eventually says, 'who was that?' The buildings remain, the beaches you played on, the roads you travelled, but you are gone, forever and your place no longer remembers you – just like that. It does not matter how important you were. Once you are gone that house you worked so hard for will no longer remember you. Someone else lives there now. It is no use asking the walls or the front door if they remember you. Inanimate things cannot remember you. Only human beings can remember…it is a unique quality God gave to humans. That is why God wants His creatures to remember Him and not to forget Him. That is why He wants us to pass our knowledge of God onto the next generation and to teach them the ways of God so that they can walk with God and retain Him in their knowledge.

Finally David invites the angels and the armies of God as well as all the works of God to bless His holy Name together. As we remember the benefits of the Lord we join a great company of angels and a host of saints and warriors who know about the goodness of God. All of creation understands the greatness and goodness of God. We become part of a great choir singing praises to our Lord.

Paul continually reminded us that it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. He explained it as the will of God to give thanks continually. Most parents simply want to know that their children are happy. Most parents cannot give their children everything they need or want, but they do their best for them. The only reward parents ask of their children is to say thank you now and again, and to show their gratitude in a sincere way. When children go and play at other kids' homes they see all the toys and games the other children have and normally they come back complaining about what they have. But if children will learn not to compl