Does God Remember?

Hosea continued...

Scripture:
Hosea 7:1-7 (ESV)

when I would heal Israel,
    the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed,
    and the evil deeds of Samaria,
for they deal falsely;
    the thief breaks in,
    and the bandits raid outside.
But they do not consider
    that I remember all their evil.
Now their deeds surround them;
    they are before my face.
By their evil they make the king glad,
    and the princes by their treachery.
They are all adulterers;
    they are like a heated oven
whose baker ceases to stir the fire,
    from the kneading of the dough
    until it is leavened.
On the day of our king, the princes
    became sick with the heat of wine;
    he stretched out his hand with mockers.
For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue;
    all night their anger smolders;
    in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
All of them are hot as an oven,
    and they devour their rulers.
All their kings have fallen,
    and none of them calls upon me.

Devotional:

How long do you remember the wrongs others have done to you?  How long do you hold it against them?  Here God is saying that He remembers the evils they did.  While the nation is wallowing in sin judgement comes.  “But they do not consider that I remember all their evil.”  God has a memory that does not fail.  He remembers everything.  He knows everything.  Israel has left her first and true love.  Her sin is great.  God’s judgement comes upon the people.  God also remembers us, and he remembers our sins.  He knows everything we have done.  His judgement awaits us.

I know what you are thinking.  ‘But wait, I thought God doesn’t remember our sins.  He casts them as far as the East is from the West…”  Well maybe you are right and maybe you are wrong.  My question to you is where is your faith?  Is Christ your savior?  Do you worship other gods?  Who is your first love?  If you think you don’t have to decide, guess again.  Indecision is a decision of omission.  Judgement comes to each of us.  If you stand on your own, you stand condemned in judgement.  If Christ is your savior, then God does cast your sins away and remembers them no more.  God chooses to forget.  So, do you want to stand as the Israelites did in Hosea?  Do you want God to remember?  Do you want to face God’s judgement?  Jesus is the way, the life, the truth.  Jesus faced and took on God’s judgement for you.  Because of what He has done we are redeemed.  We are cleansed and can be with God.  God wants our relationship with Him.  He wants us to believe.  Judgement comes regardless.  Does God remember, or did He forget?  You choose…