Your Memories in a Frame

Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 9 (NLT)

NOTES FROM A SERMON PRESENTED BY DR. GREG SLOOP AT THE KANNAPOLIS CHURCH OF GOD. FOR VIDEO OF SERVICES, GO TO THE CHURCH WEBSITE, HTTP://WWW.KCOG.ORG, AND CLICK ON THE LIVESTREAM LINK TO VIEW LIVE OR FOR A REPLAY OF THE SERVICES. YOU MAY ALSO WATCH LIVE OR A REPLAY ON the DR. Greg SLOOP FACEBOOK PAGE. FOR AUDIO OF THE SERVICES, GO To THE WEBSITE, kcog.org, AND CLICK ON THE MEDIA PAGE.

February 26, 2023

May 30, 2021

“And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2

9 “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

Deuteronomy 4:9

I. Which memories should you put in a frame?

II. Framing Your Memories

When you frame something, you mark it with a particular mood or dignity or frivolity: A themed frame for your daughter’s birthday party, a mahogany frame for your diploma or degree, a Beach frame for your vacation pictures. The frame you use helps you remember the event in the photo based on its significance in your life.
How then, do you frame the memories that you think you would rather forget?

III. The Proper Frame Makes All the Difference

Let’s start with a premise: The things you remember as the greatest were possibly not quite as great as they actually were, and the things you remember that were horrible were possibly not quite as bad as they seemed at the time.
The key is to decide how you will remember. The key is the proper framing of the events of your life.

Through Christ, you have the power to decide how to remember the events of your life. It may be easier to remember the events from the left side of the ledger (birthdays, vacations, etc.) as good memories and smile at their memory. The right side of the ledger (loss, death, etc.), no doubt, requires more work, but it is possible to see the positives in them as well if you put those memories in the right frame.

IV. Picking the Right Frame

It Starts With Asking the Right Questions

• Where was God during this time in my life?
• What was God doing?
• What did God want me to learn?
• Did I learn it?
• Wasn’t it a miracle I survived, and look how God helps me thrive!

Every Frame Needs to Have Certain Elements

• Grace – the glass through which you can see the picture clearly
• Strength – the wood or solid material that holds the picture together
• Support – the backing that makes sure the picture does not fall out or move from its rightful place

Dysfunctional Frames

• Getting Stuck
• No Hope or Depression
• Bitterness or Anger
• Shutting Off Others

Beautiful Frames

• Remember the Good
• Make New Connections
• Plan for the Future
• Remember Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11–13 (NKJV)

V. Put Your Memories in the Right Frame

• Sometimes you need a lens to be able to focus properly on the situation at hand. You need to find the right glasses in the right frames.
• The Lord is here today to relieve your pain and set you free from your mourning clothes.
• Trust in the Lord and know that He will help you start new and fresh.
• He will make your memories sweet and give you hope for tomorrow.

Takeaway Thoughts

• We all have good memories and not-as-good memories.
• You can allow your memories to inspire or paralyze you.
• Framing your memories in light of God’s plan can make all the difference.
• Put your memories in the right frame, and they will help you find the good things God has planned for you!