The 3 R’s – Reflect, Remember, Recite

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

Psalm 77:11

At a recent women’s conference the main speaker opened her talk with the “3 R’s” which detailed how each Christian should practice daily these disciplines in order to live joyfully above the harshness of a broken and sinful world.

Reflect on the Gospel every day

First, we are to reflect on the Gospel daily. We must learn who the Bible tells us God is in all His glorious unchanging wonder and majesty. We give thanks that God chose us before the foundation of the world to become part of His family. We humbly accept that we are all in need of forgiveness…thus we need a Savior.

Remember the good God has done

Second, we need to remember what God has done. We can scour the Bible to read and ponder the great stories of deliverance from enemies and every danger that tell of God’s faithfulness. In order to remember what God has done in our lives, we have to learn to keep our eyes open all the time…being sensitive to the blessings and goodness we receive daily from Him. Finally, we can remember best when we understand that our God is a god of details. He is in intimately involved in every minute detail of our lives because He cares…God is truly in the details if we have eyes to see.

Recite biblical truth to yourself when you doubt

Third, we are to recite the truth to ourselves. How do we accomplish this habit of recitation of truth? We begin by daily reading God’s Word. We focus on praising God in our prayers even when life is hard…and it is almost always hard. We are discerning with the music we listen to and we practice critical thinking by paying close attention to the lyrics of songs and the deeper message the artist is trying to convey.

As we incorporate these 3 R’s into our daily life, we will discover our gratefulness quotient rising. And think about it. “Re” – means to do again. It means we repeat these three spiritual disciplines over and over and over. As we develop this godly pattern of thinking our joy will soar, our peace of mind will be consistent, and thankfulness with become our default response to every situation both good and bad.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

1. I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Every day I will spend time reflecting on the wonder that I am a new creation in Christ. I will look up verses that describe God’s unchanging character and how good He has been to save me from my sins.
2. I will remember the deeds of the Lord. This week I will begin my days by giving thanks for the faithfulness and goodness of God. I will start my day by giving thanks for five specific blessings from God and consider how each one impacted my life for good.
3. I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Each evening, I will take time to prayerfully meditate on my favorite Scripture verses and begin memorizing them one by one so that I always have them in my heart and mind when I need courage and encouragement.