The Importance of Reminders

Here’s an exchange I’ve heard frequently:

What did you do in class today?

Nothing, we just reviewed.

Review lessons or reminders are boring because we have already heard the content. But the Bible highlights the importance of reminders. Consider the following three examples.

1.) Moses left the people of Israel with a massive review lesson called the book of Deuteronomy, which rehearses the previous forty-year period in Israel’s history. The book is replete with the command to remember and even contains a song to aid Israel’s memory (Dt. 32). Moses writes:

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. (5:15 NIV)

But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. (7:18)

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. (8:2)

2.) On the night before Jesus died, he took bread and broke it and said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Lk. 22:19). In so doing, Jesus set the review of his sacrifice in perpetual motion. In addition, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would help his followers remember his words: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (Jn 14:26).

3.) Peter also left his listeners with a review lesson. In his second letter, he writes:

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (2 Pet. 1:12-15).

Peter acknowledges that his readers already know what he’s telling them. There are implications here for both the listener and the speaker. For the listener, try to avoid the “I already know that” reflex. Reminders are necessary so don’t despise hearing the same thing for a second, third, or fourth time. For the speaker, it’s okay to cover the same ground with your audience. Relieve yourself of the pressure of trying to say something new every time you speak.

Second, think of reminders as stirring sticks. Instead of “refresh your memory,” the ESV says, “I think it right . . . to stir you up by way of reminder” (v. 13). And two chapters later, “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles” (2 Pet. 3:1-2 ESV). Many things enter our brains then settle somewhere in the back. Regular reminders keep important information fresh. The stirring stick is necessary.

Third, reminders are important enough to be our last words. Knowing death was near, Peter put his energy into helping his audience remember the truth: “I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things” (2 Pet. 1:15). Peter wasn’t trying to share something new and profound at the end of his life. Like Moses and Jesus, Peter wanted to go out on a review lesson. All three knew that without the review their best lesson was soon to be forgotten.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a Bible and theology teacher in Asia and the U.S. My new book explores the amazing doctrine of the Trinity. The Kindle version is free for a limited time.