I think I’ve put my finger on my greatest sin. That’s not easy, because I have a lot of them. No need to list them. I probably have more than a few in common with you. You know yours, so you probably know mine.

The Bible talks about some biggies: murder, lying, adultery stealing and coveting to name a few. Maybe we’re not guilty of all of them, but we’ve thought about them. According to Jesus, that makes us guilty.

None of those are my greatest sin, because I don’t think any of them are the root, the cause of other sins. I think my greatest sin is forgetting. Specifically, forgetting God. Forgetting comes in many forms. Forgetting who He is—Creator, Ruler, King of kings, Lord of Lords, or what He is like—good, full of grace, kind, loving, or what He does—forgives, provides, never fails.

I find that forgetting Him makes Him seem small, far away, uninvolved and uncaring. My problems grow bigger as He grows smaller. It doesn’t take long for Him to disappear all together.

It’s not just me with the memory problem. God’s own people, the nation of Israel, struggled with it, too. Hosea 13:6 says, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me.”

When their needs were fully met, they forgot Him. I do that. When everyone is healthy and there’s money in the bank, it’s easy to coast, to be less dependent, to forget Him.

It’s not just when things are good though. When needs are unmet and God doesn’t appear to be doing anything, it’s easy to forget Him. Psalm 78:11 says, “They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.”

Isn’t it easy to forget how God provided last year or last month or even last week? It is for me. It’s like I’m constantly asking, “What have You done for me lately?” Read the rest of Psalm 78. Israel had seen God provide water in the desert, but questioned whether He could provide food. God didn’t appreciate their doubt.

I think the solution is intentional remembering. Maybe it’s reviewing journal entries that clearly show how God has worked in the past. Maybe it’s writing “REMEMBER GOD” on a 3×5 card and reading throughout the day. If I had the easy answer, I wouldn’t struggle with it.

I wonder if the best thing we can do is be in close community with other followers of Christ, so we can help each other remember. Sometimes it seems a lot easier for me to see God’s faithfulness in your life than in mine.

Of course,this type of relationship requires openness, honesty and humility. I have to let you into my doubts and struggles. So much easier said than done, but that’s a far more desirable alternative than allowing my greatest sin to grow and fester and give birth to a host of other sins.

Find what works for you, but just “Remember God.”