OOPS, somehow I repeated the readings from Dec 30 and Dec 31. Oh well, enjoy reading Joshua 4 for a second time.
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 4:1-9
OBSERVATION:
The Lord has Joshua set up a memorial, a space to remember what the Lord has done, and to share that message with others. This is an evangelistic testimony, a personal experience intended to witness to others about the greatness of the Lord in their lives. This fits with the ultimate calling of Israel, the children of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-12), to bless the nations! What God has done for us is not just for our benefit, but by God’s design is for all people, including our children and neighbours. The way the message of God is to be spread is through the testimony of witnesses.
APPLICATION:
So what am I witnessing to? Can I even specifically recall the kinds of the things the Lord has done for me, the amazing experiences of His blessing? Sadly, many of us take these blessings for granted, and simply enjoy them without showing gratitude to God and others. But our purpose is to witness to the great things God has done for us. We need to rediscover the art of establishing memorials, and communicating about them to our family and friends and neighbours. So for a specific application, what can I tell someone about today, that the Lord has done for me?
PRAYER:
Lord, forgive me for ignoring Your blessings, for taking them for granted, and for not using them for the purpose for which You gave them. Help me become a witness to You! Amen.
Maybe I’m just crazy, but maybe this is also God’s way of pointing my life in the direction he wants me to go… what do you think?
So I had misplaced January’s Bible reading plan, and remembered that I can come here and find each daily passage. I’ll admit, I don’t do this every day, but I’m disciplining myself to do it every day. Anyways, what I’m saying is that it’s kind of hit or miss for which passages I end up reading. Well today just before I started reading the passage I prayed that God would prepare my heart and His Holy Spirit in me to show me how this is relevant to my life, my families and just in general, for everybody. Then I started reading and thought, “Didn’t we just read this at the end of December?” So I came back to double check and sure enough, Joshua 4:1-9 was the passage for today. So I read it again, and remembered my exact thoughts from the last time I read it. They went something as follows: “I think that would be really cool and a wicked experience to research all the Biblical, historical events, find them out, and document the whole thing for a T.V. show or something.” Well, I had forgotten about this idea probably that same day, but re-reading it again today, I’m reminded of the idea, and am quite curious and intrigues about it. I assume archaeologists and historians have already done this before, but I can’t think too much of any broadcast shows or movies depicting these events. And as I was typing up my thoughts (which I just started today) on this passage I got the urge to post this on the site. I would love to hear other people’s opinions on this matter. Is this God’s way of showing me what I’m to do with my life? Or is He just trying to get my attention to discipline myself to do the readings and journals? What is going on here?
God works in mysterious ways.
That was my last thought.
Ciao!
A miracle had happened here crossing the Jordan. But also think of the time and possessions that crossed the river here. It must have taken some time. The people’s minds also must have been wondering and wandering. Yet in all this busyness, time was taken to build a memorial to the Lord, to proclaim to the future generations what He had done.
In my busyness, in my schedule of each day, I too need to take time to build a memorial to the Lord showing and telling what He has done in my life. All too often, when I get busy, there is no space for God. Yet here I am reminded once more, that in all of my activities there must be time for God so that I can be a living memorial for Him in all I do and say. Help me Lord to be a living testimony, an epistle.
Take time to be holy,
speak oft with thy Lord;
abide in him always,
and feed on his word.
Make friends of God’s children,
help those who are weak,
forgetting in nothing
his blessing to seek.