“Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’ ” So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the LORD your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:1-7).
Let me encourage you to build some memorials to God’s presence in your own life. You can begin now to find various “stones” to use for construction materials. One “stone” may represent a great victory that never would have been possible without God’s help. Another “stone” might be a reminder of when God blessed you with a time of incredible joy and happiness. But remember that not all memorial stones you find will bring a smile to your lips. Some “stones” will be markers of times of pain or grief. Perhaps a particular “stone” will remind you of the death of a loved one and how God carried you through the dark days you faced. Maybe a different “stone” will bring to mind how God provided for you during the loss of your job or some other setback.
Use all of these various “stones” in your life to set up a spiritual monument to God. This marker will stand as a testimony to God’s faithfulness when your own faith is being tested.
God loves you!
Mike
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