We celebrated Memorial Day this past week. We rightly remembered those who gave everything they had to give. We gave honor where honor was due. We saluted men and women who gave their very lives in defense of our cherished freedoms. We maintained and decorated graves of war heroes and others all across this great country of ours. There are other great things that we ought to remember. The Bible is full of testimonials and remembrances of the mighty acts of God. Remembering them is no accident; remembering will occur when he purpose to do so. Remembering will bring tremendous benefits to us and others.
Some 3,000 years ago the Israelites stood at the banks of the swollen to flood-stage Jordan River. As they stared at the muddy water God made an incredible promise. He told them that He would cause the rushing water to stop and pile up in a heap upstream, so that they could cross on dry land. They believed God and crossed. In Joshua chapter 4 God told the twelve tribes of Israel to gather twelve stones from out of the Jordan River and build a memorial. He wanted them to remember the mighty miracle He had done for them. God gave some specific instructions and explicitly spelled out the purpose for this memorial. In verse 3 He said for each man to choose for himself a stone. God is telling us that we are each responsible for creating our own memorials to what God had done for us personally.
In verse 6 God tells us that if we will build the memorial to His mighty deeds, our children will ask about it. He told us we would have the privilege of explaining the memorial to our children when they ask, not if they ask. Please do not miss the fact that God says your children will not simply ask what the memorial means, but rather what does the memorial mean to you. A memorial to the mighty works of God will have little impact on your children unless it means something to you personally. In verse 24, God clearly declared the purpose for the memorial: “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” If you are a Christian, you have a duty to God to inform your children of the marvelous works of the mighty hand of God. Verse 24 also points out that it will have a great benefit for you as well, causing you to fear the Lord your God forever.
Let me encourage you to compile some spiritual markers from your life. If you do nothing more than make a list of them and explain the list to your children that will be a good thing. Better yet, if you can come up with some physical objects that you can show them while explaining their significance, they will remember better and for a longer time. The best method is to gather some objects which symbolically represent times when God worked in your life and figure out a way to display them in a prominent location in your home or business. A written description of each object’s significance should be included so that it will bless future generations. Shadow boxes are marvelous. If you are having trouble thinking of objects, I have a suggestion that every Christian could start with. A Christmas tree ornament made from a life-size replica of a nail used in first century crucifixions is a fantastic place to start. I pray that the Lord will bless your efforts to memorialize His mighty acts in your life.
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