When it comes to remembering those who gave their lives, for those who lived monumental lives by living sacrificial lives, words are just feeble things, there not good enough. There good to speak but still not good enough. there is nothing really good enough that you can say to capture such a sacrifice for someone else.
While remembering is good, what's even better and more important is living the lesson forward. It's fine to look back but if we look back only to feel hurt and loss we gain nothing. What matters is being able to look back in order to live the lesson forward.
There is a lesson to be lived today for Memorial Day and the lesson is...
What We Leave Behind Is Only As Great As What We Look Ahead To
People who gave their lives, gave their lives because they believed in something. Something mattered to them, they looked ahead to a country worth living in and so they went forward based upon what they were looking ahead to and they imparted to us something very valuable that they left behind. It's an important lesson for us because if we are going to live lives that is going to make a difference to others, ourselves, or God's Kingdom then they have to be intentional lives, sacrificial lives. The sacrifice has to be intentional. Unless we are looking forward to something that is truly monumental, then what we leave behind won't be very great.
We need to set up memorials to remind others how good God is, How powerful he is, and what He has done and what He is willing to do. We are to live our lives with a vision of what God would have us to do.
Today we will be looking at Joshua Chapter 4.
Joshua was Moses right hand man, in fact he was one of Moses great generals, he was a man with vision.
He was not only monumental standing by Moses and the people of Israel, he was the only one able to come close to God when Moses journeyed up the mountain Joshua made it half way up there. When Moses died it was Joshua who took over as leader, in fact Joshua accomplished what Moses couldn't accomplish, he brought the people into the promise land. Moses wasn't allowed too because he stop looking to God and looked to his own power and his own agenda, God still loved him but he wasn't what the people needed to lead them into the promise land, Joshua was.
Joshua 4
When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,
The Jordan is normally 40 feet wide, but at flood state it is almost 150 feet deep and almost a mile wide. That is when they were crossing, at flood stage.
the Lord said to Joshua, 2 "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."...
9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
What do we have here? Joshua did something extra, he built two memorials.
We have the memorial of the twelve stones that were taken up and brought to the shore. Then Joshua chooses to create another memorial right in the middle of the Jordan.
anything worth remembering, anything that we leave behind that is of any quality has to begin with being built for God sake not for ours, in tribute for Him not us. The only people who were going to see those stones after the Jordan closed was God, it was built for God not for us. Joshua wasn't told to do this but he did it as a blessing to God.
10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, Just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over,
The Priests stayed while everyone hurried over, Why? because the people needed to see that What ever God had commanded, Because it was God who parted the water and as long as God is with you in whatever you are doing it will get done. It was God before them, with them, and behind them.
11 and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched....
15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 "Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan."
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." 18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before....
We set our plans but God determines them.
But when we set our plans to God's will, God allows it to come to fruition.
20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God."
Memorials are to have a purpose. Why do we have grave stones?
What we leave behind is only as great as to what we look forward too. If you died today, what memorials have you left behind? Could people track the memorials you your life to a greater and closer walk with God? Or would they lead them nowhere. We are leaving nothing behind because we don't know where we are going to. What if we live with a vision?
What if we live like Joshua?
What did God keep telling Joshua?
Be strong and courageous.
14 That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
Who God Is:
They set up these stones so that people can tell their children, 'do you want to know how big God is?' God Parted the waters of the Jordan He's so big that when they crossed the Jordan he kept the Jordan parted until every last one of them crossed and was on the other side before he returned the water to their flood state. He wouldn't even allow the clergy to leave until every last one of them crossed safely.
Who You Are:
Who are you in light to God? You can only be of use to God until you realize who you are. Because it is only through my flaws and my junk that God is going to do something good. Know the blessing that God has given you.
What He Would Have You Do:
First, you have to know how big God is.
Second, know who you are, be real/truthful, then just be your truthful self and ask yourself the question.
How could God use what I have, what I believe and what I am passionate about to care for other people? Not to do what I want to do, not to do what makes me feel good. God will give each and everyone of you a different vision and if you follow it you will set up memorials to him and your vision will come from who you are.
Be authentic, be real, be sacrificial and care
If you want to leave something behind that is great?
You will never do it without vision.
You will never leave anything great behind unless you know what you are looking forward to and the only way you can do that is you look forward to the one who can lead you forward.
Notes taken by: lorelllawrence@comcast.net
Any errors or miscommunication please refer to me not the pastor, the intent is for you to have the notes for review in the series, also to reflect on during the week.
God Bless,