Jim Burns Homeword Daily Devotional for Parenting and Christian Family

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HomeWord - Jan. 12, 2011


Constructing Memorials
 

This devotional was written by Robin Dugall 

Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later saying, ‘what do these stones mean to you?' then you shall say to them, ‘because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever. —Joshua 4:6-7, NASB  

I wear a cross and a broken heart medallion on a chain around my neck. I wear a bracelet on one wrist and a band on the other. Fashion has never been an issue for me. What is an issue is remembering.  You see, being able to look at something like the cross and the heart instantly reminds me of some of the healing and miracles that God has graciously brought into my life. The cross brings me to the place where I daily remember the price Jesus paid for me to live a Kingdom life. The broken heart causes me to remember some fateful years when brokenness was the dominant theme of my daily life. Jesus walked with me through those dark days and brought my heart healing and restoration. The bracelet I wear reminds me to pray for my granddaughter who is struggling with leukemia. And, the band I wear reminds me of a commitment I made to God to live as a "difference maker."

Memorial reminders are often found in the Bible. People and their leaders were instructed by God to build "altars," or "memorials," to the work of the Lord. One of the most prominent stories occurs when Joshua is leading the Israelites across the Jordan River, as they are about to claim the Promised Land. Today's Scripture passage recounts the story.

I can just imagine some children years later seeing the piles of stones around the Jordan River and asking their parents, "What are those stones doing there?" I can imagine the parents humbly and enthusiastically telling and re-telling the story of God's deliverance. Without the story, it is just a pile of rocks. Without the stories, the symbols I wear are just jewelry. It is the story, the work of Jesus in our lives, that gives the symbol its power.

What "memorials" do you have reminding you of God's work in your life? These reminders don't have to be anything fancy, but only something simple that can give you the chance to share the wonders of God as He works in and through your life.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Remember some significant times in your life when God has done something powerful.  How could you symbolize that time?  What could capture, even in some small way, that moment so that you could remember it?

2. Surround yourself with some symbols not only to recall, but in preparation of telling the story of Jesus and how He has moved in your life.



FURTHER READING:

Joshua 3-4
; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

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