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Memories Fade -- Memorials Last

Joshua 4:4-7

Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel. … And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder … that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’… these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

I still retain fond childhood memories of outgrowing our church building in Cary, North Carolina and breaking ground on a new spot a couple of miles up the road. I remember my dad driving us kids to the construction site as the new buildings were being built: we’d climb through the foundation pipes, play hide-and-seek in the uncovered, bare structural walls, and collect loose nails and screws and whatever other ‘treasures’ we could find. In fact, right now, thirty years later, I’m currently sitting in a quiet upstairs room in the children’s wing of that same building I once crawled through, writing this devotional and marveling at the manifold provisions of the LORD over the past 38 years.

The reason my mind just raced back to those early days is because of the very last sermon my dad preached in that original building that I’ve never forgotten. He preached from this very Scripture, from Joshua 4:4-6, and ended his sermon with a challenge to the congregation: “Friends, in years to come, whenever you pass by this lot, no matter what sort of new enterprise gets built here, I want you to see twelve stones! May this land on Tryon Road be a lasting memorial to the wonder-working power of God in your life and in this town.” And still today, three decades after he delivered that challenge, whenever I drive by that old church property that is now an office complex, I see twelve stones.

Friend, what marvelous ventures has the LORD brought you through? What Jordan River is now in your rearview that you thought you’d never cross? Better yet, what memorials have you taken with you from those triumphs? I challenge you: go back to that river crossing, make a tactile, tangible memorial stone to God’s wonder-working power, and carry it with you as a testimony for future generations. 

 

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