Never forget
So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there. Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day. The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all of the Lord’s commands that Moses had given to Joshua were carried out. Meanwhile, the people hurried across the riverbed. And when everyone was safely on the other side, the priests crossed over with the Ark of the Lord as the people watched. Joshua 4:8-11 NLT
The Lord was in control of all that happened in the crossing of the Jordan River. The water obeyed God’s command. The people followed all the instructions given to them. This miracle that had happened should not be forgotten. God commanded the Israelites to obtain two heaps of stones where they were set as memorials that the Israelites crossed the river. Twelve stones were placed at Gilgal and another twelve placed in the middle of Jordan River. These memorials will serve as a reminder that God responded to the faithfulness of His people. We must never forget the mighty acts of grace. The miracle of salvation happened when He brought us into identification with Him by conforming us unto His death so we could be free and experience His extravagant gift of love. It happened when we were made alive by Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit. This is something to which we can look back with humility and great joy. This is what God had done when He saved us from the penalty of sin; from unresponsiveness because of hardened heart to a life of gratefulness. “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness should result in lifting His Name in praise. When we do not forget the past acts of God in our lives, the more we become obedient to follow God. Our obedience to God and His Word are the results of not forgetting God’s mighty acts in our lives.
Blessings,