For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been exploring the story of Joshua leading the people across the Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant. In Joshua 4:1-9, the Lord instructed Joshua to take 12 stones and build a memorial, so the people could remember that “the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant.” They were able to walk across on dry ground. The stones were to help them remember how God had been with them. If those stones could talk, what would they say? They would speak of the faithfulness of God.
The stones were to be a reminder, a marker. When we see a memorial set up at the site of an accident, we know that family members and friends will never pass that way again without thinking of their loved one. They can never forget.
On this Memorial Day, are there things which we have forgotten? What has this day become, and what have we stopped valuing? Looking back at our “stones,” as a nation, what should we remember? We should remember the price that was paid – the price that was paid for our freedom. The price required:
-Faithfulness
-Leadership
-Sacrifice
-Courage
How should we honor those who have paid the ultimate price for that freedom? We should honor them in the way we live, seeking to push back the darkness wherever we find it. Today, we should follow their example as we seek to:
*Live with Courage
*Live with Sacrifice
*Live with Love for Others
*Live our Values
We should remember that the ultimate Freedom is Freedom in Christ – “So if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36). This Freedom doesn’t enable us to do what we want; it enables us to do what we should. May we leave this Legacy to our children, and our children’s children, and always remember.
Pastor Russ Harbin