(This blog post is in response to the July 2 Robert Morris Cheyne Bible in one year Reading Plan. Check out the blog for more information about this reading plan.)
In the first reading, the nation of Israel completes crossing the Jordan River. God tell the people through Joshua to build a "sign" a memorial. God goes on to tell the nation what the "sign" should cause them to remember.
vs 6 -7 When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
vs 21 - 24 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
I do not want to get into the discussion of whether the United States is or was a Christian nation. But I do want to discuss what are we doing to remember how God has acted in our nation's past? The 4th of July is two days away. What are you prepared to show and tell your children? In the verses above, the children ask in response to seeing the stones. On national holidays are we taking our children places where they would even have a chance to ask the question? What does this memorial mean to you? What an opportunity to share how the Savior we worship is active in our personal lives and the history of our nations as well. We can tell how God directed a people with limited military force, resources, and public support to defeated the greatest military in the world. Or how God used the United States to humble the mighty British Empire.
The other passage that had an impact on me is Matthew 12:43-45, the teaching on the unclean spirit. This passage more than any other reminds me why the body of Christ needs to help (disciple) new members and those recently freed from an addictive sin. When we are freed from sin, whatever the sin might be, we will suddenly have more time. If your sin is working to much, once free from that master, you will have the time you once spent working to do.... that is the question. If those of us more experienced in our walk with Jesus do not help the new believer know what to do with this time, this passage states, (and I think we all can agree), the time gets filled with something. In this example, maybe the time gets filled with pornography, shopping, gambling, withdrawing from family, etc...). These sins, while no worse in the eyes of God, have as great if not greater impact on our relationship with God, family, and friends.
As we see God identifying more members of the family, let us be ready to share with them our habits of corporate and small group worship, our practice of corporate and personal prayer, our discipline of small group and personal study and devotions. In other words, be ready to disciple them.
If you are struggling in these areas, contact your pastor, elder, small group leaders, or me and ask us for help. As Christ continues empty our heart of sin, we will need to fill your empty house (heart), that is swept and in order, with the God Word, prayer, and the fellowship of the saints.
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