My message today has more relevant meaning because we will celebrate Memorial Day tomorrow. This is a day that we honor military personnel who died in the service of our country. More specifically, it honors those who have died because of wounds they sustained during a battle. So Memorial Day is the way we remind ourselves and our country to remember to honor those who died protecting our way of life. I imagine without this day set aside as it is, we would probably live our lives forgetting the cost that has been paid so that we can live the lives we have.
Like Memorial Day, God did many things and continues to do things that would be a reminder to us to remember Who He is and how He works in our behalf to make sure we have an abundant life with Him. In Joshua 4:3-6, scripture says, “Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests feet stood firm…that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were held back before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, when it crossed over the Jordan.”
At that time, the Israelites were a fragile people, but God made a way for them to cross over the Jordan river on dry land. On our own we are a fragile people today. We need reminders so that we can remember the things that are most important to us. God knew this would be a challenge for us. So, the twelve stones became reminders to the Israelites to remember the day that the Lord made a way for them to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land for the first time. God wants us to remember the things that will help us learn to live in ways that will give us more abundant lives. But worldly views have confused us, causing us to remember the things that we should not want to be reminded of. For example:
- God says to remind yourself to remember that Jesus died for you and me so that we may have eternal life, but our world view says remember that no one can care about your life more than you can, so we reject any reminders of what Jesus means to us.
- God says to remind yourself to remember that all life is a gift of God, but our world view says remember that life is the product of a man and a woman, so you should reject any reminders that life comes from anything higher than two humans.
- God says to remind yourself to remember to love one another just as Christ loves you, but our world view says remember that the last person you loved hurt you, so you should reject any reminders that you should love others unconditionally.
- God says to remind yourself to remember that God wants to be a part of all your life, but our world view says remember that God created you to think and act on your own, so you don’t need any reminders that tell you to submit to anything or anyone that keeps you from exercising your free will.
- God says to remind yourself to remember that you should choose the life that will lead to eternal life in heaven with God, but our world view says remember that heaven and hell are not proven to exist, so we reject reminders that there can be anything beyond life but death.
- God says to remind yourself to remember to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and all things on earth will be provided to you, but our world view says remember good things comes only to those who work harder than the next person, so we reject reminders to pursue anything other than what we believe is best for us today, seeking only things we can achieve through our own hard work.
- God says to remind yourself to remember to honor your mother and your father which is the first commandment with a promise (long life), but our world view says remember we do not have to honor or respect anyone or anything that has not itself honored or respected us, so we reject reminders to do otherwise.
So, as this is a season of reminders, let us remind ourselves to remember that God says that in all our ways that we should acknowledge Him, and He will direct our paths. When God is directing our steps and our thinking, we will not be misled by a majority thinking that our world views are the best views to have. In doing this that we have the opportunity in Christ to live a life that is fully delivered from the world view way of living that is all around us today. So, let’s create some memorial stones in our hearts today, stones that will remind us to remember that God is for our good and never for our harm, despite our world view which might suggest otherwise. Live a Delivered Life. Love you.
Live Delivered 