Memorials

Posted on July 23, 2018 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, “What do these stones mean?” Then you can tell them, “They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant went across.” These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever. JOSHUA 4:6-7

Good morning and welcome to a new week of Freedom Fighter blogs. We so appreciate you dialing in and reading our daily posts.

At 64, I am very cognizant that my memory is not quite as good it was at 54. Watch TV and you are seeing more and more commercials for stuff to help with memory.

Now before you laugh at me … how about you? Have you ever lost your keys? Your cell phone? Your glasses? We forget where we put stuff. My grandkids can’t find things and I hear them say, “Pop, where did you put that?” Really?

Unfortunately too often we forget what we should remember and remember what we should forget.

As you read through the Bible, God must have known that we suffer from major memory lapses as you will note that many times individuals are instructed to build a memorial as a way to remember something God has done, as well.

In the Jewish culture there was a continual retelling of their story. In the book of Psalms in particular, you will see numerous passages remembering what occurred during the “wanderings in the wilderness.”

Numerous biblical characters built altars of remembrance and would go back to the place where they built the altar to remember again God’s faithfulness.

In the passage above, Captain Joshua and the Israelites have crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. He sends a representative from each of the twelve tribes to build a stone memorial to be a permanent reminder for Israel. It was to be a significant illustration for their children and grandchildren reminding them of God’s care and protection.

In the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul instructs the church at Corinth that celebrating the Lord’s Table was to be a reminder – a memorial – to celebrate what Christ accomplished for them on the cross. It was reminder to look back to the cross as well as to look forward to the Lord’s return when we would not longer need to celebrate the Lord’s table.

When our granddaughter Linsday died, the Board of Trustees and friends of Keswick built the Lindsay Bear Memorial Playground. This amazing tribute is a way for our family to remember God’s faithfulness to our family in the midst of a very difficult time in our lives.

Can I challenge you to do something special? Have there been significant events in your life where God has demonstrated His power? A miracle? An only-explainable-by-God-moment? Is there a way that you can visually display that in your home so that when your kids and grands look at the “memorial,” you can retell your story?

I read these verses in my quiet time: “We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and His mighty wonders … He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them – even the children not yet born – and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting His glorious miracles and obeying His commands. THEN THEY WILL NOT BE LIKE THEIR ANCESTORS – stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.” Psalm 78:4,5a-8

Wow! One memorial could change a generation and beyond. Think about it.

Overflowing and abounding with HOPE,

Bill Welte, President/CEO
America’s Keswick

Written by Bill Welte, President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his childhood sweetheart for 40+ years and has four married kids and 11 amazing grandkids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 31-34 |You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

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Think About This:Create a trophy room in your heart. Each time you experience a victory, place a memory on the shelf. Before you face a challenge, take a quick tour of God’s accomplishments. — Max Lucado

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish. Proverbs 10:28

Kent, Carol. He Holds My Hand: Experiencing God’s Presence and Protection (Kindle Locations 3914-3917). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

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