We will use these (twelve) 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
The Israelites were nearing the Promised Land, nearing fulfilment
of the promise given to Abraham centuries before. God stopped the flow of the
Jordan River for them to pass over into the land. He instructed Joshua to
gather twelve stones, one to represent each tribe, and create a monument that
would stand as a reminder to future generations that God Himself made a way for
His people to claim their inheritance.
Stone monuments dot the landscape of our country, including some
on Parliament Hill engraved with scripture. Over the east window of the Peace Tower: He shall have dominion also from sea to sea (Psalm 72:8). The south window: Give the King thy judgement, O God, and thy righteousness unto the King's son (Psalm 72:1). The west window: Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18). Other scriptures appear in the Memorial Chamber and on the bell.
Gravestones fill our cemeteries.
Some with telling words, like Fanny Crosby’s which bears the words of one of
her famous hymns: Blessed assurance, Jesus is Mine. O what a foretaste of glory
divine.
Each of us must build a memorial. Something that testifies to
future generations that Jesus Christ revealed Himself to us, that we experienced
the miracle of salvation and were transformed by it. It need not be made of
stone. One man left a letter to his grandchildren expressing his desire that
each of them would love the Lord Jesus. Today, his great-great-grandchildren
have copies of his letter. Meaningful words scribed with love near the end of
his life when he was about to cross over into the Promised Land.
The time to gather stones is now. Stones of deeds done in the name
of Christ. Stones of loving God and forgiving people, of being filled with the
Spirit, reading and obeying His Word, prayer, encouraging others, living in
peace, forgetting the past and moving forward, spreading the gospel, honouring
Christ daily and finally, dying with His Name on our lips.
Think about the faith legacy you will leave. Will it be of stone?
Wood? Words? Whatever it is make it meaningful.
Prayer: Father, guide me on this issue of leaving a faith legacy. Let it
be something that will testify to future generations that I followed You.
* * *
Rose McCormick Brandon is author of One Good Word Makes all the Difference and Promises of Home - Stories of Canada's British Home Children. Her articles and devotionals are published in many Christian magazines and in collections of inspiring stories like Chicken Soup for the Soul. She writes two blogs: Promises of Home and Listening to my Hair Grow.
2 comments:
Love it! Thanks Rose, for sharing those Scripture verses as engraved in our halls of government. The monumental stones from the Jordan crossing account and the lines about the meaning of the stones is among my favourites. And then, your challenge for us to consider our own monumental life legacy is one that I think of more often, the older I become. ~~+~~
Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Rose. May we all leave a legacy that speaks to the generations to come of the love of God revealed through Jesus.
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