Joshua 4:1-7: When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 "Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. 3 Tell them, 'Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight." 4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen-one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, "Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder-twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' 7 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  4:20-24: It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River. 21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, "In the future your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 Then you can tell them, 'This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord's hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever."

 As I was reading in Joshua this week, these passages above in chapter 4 caught my attention.  If you follow this whole process in Joshua you find that he had some very specific instructions to follow and there was an explanation and purpose behind every instruction. 

 There is a lot of symbolism in Joshua and a lot you can take from it so if you take time to break it down and study it, you don't get very far, very quick.  What stood out to me wasn't some great revelation that I found as I studied but it was simply the 12 stones that they carried out and the purpose of them. 

 Everything we go through in life gives us an opportunity to learn and to grow.  It gives us the opportunity to have a testimony to share with others.  One thing I've always believed is that a person's first ministry is their family.  Even if you're in full time ministry, your family comes before the people you lead in the ministry.  I know that may not be popular teaching, but if I can't lead my own family, how can I lead someone else's?  You have to focus on following the promise no matter what you're going through.  As you read in Joshua, they followed the promise and the waters parted in front of them as they did. 

In chapter 4 we find that as they were following their promise, they each carried a stone out with them so that it would be a sign to their children of the miracle that took place.  When their children ask them what the stones were for, they can be reminded of what the Lord did. 

 You may be crossing your Jordan and you may not know what else to do but follow the promise God has given you but what I heard the Lord say was "Take some stones with you."  Remember, your family is your first ministry.  Whatever you've gone through, whatever you're going through, or whatever you will go through will be for a purpose and in the end God will get the glory.  Carry some stones out with you so that your children can see what the Lord has done.  Come out from your Jordan in such a way that down the road some years your children will ask what happened because they will be able to see the stones, the memorials that have been set up in your life as a sign of the miracle the Lord did in your life.  You then can be a testimony to them that the Lord will dry up the Jordan in front of you as you follow your promise.

 As they see your stones they will be encouraged that they too can get across the Jordan's in their lives and they too will pick up some stones along the way as a sign to their own children. 

 I want to encourage you to keep going and follow your promise.  I want to encourage you that, as you do, take some stones with you because when you come out on the other side you will be able to set up a memorial as a sign of the miracle the Lord will do in your life.  You will be able to say, "I followed the promise and the waters parted in front of me and I walked through on dry ground, and while I was at it, I grabbed these stones along the way to show my children that God is faithful!"

Blessing Steve