Message summary: "Spiritual amnesia" is a dangerous condition each of us must battle against. It can affect us at any age.

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"Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 8:11a). "Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?'  tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what He had done to the Red Sea when He dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God”" (Joshua 4:20-24).

Today is "Memorial Day" here in the United States when we remember those who served in the military and gave their lives for our freedoms. Wherever we live, even if you don't have a formal Memorial Day, we can all use this day to consider our heritage and remember those who have gone before us. Brooksyne's brother, Jody, sent a photo of the freshly decorated tombstone of her parents buried in Arkansas. Her dad, Brooklyn Sherrell, served in the army in the 1950's. Decorating the graves of those who served and also those of our dear loved ones helps us to remember their importance in our lives.

As a physical disease amnesia "refers to the loss of memories, such as facts, information and experiences" (Mayo Clinic).

Peter Greer is the leader of "Hope International", a ministry based here in Lancaster County. He's also a thoughtful writer and speaker who cautions believers against a condition he refers to as "spiritual amnesia". Spiritual amnesia is something we all battle against in one way or another.

In his final sermon Moses gave this solemn warning, "Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God".  It's a critical caution for every generation.

After crossing the Jordan River Joshua had the Israelites gather and make a pile of twelve stones as a memory aid for future generations. He was anticipating a future time when their children would see these stones and would ask, "What do these stones mean?".

Yesterday I taught our Adult Bible Fellowship class and used this as a theme, encouraging our class, made up mostly of empty-nesters who are 60+, to consider what momentos or memory aids we are purposefully leaving to those who follow us which are similar in purpose to the pile of stones in Joshua.

Class members Bob and Cindy Neff, similar in age to us, shared an interesting method they use. They have a glass jar they are filling with small stones that are marked with challenges they have encountered in life and overcome. They told me they have extra blank stones for the inevitable challenges yet to come in their lives. The sticker on the jar states,

EBENEZER ALTAR, "a stone of help." Our witness/reminders of God's faithful help.

Now that's an idea our readers might want to incorporate and it would be especially beneficial as you begin married life together but... it's not too late to start!*

Joshua instructed the Israelites to answer the question "What do these stones mean?" by recounting the story of God's wonderful deliverance that had just taken place, "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" (Joshua 4:24).

There are several other monuments in the book of Joshua that often involve stones. In fact, immediately prior to his death, Joshua set up a stone (Joshua 24:27) as a witness in regard to his powerful challenge to the people in making the daily choice to serve God. "And the people said to Joshua, 'The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey'.”

We have two challenges for our readers to consider regarding monuments in your life:

Perhaps we all need to set up some monuments within our lives and be on our guard against spiritual amnesia since it is a recurring condition each of us must battle against, no matter our age or experiences in life.

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, I marvel at the trace of Your hand in my life. If I were to speak of the "stones" of deliverance and provision the first and most important "stone" would be the moment You delivered me from darkness and transferred me into the kingdom of Your light. You took the uncertainties of my life and gave me an eternal purpose for living. I am so grateful for the solid, reliable "stone" of salvation that is the starting point for the path of stones where I've seen Your work in my life as I've experienced Your deliverance, provision and faithfulness every step along my pilgrim journey. Step by step, Lord, You walk with me on this straight and narrow path that leads to life eternal while upholding me with Your righteous right hand. Amen.

* For many years we have kept a guest book that we have each guest to our home sign (or we register). However we started this well into our marriage and wish we had done so at the beginning. Sometimes regrets that we didn't start doing something earlier can be a hindrance to getting  starting now.

"Monuments"  Watch on YouTube  Legacy Five  This song is based on the Bible account in today's passage.

God's people stood on the river of Jordan
Looking back on the water they had passed through
They shouted and raised their voices to heaven
But Joshua said there's one thing we must do.

They laid twelve stones on the banks of the river
At Gilgal they offered their tribute that day
Their children would question them, "What are these stones?"
"Child, they mark the spot of this sanctified day."

Mothers and fathers of this generation
there's hope for your family keep this in mind
Don't move the landmarks set up for your children
they will find the way by what we've left behind.

Where are the monuments we should be leaving
so our children can find the way to get home
We should be laying stones so they can follow
the pathway that leads to God's throne.