Monday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26, Nov 3
HealthFitNow
Posts: 1,205 Member
Meditation
Monday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26’s theme was about mementoes. The Psalmist cited all the ways that God would bless and the list of people and things that demonstrated the blessing of God.
The Old Testament lesson in Joshua, though lengthy, celebrated the crossing by having a representative from each tribe gather one stone in the River Jordan and build a tower of stones—a memorial—to the place where the priests had stood in the middle of the Jordan River. Each tribe had a memento stone to represent the historic miraculous event. After all, they were crossing the Jordan in the rainy season, when the Jordan would flood (as would all the rivers) and yet when the priests stepped into the River the water receded and allowed them all to pass on dry ground.
Of course, 40,000 soldiers went first to prepare the way, lest anyone take potshots at them.
When Joshua wrote the book, the stones were still evidently in the River, to be seen by passers-by. They left a marker so they could be reminded of the miracle of grace they witnessed that day.
The New Testament lesson honored another kind of memento. Paul wrote that he wanted to revisit Thessalonica because of the people there. He gave thanks for them. They had been treated badly by the Jews around them, but they had responded to the Gospel well and they were the memento that Paul left behind. He could hardly wait to return to see them again.
“You bring us honor and glory” Paul wrote them.
Every believer could follow the Thessalonians’ pattern and be a memento for God to bring honor and glory to the Most High.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 128;Joshua 4:1-24;1 Thessalonians 2:13-20&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Psalm 128
Joshua 4:1-24
1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
Psalm 90:1-2
King James Version (KJV)
90 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Joshua 4:1-24
King James Version (KJV)
4 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.
11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.
12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:
13 About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.
14 On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.
15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.
17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.
19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.
21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:
24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, we praise your name for the miracles you do every day to demonstrate your love and care. Help us to be the kind of mementos that bring honor and glory to you. In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26 revealed an extraordinary miracle—the crossing of several million people across the river bed in the middle of flood season. The Crossing of the River Jordan, painted in many ways over the years by great artists who found the miracle inspirational.
When we lived in the Middle East and the downpours of the rainy season would fill up the dry river beds and spill over the edges, everything became soaked and mushy. Yet several MILLION people walked through the river bed and didn’t become bogged down. That was a miracle in itself.
Whenever an obstacle became overwhelming, the Lord provided another miracle to lead them through it and out of it. The same remains true for us today. God is always there to lead us on dry land in the midst of flooding. We can trust God for everything in life—from day to day.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Monday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26’s theme was about mementoes. The Psalmist cited all the ways that God would bless and the list of people and things that demonstrated the blessing of God.
The Old Testament lesson in Joshua, though lengthy, celebrated the crossing by having a representative from each tribe gather one stone in the River Jordan and build a tower of stones—a memorial—to the place where the priests had stood in the middle of the Jordan River. Each tribe had a memento stone to represent the historic miraculous event. After all, they were crossing the Jordan in the rainy season, when the Jordan would flood (as would all the rivers) and yet when the priests stepped into the River the water receded and allowed them all to pass on dry ground.
Of course, 40,000 soldiers went first to prepare the way, lest anyone take potshots at them.
When Joshua wrote the book, the stones were still evidently in the River, to be seen by passers-by. They left a marker so they could be reminded of the miracle of grace they witnessed that day.
The New Testament lesson honored another kind of memento. Paul wrote that he wanted to revisit Thessalonica because of the people there. He gave thanks for them. They had been treated badly by the Jews around them, but they had responded to the Gospel well and they were the memento that Paul left behind. He could hardly wait to return to see them again.
“You bring us honor and glory” Paul wrote them.
Every believer could follow the Thessalonians’ pattern and be a memento for God to bring honor and glory to the Most High.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 128;Joshua 4:1-24;1 Thessalonians 2:13-20&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Psalm 128
Joshua 4:1-24
1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
Psalm 90:1-2
King James Version (KJV)
90 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Joshua 4:1-24
King James Version (KJV)
4 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,
3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:
5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.
11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.
12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:
13 About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.
14 On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.
15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,
16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.
17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.
18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.
19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.
21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:
24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, we praise your name for the miracles you do every day to demonstrate your love and care. Help us to be the kind of mementos that bring honor and glory to you. In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, Ordinary 31, Proper 26 revealed an extraordinary miracle—the crossing of several million people across the river bed in the middle of flood season. The Crossing of the River Jordan, painted in many ways over the years by great artists who found the miracle inspirational.
When we lived in the Middle East and the downpours of the rainy season would fill up the dry river beds and spill over the edges, everything became soaked and mushy. Yet several MILLION people walked through the river bed and didn’t become bogged down. That was a miracle in itself.
Whenever an obstacle became overwhelming, the Lord provided another miracle to lead them through it and out of it. The same remains true for us today. God is always there to lead us on dry land in the midst of flooding. We can trust God for everything in life—from day to day.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
0