https://odb.org/2025/10/29/a-tribute-and-reminder
Joshua 4:1–7 (NIV): When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
In the Bible, tributes or memorials—like the stone memorial in Joshua 4—aren’t expressions of wistful longing for the past. Rather, they’re reminders of God’s previous faithfulness to help us trust Him in the present. The Torah—the “law of Moses” itself (8:32)—was rewritten on stones as a memorial (vv. 30-35). God’s rescue of the previous generation from Egypt was remembered at the annual Passover feast (Exodus 13). Similarly, Communion (the Lord’s Supper) is a reminder of the broken body and shed blood of Christ on our behalf (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Today, as we remember God’s faithfulness in our lives, may we leave behind a lasting tribute. (ODB Insight, 29th Oct 2025)
We should all have tributes or memorials to remember the past, to remind us of God’s faithfulness so we may trust Him more for the future. Not wistful longing for the past as the events of the past will never appear again. While the occurrences will not reoccur, God’s compassion and love will. His goodness and faithfulness endures forever. His steadfast love is renewed every morning like the dew. For example, the times I had with my late parents while they were alive are etched as memories. I can never relive them. Time has moved on. But God’s faithfulness will enable me and my wife to have our own cherished moments with our children and our children’s children. If the LORD grants us long lives, there will be perhaps another 30 years of time spent together as a family despite my elder son currently living and working in a distant part of the world.
At the spiritual level, God’s faithfulness in keeping us running the race will ensure we will experience His grace and mercy again and again even as we had experienced it time and time again in the past. There may be trouble, problems, trials and tribulations that the world brings, but our faith will remain intact because of His faithfulness and steadfastness that endureth forever. Our past experiences with Him will give us the impetus and confidence to trust Him for our future. He is our deliverer and our salvation.
Look at our tributes and memorials of His past goodness and faithfulness in our lives. Jesus was there during our times of need. He will be there again in our future times of need. If we put our trust in Him, He will make our paths straight and smooth. We do not know what the future entails but we know He will be there right by our side. All glory and honour be unto Him, Jesus the perfector of our faith! Amen!
Ronnie's Thoughts 