In the Old
Testament a memorial day of mourning took place when Jacob died in Egypt.
Joseph asked that he and his brothers be allowed to take his father’s body back
to Canaan for burial.
Pharaoh
agreed to Joseph's request. "Go and bury your father, as he made you
promise," he said. So Joseph went up to bury his father. He was accompanied
by all of Pharaoh's officials, all the senior members of Pharaoh's household,
and all the senior officers of Egypt. Joseph also took his entire household and
his brothers and their households. But they left their little children and
flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. A great number of chariots and
charioteers accompanied Joseph. When they arrived at the threshing floor of
Atad, near the Jordan River, they held a very great and solemn memorial
service, with a seven-day period of mourning for Joseph's father. Genesis 50:6-10.
Memorial Day
commemorates the beginning of summer for most people in the US. It’s a time for
picnics…and a first swim of the year in the pool or lake. But do we consider
what Memorial Day really is? It was originally designated at a day to
commemorate, remember and honor the American soldiers who died on active duty,
beginning with the hundreds of thousands of soldiers lost in the Civil War.
Their graves were decorated—so it was sometimes call “Decoration Day.” Now some
people use this Memorial Day to remember any of their loved ones who have died.
Just like Joseph we memorialize our loved ones.
What did God
intend for His people to “remember” and commemorate? There are 230 occurrences
of “remember” in the NLT of the Bible. Some of those are commands from God to
“remember” His commandments and to follow the instructions He gave to Moses.
Other times that “remember” are used are when other people, like David or
Solomon, were admonishing people to recall or consider what God has done. Jesus
and Paul called people to “remember”….
-
Anyone who doesn't love me will not obey me. And remember,
my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. John 14:24 (Jesus)
-
Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you
do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Philippians 4:5
(Paul)
-
Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive
anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must
forgive others. Colossians
3:13 (Paul)
God wants
us—wants everyone, everywhere—to know that He is powerful, mighty and keeps His
promises. Is there any doubt about that in your mind? What can you do on this Memorial
Day to honor God—to remember the great sacrifice that He made for you?
Jesus laid down His life—died a painful and humiliating death on a cross for
the sin of all mankind.
For
everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Romans
3:23
Those
who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who
are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So
letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the
Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is
always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. That's
why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never
please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are
controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember
that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to
Him at all.) Romans 8:5-9.
How’s your spiritual being? Do you have
the Spirit of Christ living in you?
Prayer – Lord God, Thank You for Your
plan. I acknowledge that I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. Thank You for forgiving all people—even me—who
come to You confessing that they are sorry for their sins. You still offer
forgiveness and an eternal home with You in the forever Promised Land known as
Heaven. Please accept my honor and deep abiding respect for You as a Memorial
for all You have done for the nation of Israel—and for me, my family, friends
and neighbors. I love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength
Daily
Bible Reading: Psalm 111-118
© 2018 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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