How can we ensure our testimonies prompt questions like "What do these stones mean?" The Original Memorial Stones “ This shall be a sign among you. When your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall answer them…” (Joshua 4:6-7). Twelve stones pulled from the Jordan became a story-starter for every generation. God designed the memorial so that simple curiosity would open a door to testimony. Why Curiosity Matters • Questions invite dialogue, not monologue. • A curious listener is already leaning in. • God often uses honest questions to soften hearts (Acts 2:12-13, 37). Lessons for Our Testimonies Today 1. Live a Faith That’s Public, Not Private • Israel set the stones “in Gilgal” where travelers could see them (Joshua 4:20). • Jesus calls His followers “a city on a hill … let your light shine before men” (Matthew 5:14-16). • Practical step: let coworkers notice the Bible on your desk, the grace you say before meals, the peace you show under pressure. Visible faith invites “Why are you different?” 2. Mark God’s Interventions Tangibly • The stones came from the riverbed itself—proof of God’s dry-ground miracle (Joshua 4:3). • Samuel later placed a stone and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12). • Practical step: keep a framed answered-prayer list, a baptism photo, or a journal on the coffee table. Physical reminders spark spiritual conversation. 3. Tell the Story, Don’t Just Display the Relic • Joshua commanded, “You shall answer them” (Joshua 4:7). Memorabilia without explanation is museum clutter. • Peter urges readiness: “Always be prepared to give an answer … for the hope within you” (1 Peter 3:15). • Practical step: rehearse a two-minute testimony: what life was, what God did, what’s different now. 4. Connect Personal Testimony to God’s Bigger Story • Joshua’s answer pointed to the Red Sea and the Jordan, linking present experience to God’s past faithfulness (Joshua 4:22-24). • Our stories should highlight the gospel, not our moral improvement (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). • Practical step: when sharing, pivot from “I” to “He”—what Jesus accomplished on the cross and in the resurrection. 5. Cultivate Generational Conversation • The stones targeted “your children” (Joshua 4:6, 21). • Psalm 78:4: “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD.” • Practical step: make family traditions that retell God’s interventions—anniversary celebrations of answered prayers, holiday devotionals that recount salvation stories. 6. Maintain Authentic Consistency • A hypocritical life silences even the most artful memorial (Romans 2:24). • Paul urged Timothy to keep “a clear conscience” so that opponents “may be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:8). • Practical step: repent quickly, seek accountability, and let others see humility in real time. 7. Stay Expectant for New Stones • Israel kept moving with God; more victories meant more stories (Joshua 5-6). • Lamentations 3:23: “His mercies are new every morning.” • Practical step: regularly ask God, “What fresh work are You doing that I can commemorate?” Continual testimonies keep curiosity alive. Putting It All Together When our lives are visibly marked by God’s unmistakable work, when we preserve those moments in tangible ways, and when we stand ready to explain them with gospel clarity, people will naturally ask, “What do these stones mean?”—and we’ll be equipped to point them to the living Lord behind every stone. |
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