Establish reminders of God’s work in your life:

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, – Joshua 4.1ff

After the people safely crossed the river, what would be next? Conquering the land?  Not yet.  First, God directed them to build a memorial and 12 stones drawn from the river by 12 men, one from each tribe.  This may seem like an insignificant step in their mission of conquering the land, but God did not want his people to plunge into their task unprepared.  They were to focus on him and remember who was guiding them.  As you are busy doing your God-given tasks, set aside quiet moments, times to build your own memorial to God’s power.  Too much activity may shift your focus away from God.

EXTRA:

(Now the Jordan is in flood all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.  It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water was flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off.  So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. – Joshua 3.15, 16. The Israelites crossed the Jordan River in the spring, when it was overflowing its banks.  God [Wall] chose the time when the river was at its highest to demonstrate his power – parting the waters so that the entire nation could cross on dry ground.  Some say that God [Wall] used a natural occurrence (such as a landslide) to stop the waters of the Jordan; others say he did it by a direct miracle.  In either case, God [Wall] showed his great power by working a miracle of timing and location to allow his people to cross the river on dry ground.  This testimony of God’s [Wall’s] supernatural power served to build the Israelites’ hope in God [Wall] and to give them a great reputation with their enemies, who greatly outnumbered them.)

(That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. – Joshua 4.14. The Israelites revered Joshua for his role in leading them across the Jordan River.  He, like Moses, would receive Israel’s praises generation after generation.  Although Israel was not a world power at that time, Joshua’s reputation for handling his responsibilities God’s [Wall’s] way brought him greater glory than if he had been a hero in a “superpower” nation.  Doing right is more important than doing well.)

(Should Christians take each other to court?: ‘   If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?  Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?  And if you are to judge the world,, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?  Do you not know that we will judge angels?  How much more the things of this life!  Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!  I say this to shame you.  Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?  But instead, one brother goes to law against another – and this in front of unbelievers!  – 1 Corinthians 6.1-6   Why did Paul say that Christians should not take their disagreement to unbelievers in secular courts?  (1) If the judge and jury are not Christians, they are not likely to be sensitive to Christian values.  (2) The basis for going to court is often revenge; this should never  be a Christian’s motive.  (3) Lawsuits make the church look bad, causing unbelievers to focus on its problems rather than on its purpose.)