Joshua 3 & 4: Be Sanctified
Verse of the Day: (3:5) And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

1. Sanctify (3:1-8)
And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. (3:8)

Unless we yield our lives to God and let Him sanctify us from all our sins, He cannot use us for His holy work and glory. This was why God commanded Israel through Joshua to sanctify themselves before He would miraculously open the Jordan River so that they could cross it dry into the land of Canaan where they shall then fight against their enemies to possess their Promised Land. God commanded Israel not to panic or worry, but to stand still when they would come to the brink of the water and believe that God shall indeed perform a great miracle for them, and for His glory. Let us therefore be still and sanctify ourselves so that God can use us for His holy work and glory. (Romans 6:13)

2. Soles (3:9-17)
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. (3:13)

The ark of the LORD represented God, and His command was that when the soles of the priests carrying the ark touched the waters of Jordan River, the waters shall stop flowing and shall stand like a heap. It was beyond their imagination when God did that, and Israel knew that He was indeed the true God, and Joshua was their leader after Moses, whom God also used him to perform the miracle of the opening the Red Sea. (Exodus 14:21-22)

3. Stones (4:1-24)
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. (4:7)

We are to bring up our children in the admonition of God, and most importantly share the gospel to them so that they receive Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, at a young age, as death comes to everyone young or old. This was why God commanded twelve men out of the twelve tribes of Israel to gather a stone each and carry it to the other side where Joshua shall set them up at Gilgal, to remind their children and their future generations of how God had miraculously opened the River Jordan for them to cross dry. (Ephesians 6:4)     

Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please sanctify and use me for Your holy work and glory.