GPS-No Unknowns

MAY 25 / Sunday – Read Hosea 1:10b (The Message)

Overview: Like the “unknown soldier” commemorated on Memorial Day, there are many persons who play significant roles in the bible whose names are unknown to us. But there are no “Nobodies” (no “Unknowns”) to God. We are all God’s “Somebody.”

26 / Mon – Remembering the ultimate sacrifice  |  Read John 15:13

Today is Memorial Day. It is a time when the nation pauses to honor and mourn those who died while serving their country. It’s a time to reflect on the sacrifices they made for freedom’s sake. It can also be a time to remember Christ’s sacrifice for us. There is no greater love than his. Do you live gratefully in the freedom he bought for you? If so, how will you honor him today? What words will you say that help others to pause and consider his sacrifice for them?

27 / Tue – Headstones  |  Read Psalm 22:30-31

Headstones allow future generations to see those who came before them. Maybe you did not meet your great-grandparents and you’ve only heard stories, but notice the years they were alive. Then compare them to events in history during those years. Seeing what they lived through – a war, an economic crisis, a disease that swept where they lived – helps you understand what their life was like. Future generations will hear your story too. Will your example inspire them to follow Jesus?

28 / Wed – Memorial stones  |  Read Genesis 28:18-22 & 35:9-15 / Joshua 4:4-9

The reason people set up stone memorials is that they can last for many years. Not just for people who have passed but also for life changing events. Jacob set up a memorial where God met him twice and changed him. It became a place of worship. One of his descendants, Joshua, also set up stones as a reminder of the miracle at the Jordan River so that future generations would hear the story of God’s faithfulness. What are some of your life changing events? What ‘stones’ will help you remember and also inform the next generation?

29 / Thu – Precious stones  |  Read Exodus 28:9-12, 15-21, 29-30 / Acts 10:1-4

Part of the high priest’s vestments were precious stones carved with the names of the 12 tribes placed on his shoulder pieces and on a breastplate he wore over his heart. It was a memorial. Every time he went into the Holy Place, he brought these people before the Lord. In Acts, a non-Jewish Roman centurion named Cornelius loved God. His prayers and gifts to the poor became memorial offerings. What an honor it is to pray for others. Whose names would be carved on your ‘precious stones’ when you come to the Lord in prayer?

30 / Fri – Nobody into a Somebody  |  Read Hosea 1:10b (Message Version)

Are there times when you feel like a nobody? It might be how people treat you or how inadequate you feel. That is not how God thinks of you. According to this verse, you are a Somebody in God’s eyes, precious and dearly loved. You could let it puff you up with pride and a superior attitude but this is how the Lord thinks of every person. Be careful not to accept the ‘nobody’ label for yourself and also do not entertain that thought about anyone else. Will you see others as God does?

31 / Sat – A prime example  |  Read Ruth 1-4 especially 4:13-22 / Matthew 1:5-6, 16

Ruth was a nobody. Life had been cruel, stealing away those she loved, reducing her to poverty. She was free to walk away for a better life but instead she chose to follow the Lord. Unselfish service to others became the hallmark of her life. She quietly went about doing what she could to bless and serve others, expecting no recognition. But God made her the great-grandmother of King David and one of Jesus’ ancestors. Nobody is a nobody in God’s eyes. How does this fact change everything?