Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

In the last chapter of the book of Joshua, he proclaims God’s message to the people of Israel. God uses Joshua to remind His people of the many ways in which He has worked in their lives over the years. At the end of this narrative, Joshua says to the Israelite nation, "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15 NIV)

There is no more important decision in a lifetime than the decision for an individual to serve the Lord God. In today’s world, we have so many things battling for our time. We may not have the other “gods” that Joshua mentions, but we certainly have the “gods” of TV, sports, work and St. Mattress. It is so easy to get wrapped up in life that we often neglect the serving of our Lord. Instead, we allow the things of this world to consume us; leaving us no time for God.

Equally important is the decision that an entire household will serve God. What is being taught to your children? The amount of time that your children see you devoting to God, whether it be in your daily Bible reading, your attendance to worship, or serving the needs of others, will have a direct impact on their spiritual lives. All parents have an incredible responsibility to demonstrate a fully devoted life to the Lord. This, of course, is a daunting task, but one which will pay off in exponential dividends.

Also, do not forget Joshua’s warning to the Israelites, “If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” (Joshua 24:20 NIV) Peter gives us the same warning in his letter to the churches in Asia Minor. “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.” (2 Peter 2:20-21 NIV) Joshua and Peter both paint a very grim picture of the calamity that will befall any who turn their back on the God they once worshiped.

God created the human race and He has called all of us to a life with Him. He has given us the choice whether or not to answer that call. For those who choose God, we are promised a blessed life; not a life free of pain or suffering, but a life full of the riches of God. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8 NIV)

I urge you, as one who is unworthy, but has accepted the fullness of His grace, to choose, this day, to serve the Lord!