| “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” |
| —Joshua 24:15 |
Life is full of choices. From the time we wake up until the time we lay our head on the pillow again, we make dozens upon dozens of choices every day. In the vast majority of the cases, we make those choices without much thought. Yes, I know that occasionally we may labor over a choice. But, most of the time, we make choices just as easily as we can.
But, when it comes to how we intend to live out our lives in allegiance to something greater than ourselves, that choice is worthy of some serious consideration. That’s why the man who replaced Moses as leader of the people of Israel wrote these words, as recorded in Joshua 24:15:
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egypt. After wandering for 40 years in the desert, because of their disobedience, God had led them to cross the Jordan River and enter the land He had prepared for them. As they came to this point of decision in their lives, it was important to know if they would wholeheartedly bow their knees in fealty to the God who loved them, who had saved them from slavery in Egypt, and who now had opened up a new land especially for them.
This question remains relevant for us today. As ones who declare our love for God through His Son, Jesus, we must decide if our love will be a weak and lukewarm love, or will our love be a love bolstered by every ounce of our being. Will we love God with all four of our human modalities: our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength? Or, will we become part-time servants of the Most High?
“Choose this day whom you will serve.” This is a command for us every day of our lives. Will we serve God or serve another. How will we answer this critical question?
Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, February 23, 2017
