Thursday – Choose Whom You Will Serve
READ: Joshua 24:11-15
SOAP: Joshua 24:15
For further reading – Joshua 24:1-10
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” – Joshua 24:15
Joshua 24:15 is probably one of the best-known verses – “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Let´s study today the context in which Joshua says these words.
The people of Israel, those who saw as children or were told by their parents how God opened the Red Sea; those who lived in the wilderness and saw how God provided for their needs and guided them; those who were in the Jordan River when God opened the waters; those who surrounded Jericho and shouted to knock down its walls; those who were in the battlefield when the sun stopped; those who were taken from victory to victory in Canaan – they would have to decide between God and the idols from the surrounding Canaanites.
“Joshua made it clear that the people of Israel had to make a decision to serve the Lord God of Israel. There could be no neutrality. But if they served the Lord, then they would have to get rid of the false gods that some of them secretly were worshipping. Even after the great experience of the exodus, some of the Jews still sacrificed to the gods of Egypt (Lev. 17:7; Amos 5:25–26; Ezek. 20:6–8; Acts 7:42–43).” Wiersbe, Warren. Be Strong.
We have to make the decision to serve God every single day. If we don´t, without even realizing, we will slip to worship “idols” in our life – people, career, things, money, social media. Like the Israelites, we must commit to the Lord and to His service. What changes do you need to make in your lifestyle and in your family in order to say, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord?”
Father, I commit to You today. I commit my life to your service. I want to say, “My family and I will serve the Lord.” Help me change anything that is stopping me from fully committing to your service. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
