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. ~Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
“You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink”. Many of us have heard that old phrase used to describe the stubbornness in our human nature. People can be presented with opportunities galore but that does not mean they will experience any benefits unless they act on them. Telling people what to do doesn't work, but living the example does and we must live that example consistently. We must give others the opportunity to choose; otherwise, it's no choice at all. The people of God were at a spiritual crossroad at Shechem, and Joshua drew Gods line in the sand. He said, “choose for yourselves this day”. He did not tell them what to do; he respectfully told them what he was going to do and what their reasonable service should be. The first 14 verses of Joshua 24 recount how God’s people found themselves at Shechem, listing all the miracles God had done for them to bring them into the Promised Land. After all God had done for them, they were still straying from being obedient to Him by living in idolatry and giving themselves to everything but the Lord. It was time they renewed their covenant with God in their hearts so to speak.
We would never find ourselves in that position, right? Or would we? Dictionary.com defines the word “god” as any person or thing to which excessive attention is given. What gets the most attention in your life? Is it your possessions? Your job? Maybe it’s the influence or power you have over others. What is it that constantly causes you to go against your conscience and convictions to maintain in your life? There are many things that vie for our attention every day, but the bible says we are to love the Lord our God first and foremost. His Holy Spirit lives within us to guide us but if we refuse to adhere to His guidance where does that leave us? It leaves us right smack dab in the middle of living idolatrous lives. Putting other things above God and our relationship with Him is the number one sin of the bible. There can be nothing that exalts itself higher than God and His authority or influence. Our lives should be a message that attests to that. Are you living that example to those you would want to influence? We aren’t just called to preach the message; we are called to live the message! God deserves first place in our hearts, our homes, and our lives. He deserves our excessive attention, and He deserves our praise. He is the majestic God of the universe, and He has rescued us from our own foolishness and saved us from untold and uncountable situations we never even knew about. It’s time we “choose for ourselves this day” who we are going to serve and then serve Him with all our heart. Then and only then will our testimony be an influence on those who need to make good choices!
So, if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. ~ Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (NIV)
What is it that constantly causes you to go against your conscience and convictions to maintain in your life?
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