This is part 2.
Read & be blessed
*Text: Jos. 24:15*
“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.””
In yesterday’s devotional, we said that there are five decisions we need to make if we desire that our families will serve the Lord with us. We have considered the first two yesterday and today we shall discuss three more decisions that we need to make based on our anchor text.
Decision No 3 – We must become a student in God’s school of Obedience. “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord” (Jos. 24: 14b). The word “serve” is used in various forms six times in two verses. This is obviously the burden on Joshua’s heart. He wants the people to willingly choose to serve the Lord. He specifies what that means when he adds “in all faithfulness.” Every area of life must be surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. “All faithfulness” means there can be no “hidden rooms” that we reserve for ourselves. It means putting aside the false gods worshipped by the pagans. Matthew Henry calls them “dunghill deities” because they have no power to save, only the power to corrupt. If we are going to serve God with our families then in obedience to God’s word, we must get rid of anything that represents idol in our lives and in our families
Decision # 4: Remember Your Spiritual Heritage - “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” (v. 15).
In these verses, Joshua was appealing to the democratic sense of his hearers, that is, their power of choice. He offers them a series of choices. First, the true God. Then the gods beyond the River (meaning the River Euphrates), referring to the gods of Ur of the Chaldees. Those would be the gods of ancient tradition—the moon god and the sun god. Then the gods of Egypt, meaning the gods of sun, rain, darkness, and natural disasters. Then the gods of the Amorites, meaning the gods of fertility and sexual pleasure. Make your choice. If you don’t want to choose the living and true God, then go back to the false gods you used to worship. Go all the way back to Ur if you like. Some people prefer the gods of this world to the one true God of the Bible. Their eyes are so blinded by sin and their heart so given to fleshly indulgence that they would rather drink from the pool of sin than to drink from the Water of Life.
Here we see the genius of biblical religion. We need not try to coerce people into serving the Lord. If they prefer some other way, then so be it. It’s almost always a mistake to crowd people too closely when we attempt to win them to Christ. “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” We have nothing to fear and everything to gain by presenting the options and giving people the right to make up their own minds.
Decision # 5: Choose Daily to Serve the Lord - “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15b). This is one of the most famous statements in the Old Testament, and rightly so because it expresses the heart of a great spiritual leader at the end of his life. In these simple words we find the will of God expressly stated. We are to serve the Lord, and we are to do everything in our power to see that our family follows our example.
Matthew Henry said that serving the Lord involves “serious godliness.” That phrase captures the spirit of Joshua’s words. If we are going to do what he did and say what he said, it will mean “serious godliness” for all of us.
Note several implications. First, each of us must personally decide to serve the Lord. I can’t choose for you nor you for me. We need a generation of Joshuas who will make this choice for themselves. Second, parents have a special obligation to set the right example in this area. We can hardly expect our children to serve Christ when we take our duties lightly. Third, fathers have the highest obligation.
It takes serious godliness to get our household to serve the Lord. There will be many obstacles in the way of our resolution but we must remain resolute because failure is not an option. Shalom
Prayer Point
1. Father, thank you for my family, thank you for granting us the grace to know you as our Lord and Savior
2. Father, please grant me the grace to overcome every obstacle that oppose me in my resolve to serve you along with my family
3. Father, please make me one of the Joshuas of my generation who will willingly make the choice Joshua made and then commit themselves fully to it
4. Father my family will not become a prey in the hands of the devil in Jesus name.
5. Father getting my family to serve you must begin with me, grant me grace O Lord to serve you faithfully such that I will be a positive role model to my family in Jesus name.