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. 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.” -Joshua 24:14-15
After forty years of waiting in the Sinai wilderness, the Israelites were ready to enter the Promised Land of Canaan. Moses was gone. He died at the age of 122, and God buried him in an unknown place in Moab. But the Israelites together needed to make a clear commitment to whom they would follow. Would they follow and worship the false Gods of their ancestors? Then they would not succeed in possessing the Land. Or, would they commit fully to following and obeying the Lord God? Then they would have the blessing of God, and He would lead them to victory and success. Joshua, the new leader appointed to follow after Moses, lead the way with his unforgettable profession of faith and action: “But as for me and my household, we will follow the LORD.”
We hear our government leaders making plans to reopen the nation as the danger of the COVID-19 virus subsides. We will soon step out of our isolation into what will seem like a new world. What gods threaten to crowd the true God out of our lives? What idols shove the true God into some distant corner of our lives? The pursuit of money, workaholism, passion for sports and outdoor activities, hobbies, friends, love-life….. the list is endless. But when such things crowd out time for worship, prayer, Bible study, and service to God and neighbor, then they have become idols in our lives. It calls for some real reflection and self study. As the world opens up again, who will you serve? Take the lead among your family and friends and say with Joshua, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
It is the LORD who has constantly served us. He has placed the salvation of mankind as His top priority, even sending his own Son to the cross. Those other idols bring only temporary, earthly happiness. Our God offers us the treasure of forgiveness and redemption, which give us cause for rejoicing now, and which carry us into eternity with God.
“But as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.”
-Pastor Anderson