Serve the Lord Wholeheartedly
Joshua said, “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly and faithfully. Remove the gods that your fathers served in the region across the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if you see no benefit in serving the Lord, then choose for yourselves today whomever you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers served beyond the River 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)
God had done many great things for the people of Israel to this point. Just in Joshua’s lifetime, God had brought his people out of the slavery that they were under in Egypt. He had saved them from the Egyptian army with pillars of cloud and fire. He had allowed them to cross the Red Sea on dry land. He had fed and watered them for 40 years in the desert. They had crossed over the Jordan river and God gave them miraculous victories over the people that had inhabited the land they were now living in, the land that God had promised to Abraham. And now, they were enjoying rest from the war that God had told them to declare on the pagan people of that land.
Joshua wanted the people to renew their commitment to serve the Lord, and not to follow the pagan gods of the other nations that they had encountered. They could not serve both the Lord, the God of compassion and grace and the other gods of the pagan nations. If they were going to serve God, it was to be wholeheartedly and faithfully. And the people answered Joshua that they would serve God, for he had done many marvelous things for them.
God has done many great things for us too. He may not have shown us such obvious miracles as he did for those Israelites, but he has provided for us and protected us in ways that we don’t always know. He has blessed us in countless ways and has taken care of us. But often we forget about all that God has done for us, and we are tempted to turn to idols of our own making: money, family, work, and other such earthly things. But God wants us to serve him with our whole being. He wants us to be faithful to him. And it is through faith in Jesus that we are able to do that. The Holy Spirit gives us the faith to respond the same way as Joshua: “As for me and my household - we will serve the Lord!” Jesus body and blood, given up on the croos of Calvary cover over those times when we turn away from God to serve idols. It brings us back to God through faith. It restores in us the will to do God’s Will, and to serve him with all our heart. Amen.
The song for today is “As For Me” by Pat Barrett, featuring Chris Tomlin