Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve - Joshua 24:15

Welcome to Verse of the Day!

Today's Bible Verse:

Joshua 24:15

... 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. (ESV)

Today's Inspiring Thought: Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

Here we find Joshua, one of Israel's most faithful leaders, clearly calling the people to make a choice between serving other gods, or serving the one, true God. Then Joshua sets the example with this declaration: "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Today we face the same dilemma. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (NLT)

Maybe money is not a problem for you. Perhaps something else is dividing your service to God. Like Joshua, have you made a clear choice for yourself and your family to serve the Lord alone?

Total Commitment or Halfhearted Devotion?

The people of Israel in Joshua's day were serving God halfheartedly. In reality, this means they were serving other gods. Choosing the one true God means giving our total, wholehearted commitment to him alone.

What does halfhearted service to God look like?

Halfhearted service is insincere and hypocritical. It lacks honesty and integrity. Our devotion to God must be authentic and transparent. True worship of the living God must come from the heart. It can't be forced on us by rules and commands. It is rooted in genuine love.

Are you hiding parts of yourself from God? Are you holding back, unwilling to surrender areas of your life to him? If so, then perhaps you are secretly worshiping false gods.

When we are more attached to our things—our home, our car, our career—we cannot serve God wholeheartedly. There can be no neutrality. This verse draws a line in the sand. You must choose this day whom you will service. Joshua made a radical, public statement: "I have chosen the Lord!"

Years earlier Joshua had made the choice to serve the Lord and serve him only. Joshua had made a once-and-for-all choice, but he would continue to do so daily, choosing God over and over again throughout his life.

Like Joshua did for Israel, God extends his invitation to us, and we must decide. Then we put our decision into action: we choose to come to him and to serve him daily. Some call this invitation and response a transaction of faith. God calls us to salvation by grace, and we respond by choosing to come by his grace as well. 

Joshua's choice to serve God was personal, passionate, and permanent. Today, will you say like he did, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

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