Choice is Yours…
15 "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, ...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
We make countless decisions every day. Some are so routine that we don't give them a second thought because it is an automatic response to the course of our daily lives. We choose to get up when the alarm goes off or hit the snooze. We decide on what to wear, the route to work/school, whether to accept and/or respond to calls, etc. While these may not be life-altering, they are choices that we must make.
However, there are moments in our lives where the choice we make could be detrimental, affecting not only ourselves but to all of those around us. Health crisis, relationships, financial decisions, and career choices are high near the top of the list; but there is one other decision that is the most important one of all.
“There are no multiple paths or multiple gods to bring you to a relationship with God. There is only one way and that is through Jesus. ”
Joshua was nearing the end of his life. He obeyed his call from God and commissioning from Moses to lead the Israelites. Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel and began to share the Word of the Lord with them, reminding them of the many times God delivered them. Joshua spoke of Abraham and Moses, summarizing their history up to that moment, reminding them to put away the gods of their ancestors and the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, and all the other "ites" (verse 14).
But on this day, it was time to publicly proclaim the passage above. Joshua challenged the Israelites that it was time to decide, once and for all, who they would serve. The Israelites could not continue to serve God along with the pagan gods. Their allegiance and commitment must be to God and God alone.
In Mark 12, the Pharisees and Sadducees tried to trick Jesus by questioning Him regarding the Law. One of the teachers asked Jesus, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
The words of Jesus applied then and are applicable to our lives today. Living by the commandments, by a list of do's and don'ts, or even living a good moral life will never be enough to reconcile us to God. There are no multiple paths or multiple gods to bring you to a relationship with God. There is only one way and that is through Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
I never want to be considered a "hell-fire and brimstone" writer, nor do I want to be labeled judgmental or condemning; but I would be remiss if I failed to lovingly say that today is the day of salvation. It is time to decide whether you will serve yourself, the evil of this world, or Jesus. The choice is yours.
Our family was getting together and my son’s family had just gotten to our house. As our grandsons were coming inside, our next to youngest grandson came running in shouting, “Hey everybody, I’m here!” He wanted to make sure that everyone knew he had arrived!