Joshua 24: 14-15
”Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers 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.“
It is so easy to lose track of priorities. Serving other “gods” may on the surface seem like a ridiculous non-issue. But when I think about how often I elevate my worldly concerns to levels of great importance, I realize I am serving other masters. This is a particularly important lesson for me right now. I would be more at peace, and more content with life if I could consistently keep my eyes and heart on the Lord.
Heavenly Father, you are here for me, always. You have sent your Holy Spirit to live in my heart. Help me to turn to you whenever I have a decision to make, whenever I am struggling, whenever I am tired or overwhelmed. There are no other gods for me. I will follow you, Amen
Becky, transforming
pic by Kay
Joshua 24:14–15 Joshua was a great leader to his people in many ways. He was a brilliant military strategist and lead the Israelites to military victories. More important, however, he was a man of great faith. As he neared the end of his life, he offers his people a choice, live for and love God, or worship the idols of other countries. Most important in this choice is his last sentence—but for me and my family, we will serve the lord. with this sentence, he again sets the example. His people know his choice. It, of course, should be our choice, too! Prayer: Gracious God help me to always make,the right choice in times,of temptation, Amen
Joshua 24: 14-15
Believing in God has always been easy for me, although I haven’t always been good at putting God first. I now know through reading the Bible and the Sermons of Pastor Gil that I need to give up self-interest and follow God’s plan for me. I may swim against the tide of popular opinion believing in God, but I will defend my belief in God with all my heart and soul. Hopefully, I may be able to influence someone else to follow God by my actions.
Dearest Lord, I choose you. I choose you as my role model in the life of your Son, Jesus Christ and all He did for me by His dying on the…
We need these reminders of what is important in our journey on earth. I reflect back on my younger days when "getting ahead" was the in thing. Now that I am older and hopefully wiser the simple things in life are so much more worthwhile. Being with family and friends, reading a good book, just plain being content. Priceless.
Joshua 24-14-15
Back in the 80s and 90s there was a Christian men’s movement called Promise Keepers. Large gatherings were held in arenas and stadiums with a series of speakers, music and videos all aimed at exhorting men to be better husbands, fathers and Christian models for their households. I think of this today because I attended one of these events with a group from Contoocook UMC and it’s theme verse was Joshua 24:15. I still have the shirt I got at that event that bears that verse. As one moves into “legacy mode,” this is a powerful reminder of what is really important in life. It is a powerful element of Joshua’s farewell to his people and a call…