Thought for 4 November 2024

Joshua 24:15

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

In each and every day of our lives, we have decisions to make.  We decide what we’re going to have for dinner, what to watch on tv, when to go to bed, what clothes to put on, what to read, who to call.  Some of these decisions are easy and straightforward and we can make them without a great deal of thought.

Some decisions however are more challenging and need to be thought out.  To call someone you have had a disagreement with, to apply for a new job, to move to a new house, to commit to a relationship, to decide on a particular career path and there are many more examples we have to encounter as we travel life’s interesting and challenging journey.  Sometimes even after considering what choice to make, we can still be unsure if we have chosen the correct option and quite possibly, only time will tell if we have.  

Now let me give you an example of having only two choices, but you must choose just one thing. Suppose you see a wallet lying in the street. It might have a lot of money in it. You can keep the wallet or you can try to return the wallet to its owner. This is a right or wrong decision. You must choose to do one thing or the other.  As in the parable of the good Samaritan, we could see someone lying in the street and have the choice of tending to them or walking straight past.  It might be the difference from choosing what is easier to do from that which may demand us taking some responsibility and having to utilise our time and resources.

The Bible tells us the story of Joshua, a leader of a group of people called the Israelites and it is a story about making an important decision.  This group of people, the Israelites, had been slaves in Egypt and Joshua was one of the men who led them out to a new land. God had protected and helped the people during this journey, but some chose to worship other gods which, in this story, are called foreign gods.

Joshua wanted the Israelites to understand that they must choose to serve God or the foreign gods; they could not worship both. They had two choices and Joshua asked them to make one decision. He told them, “… choose this day whom you will serve…” (24:15).

Joshua made this important decision for himself. He said, “… as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (24:15).

Each one of us is also given this choice. We can choose to serve and worship God or do our own thing without God. It is the most important decision we will ever make.

Prayer

Eternal Father, help us resist the temptations that are put in our path on a daily basis and help us reach out to you at all times.  We thank you that through your Holy Spirit, you are near to us every day of our lives through the good times and also through the difficult times.  We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ and ask that you would utilise us all to revive our national church.  Amen