Choose This Day – The God You Will Serve

God has a clear choice for all who live in America, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers… 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 24:15)  The heart of the Lord on this Scripture is the choice between true and false worship, following the indulgence of lust, our own ideas or the ideology of today.  (Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible)  It must be understood, the appeal made through Joshua is rhetorical; from God’s perspective there is only God, it is Him, no other god. (Psalm 1:1; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; John 1:1)  Therefore, moving straight to the heart of mankind, if serving God is undesirable, choose this day between the Lord and the many man-made substitutions.

It has been well said, “A god is whatever gets your extra time, money and adoration.” (unknown)  While working in Kansas City, MO. I had the privilege to get to know a private detective.  He always said, “You can always find out what is in a man by discovering were he spends his extra time, what he spends his extra money on and by noticing what he gives attention to.”  When people are off of work, what are the places they hang out in or were do they go, how much money do they spend while there and how much attention do they give to the cause they are investing in.  Just as in the time of Joshua, there are prejudices and objection which keep people from wanting to live and walk in God’s perfect will for them. There is a coolness and indifference toward service to the Lord, in comparison to the pleasures of self-indulgence and loving the world view.

God does not make anyone serve Him, His challenge, “Choose this day…” Just like you have the choice to do your work as unto the Lord, enjoying the benefits thereof. Or you can be a poor employee and suffer the long term consequences.  Just like you can choose to drive, obeying the driving laws, enjoying trouble free from law enforcement.  Or you can drive as you please, eventually suffering judicial chastisements. Just like a sky diver can choose to live under the natural law of gravity wearing a parachute when he jumps out of a plane. Or he can defy what he knows to be truth, jump out of a plane without a parachute, causing him and his family to suffer the eternal aftermath of his choice.  You can choose to serve the Lord, live under His watchful providence.  Or you can continue to live for the god (the substitute) you have chosen this day to serve.  By the way how is that going for you?

The Bible says our lives are like living letters, known and read by all of mankind. (2 Corinthians 3:2) Everyone can see the God or what god we have chosen this day to live for.