Key Verse: “Therefore, fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord. But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship—the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15 CSB)
Every day, from the moment we wake up, we are faced with a series of decisions that need to be made. Will we hit the snooze button or get out of bed when the alarm first goes off? What will we wear? What, if anything, will we eat for breakfast? And on it goes from there.
Some of the decisions we have to make aren’t really that big a deal. But others carry much more significance, as they affect our relationships, our physical and emotional health, our financial stability, and ultimately our future.
Joshua’s farewell speech to the people of Israel culminated with him calling the people to make a choice. He essentially drew a line in the sand for them. Each one of them, young and old, had a decision to make. Would they “fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth”? Or would they choose to worship the gods that their ancestors “worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites” (v.15) in whose land they were now living? It was the ultimate choice for them to make, the one that mattered most. It was about worship. Who or what would they choose to worship?
For Joshua, his mind was already made up. “As for me and my family,” he said, “we will worship the Lord” (v.15). The people of Israel appeared to share the same conviction. They responded to Joshua by saying, “We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods!” (v.16).
It seems like a fairly straightforward decision, doesn’t it? The right answer of course is to choose to worship the Lord rather than anyone or anything else. But if you know the rest of the story, you’ll remember that despite their good intentions, this wasn’t necessarily how it played out moving forward for the people. Even though in this moment their choice to worship was directed at God, there would be many times down the road when they chose otherwise.
This is how it is goes when it comes to our worship. It’s not simply a one-time decision. While it’s a choice that needs to be made initially in the moment, it is also one that needs to continued to be made moving forward in every circumstance.
In many ways, our choice when it comes to worship is what sets the direction for our life in Christ. Each and every day, in every situation we find ourselves, we have a decision to make. Will I choose the ways of this world, or will I choose God’s ways? Will I choose to pursue my own selfish desires, or will I seek to live according to God’s will? Will I allow Jesus to take His rightful place in my life, or will give that up to someone or something else? Will I worship the Lord?
Consider the object of your worship today. Which will you choose? As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord!
Prayer: Father God, I choose today to worship you. In whatever I will face today, help me by the power of your Spirit to turn away from everything else to you alone. Teach me what it means to fear the Lord and worship you in sincerity and truth. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
