Text: Joshua 24:14-33
“Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” —Joshua 24:15
Last month, a speaker at my daughter’s college graduation observed that when we are born, “we look like our parents.” But as we get older “we look more like our decisions.”
As a responsible leader, Joshua urged the people in his realm of influence to be decisive in putting away false gods and be very intentional about choosing to serve the Lord.
“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14–15 ESV)
The people’s response was to decisively reject false gods and to serve “the Lord our God” (vv. 16–17)—which Israel did “all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua” (v. 31). Yet it is evidenced in the book of Judges that Israel’s subsequent generations tragically chose otherwise. Their decisions brought them low.
Regardless of how much the choices of past generations have affected us, we are only accountable to the Lord for the choices we make. By the end of this year, we will end up looking more like the decisions we made in 2023. With that end in mind, what decisions are you going to make that will sharpen the blade of your God-given purpose in life? What decisions will you make to improve certain life skills or relational intelligence that will enable you to serve others well? What decisions will you make for better physical health, mental strength, emotional wellness, and spiritual growth?
Your life is the product of choices. With every decision you make you are choosing a direction. Your choices become habits and your habits determine future outcomes. Perhaps today you will start with one simple decision to change something about your future. It’s been said that you’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret to your success is found in something you do routinely every day of your life. Find it. Decide upon it. And act upon it, as you seek to abide in Him this week!
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we cannot escape the outcomes of our choices. Teach us wisdom and discipline that we might apply our hearts to God-honoring decision making. Holy Spirit, empower us daily with the strength you give to follow through with those decisions. In Jesus’ blessed name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- In what ways have you been the product of your past decisions?
- What false gods are most enticing for people in our day?
- How would one go about identifying and the “putting away” of false gods?
- Are there false gods you still cling to when coping with life’s day to day stresses, challenges, or discomforts?
- What is one decision you can make as part of your daily routine that will conform your life more to the likeness of Jesus in 2023?