Making the RIGHT choices in our lives
March 11 Bible
Reading: Joshua Chapters 22-24
Making the RIGHT choices in our lives
After having
served as the leader of Israel for many years, Joshua is old and knows that he
is going to die shortly (Josh 23:1, 14). So, he gathers all the Israelites
together to give his ‘farewell address’ in Shechem (Josh 23:2; 24:1). He
reminds everyone of God’s bountiful grace and mercy, how God has led them
through all these past years and how God has given them rest from all their
enemies. As he concludes his speech, Joshua issues the following challenge to
the Israelites: "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and
in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side
of the River and in Egypt. Serve the
Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether
the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of 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." (Josh
24:14-15).
The
Israelites respond to Joshua’s challenge with these words: "The Lord our God we will
serve, and His voice we will obey!" (Josh 24:24). The book of
Joshua concludes like this: "Israel served the Lord all the days of
Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known
all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel" (Josh 24:31).
Every day we are confronted with making choices. Some choices are easy or have very less consequence. However, some choices are hard and the decisions have lasting impact throughout our lives and beyond. The destiny of future generations is in our hands. The choices we make with our family today will determine the quality of life in our family tree for generations to come. That is why our choices, especially concerning matters of eternal value, are so important for us. Joshua made the right choice to serve God with his family. We need to choose life and all the blessings associated with it by loving God, obeying His voice, clinging to Him and serving Him (Deut 30:19, 20).
Let’s be careful to make the right choices daily in our lives! Like Joshua, let us boldly say: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.
