“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, 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 is not politically correct.
He proclaims an inflexible right and wrong…He declares The Lord as the only true God …. He is not being inclusive - And he is no doubt offending the Israelites by rejecting their ancestor’s religion. - Yet his desire to speak truth overpowers any need for approval from men.
Are we as zealous as Joshua, or are we in danger of allowing “virtue signaling” to become an idol in our country?
The church has attempted to recruit God to our team - instead of joining His. We like the concept of Christianity, but we want to control the details so as not to risk upsetting our emotionally “woke” congregations. We claim “functional deity” for ourselves allowing us to remove anything offensive from the scripture. As Voltaire said, “God created man in His own image, and we have been trying to repay the favor ever since.” That never has, nor ever will be acceptable to the Great I Am.
When Joshua issues this challenge about false gods to his people, they knew exactly what false god’s he was referring to…. Do we?
Do we realize that popularity can be a god? Do we understand that “fitting in” can be an idol that leads us away from Jesus? Is comfort and tranquility tempting enough to stop us from following God?
I wholeheartedly approve when Joshua says to other people “choose this day whom you will serve” … But how do I respond when God says the exact same thing to me? My idols of prosperity and comfort are just as repugnant to God as the gods “beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites”.
Joshua’s message is unbending.” …We WILL serve the Lord.” That sentiment could get you canceled today… but Joshua had decided whom he would serve …. It is time for us to decide as well.
“If I am going to know who Jesus is, I must obey Him. The majority of us don't know Jesus because we have not the remotest intention of obeying Him.”
Oswald Chambers
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