Jump Start # 958

Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Our verse today is one of the “famous” verses in our Bibles. These are verses that are we hear often in sermons and many of us have memorized. All verses in the Bible are important and they all have value.

Our verse today comes near the end of Joshua’s life. Israel has witnessed the change of leadership from Moses to Joshua. The land that God had promised to Abraham long ago has finally become a reality and the nation was settled down in their home land. In the process of all of this, many were enamored with the worship of idols and had chased after that. Our verse today is Joshua’s plea for them to worship the Lord. He wasn’t going to force them, but he knew who he was serving, and that was the Lord.

There are a few observations we need to make.

1. Serving God is a choice. There are things in life that we do not get to choose, For instance, we do not get to choose who are parents are, or our physical brothers and sisters. We did not choose our name. We do not get to choose the color of our eyes, our height or in many ways our talents or personality. As the old Westerns would say, “Those are the cards we are dealt with.” What we do get to choose is what we are going to do with our life. One of those choices is following God or not. God has NOT specifically predetermined who will be in Heaven. We have a say in that matter. We have a choice. We can choose to serve God or we can choose not to.

2. How we approach life is a choice. Why is it that some are righteous and others are wicked? It’s the choices that they have made. Why are some kind and others mean? Choices. Why do some forgive and others harbor hatred? Choice. I had a friend named Barbara Johnson, who was an author. She often wrote in her books, “Pain is inevitable, misery is optional.” We cannot choose what will happen to us today. However, we do choose how that will affect us. We can choose to be sour, grumpy and miserable or we can see beyond those things and continue to let our light shine. It’s a choice. You do not have to be miserable. Your circumstances do not dictate how you are on the inside. There are those with cancer who are upbeat, optimistic and cheerful. There are those who can’t find a job who still are pleasant in spirit. There are those who have buried children who are not gloom and doom. “Woe is me,” is a choice. Don’t blame your circumstances for being miserable. You don’t have to be miserable. You choose that. Too many hang their hat on their circumstances. If the weather is pleasant, they are. If it’s cold and rainy, they are in a bad mood. Why? It’s not the weather that made them that way. They have chosen that.

3. Serving God ought never to be disagreeable to any of us. Joshua’s opening words speaks volumes. Why would anyone find serving the Lord disagreeable? Could it be that they didn’t get their way? Try serving idols then. You’ll find you never get your way because idols can’t do a thing. Idols don’t bless. Idols can’t answer prayers. Idols are fake. Could it be they feel that way because God has rules, commands and restrictions? They want freedom which means do as I please. Could it be that they want to be immoral but God won’t let them? Could it be that they want to believe anything but God won’t let them? Could it be that they are more interested in themselves than God? How can anyone find God disagreeable? God is good and gracious. Every good gift, James tells us, comes from God. He blesses us. He forgives us. He seeks after us. He wants us. The idols, the fake gods of the Egyptians, Romans, Greek and the rock ‘n roll, “let’s have a party” atmosphere of many modern churches today is shallow, empty and self serving. They are like eating cotton candy. It tastes great but there is nothing there. The cotton candy theology of too many moderns is the same. All sugar. All fun. No substance. No foundation. When the storms come, and they always do, and that wind blows, their house collapses because it was founded upon fun and not Christ. These things are not about serving the Holy God. They are about finding what makes me happy. The god that most bow down to is “happiness.” Moderns have created a religion of happiness. The message is a happy message. When was the last time you heard a sermon on Hell? When was the last time a modern religious author warned about Hell? Doesn’t happen. Doesn’t fit in with the gospel of happiness. The music, the atmosphere, the spirit is all happy, happy, happy. Little preaching. Too much ignoring the Word. God has become disagreeable to them. How sad.

4. Joshua was not going to be swayed by the nation. He was following the Lord. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” is such a powerful, line-in-the-sand statement. The rest of them may find the Lord disagreeable, not Joshua. The rest my be dancing and partying with the idols, not Joshua. This old Joshua remembered Moses coming down the mountain with the tablets of stone. He remembered Moses’ brother making idols. He remembered a whole generation dying in the wilderness because of their disobedient hearts. He remembered God thundering on the mountain. He remembered being fed from Heaven. He remembered the miracles. Joshua had a long history with God. There was nothing disagreeable to Joshua. Each person has to come to their own conclusion about God. Others in the family may not see the value of serving God. You do. Others in the church may not be as serious as they ought to be. You are. You cannot let others determine how you will serve the Lord. You know. You know what the Lord wants. Don’t play follow the leader, you lead. You set the pace. In your home, have prayers. In your life invite God to journey with you. Do not be ashamed of God nor his word. Make no apologizes for what God says.

As for me and my house…how about you and your house?

Roger