Choose this day
Today's focusJoshua calls the people to put away other gods and serve the Lord sincerely, declaring, 'As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD'; the people remember God's deeds and choose to serve him too.
Read
14Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 16And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 17For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: 18And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
Reflection
As one year ends and another approaches, you stand at a threshold, much like the people Joshua addressed. He invites you to "fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth." This is not a call to perfection, but a call to honesty. Joshua challenges the people to "put away the gods" that belonged to their past or their neighbors. He knows that serving God is a conscious decision, declaring, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Following Joshua’s lead, the people do not choose God based on a whim, but based on their history. They remember how He "brought us up" out of "the house of bondage" and "preserved us in all the way wherein we went." When you look back at your own journey, you can see the "great signs" of His care. Choosing to serve Him today is a response to the faithfulness He has already shown you. Like the people in the passage, you can look at His past protection and say with confidence, "therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God."
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
What would it mean for you and your household to choose afresh to serve the Lord in the coming year?
Pray
Lord, I choose you again today. Show me anything I have put in your place, and help me put it away. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.