Day 19

Joshua 23-24

WHOM WILL YOU SERVE?

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD – Josh. 24:15

            After settling comes serving.  God had proven himself to Joshua for 40 years in the wilderness and through all the battles of Canaan.  He never went into battle without Him.  God had always come through.  He was now living in a new home in a new place.  The prospects of peace were good.  The possibilities of retirement were imminent.  He was settling down for the first time in his storied life.  Joshua understood that not all who start well finish well.  To guarantee success to the end, he made a new decision – to serve the Lord.  Years ago Bob Dylan wrote a song entitled, “You gotta serve somebody.”   The Apostle Paul would agree with that statement.  He said, “You are slaves to the one whom you obey” (Rom. 6:16).  When Joshua announced his public decision to serve the Lord, he was hoping the congregation of Israel would follow his lead. 

            Serving the Lord is not by chance but choice.  Our outcomes are the result of our choices.  Every choice is like a seed sown into our own hearts.  “Sow a thought; reap an act.  Sow an act; reap a habit.  Sow a habit; reap a character.  Sow a character; reap a destiny.”  Joshua died at 110 years.  That was not his destiny; that was his curse (and ours).  Length of life means nothing until we fulfill our purpose.  Joshua’s purpose was to be God’s servant.  He finished well.

Joshua said, Choose you this day whom you will serve.  When I was young my dad took me to a restaurant with a sign on the wall that said, “Free food tomorrow.”  When I asked about the free food, he explained that tomorrow never comes.  We continue to trust in tomorrows as they roll over into yesterdays.  You will never know God’s purpose until you serve him.  We can’t finish well unless we start.  Tell yourself you’re starting this day.  Then tell someone you started.  Don’t wait for an easier tomorrow.

Tomorrow is today.