WATCHWORD:
14 So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:14-15
Meditation:
But as for Me…
Ever been critical of someone? Have you ever judged another without having all the facts? Not in a courtroom, but in everyday life. Perhaps you attended a church service in a town while traveling and the order of worship and the music was so different and you couldn’t get comfortable. Or, the pastor preached on a passage of scripture that, to your mind and understanding, missed the point, and it turned you off and your worship of God came to an end. Who are you worshipping? The service? The sermon? Your own comfort?
As you read Joshua’s words, keep in mind that he has led the Israelites across the Jordan River. They had stumbled through the wilderness experience, by divine grace. They had no clear understanding of the miracles that got them there; how their basic needs were met, not by their own hands, but by the grace of God. Some were still searching for that something to trust, to rest upon for security.
Now, recognize that we all have stumbled through our own wilderness, and maybe we aren’t sure how we got through some of the difficult patches, the crises that have hit us and yet we emerged on the other side. By our own efforts? Luck? Medical science? And, oh yeah, maybe some help from God, do you suppose? Maybe God was in it all along, but you want something you can see, feel, know for certain.
Think about that statement: Choose today whom you will serve. I don’t think it’s so much a day-to-day commitment as a moment-by-moment decision. Its a choice that you and I must make. In my home I have a wall hanging with the Joshua 24:15 quote. As I consider it, I wonder; on God’s 10-point scale, where would I judge myself in serving the Lord? Would I be a seven? Maybe an eight? Yeah, about that. Then I think, what would God say? If I am honest about myself, I imagine He might say, “Keep following me, my son, with a little more effort, you could be a one!”
But God, You rated me a one? Then I realized that God does not judge that way. I follow Him or I don’t. No scale, it is either yes or no, I do or I don’t.
Here is a telling question: What gods are we serving? Seriously, is money our focal point? Our possessions? Helping the poor? Fitness? Pride? Your hair. My wardrobe? Maybe your work, or my writing or simply living comfortably, are these our gods? You and I both understand that an idol can be virtually anything that takes precedence over our relationship with God. Is that what we are doing? Giving God second place? When you are not giving God the glory, who are you worshipping?
What does it take us to offer a prayer to the Lord? A disappointment? Being treated harshly by others? Not enough funds in your checking account? What happened to pray without ceasing? The recognition that God is in ALL OF IT! The good – thank you, Lord. The bad – Help me, Lord. An average day – gratitude expressed for life. ALL OF IT!
As for me and my life, and my day, I will try hard to serve the Lord. How about you? I believe I can pray like Thomas Merton when he says the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am. But I believe that the desire to please You does please You.
So be it for you and for me. Amen.
Prayer from Merton’s Thoughts in Solitude:
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.
