Part Two: Joshua’s Mandate Is Still Relevant Today

 




The Lord was with Joshua and He made him a great leader and had spread his fame throughout his lifetime. But Joshua kept in covenant and obedience to God. I would recommend you read Joshua and be amazed at all that happened such as the sun and moon standing still!

Joshua 24:15… “but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (NKJV) This is what Joshua told the people of Israel after recounting to them all what God did for them. His speech starts in Joshua 23 and in it, he told them what God has done, instructs them to love & obey God, and to not be enticed by and worship foreign gods. He told him what God has done because of their worship, faith, and obedience in God. On the other hand, he told what will happen when they abandon God and deviate from His instructions. Despite what God has done for the people of Israel, Joshua still gave them a choice of who they wanted to reverence and serve.

Let’s reference the first part of that scripture above starting with the previous verse: “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. 15But 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.” (NLT)

This is relevant today because we all have a choice in either following or rejecting God. Of course, His heart is all that might be saved and come to Him, but He knows that there those that will not. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us so we can have a High Priest interceding for us day and night. But we all have a choice just like the people of Israel to choose if we are going to serve God or if we are going to cling to our own version of gods/idols. If we have chosen to serve God, then we reap the blessing that follows but if we choose to reject Him then we choose the cursing (Deuteronomy 30). I believe we all want to experience the blessing that comes from following God but we don’t want to wholeheartedly follow Him. We don’t want let go of our gods/idols and/or ourselves (sometimes we can get in the way) and follow Him.

God wants to give you the blessing for you and your family, but will you choose it? Is it challenging to turn away from what we know, do and who we are before following God? Will our friends/family forsake us? Will the world persecute us? Maybe yes and maybe no. But I would say, the reward of following God is greater! Part of living in the blessing is knowing all the promises that He has for you, and who He is to you and what He can do for you. He declares He has plans for your life, to prosper you, and give you a great future! So, your future is secure in the hands of God! Here’s a not so secret, you are already a child of God, but He wants you to recognize that and cling to it. He just wants you to say “Yes” and He will do the rest. As I stated in the previous blog post, all you need to do is set yourself apart, pray, worship, believe, and obey God because “your tomorrow” is secure. I pray that you will choose to serve God and choose the blessing today.

The Blessing


Warm Wishes,

Carline

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 12, 2023 at 12:18 PM

    Amen. Choosing daily to follow (serve and love) God with all that is within me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CarlineJuly 13, 2023 at 5:03 AM

    Yes, striving for this everyday!

    ReplyDelete

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