Devotional
Decisions, Decisions
By Anonymous
Ready
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve. . .but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
-Joshua 24:15 (KJV)
Set
I used to love watching the old WWF. Back when Hulk Hogan was the strongest man in the world, and Macho Man Randy Savage was leaping off the tops of steel cages with the flying elbow drop. Nothing could beat waking up Saturday morning to watch wrestling.
Even at my young age, I loved the storylines that played out like mini soap operas. My favorite scenarios were those in which a character/wrestler was torn between choosing two groups of people. One group was the "bad guys." These guys were generally the charismatic group, those who talked tough and usually had to cheat to win; but they got all the glory and put others down. The other group was the "good guys," the group that fought fair and within the rules. They never cheated and they took losses with dignity and honor, knowing that they gave their best effort. Even though it was all fake, it was interesting to see these characters struggle with what they had to do: take alliance with the bad guys and win more matches and get more title belts by cheating; or join the good guys and lose a few more matches with a clear conscience.
Don't we face this every day of our life as Christians, walking with God's team? There are decisions that we face several times a day that put us at odds with what God wants in our lives. The world around us is slowly transforming into a place that goes against God's will. In the Old Testament, Joshua was in the same boat. He was living in a world that rejected the notion of our Lord being the one true God. He saw this around him and said, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Say what you want about Joshua, but he had his priorities in order.
Remember this: we shouldn't be focused on worldly accolades. Our focus should be on our ultimate goal of Heaven. And the great thing is that when we focus on doing the will of God, we will have the ultimate victory. No matter what happens here on earth, because of Jesus' victory over sin and death, we are assured that same result.
Whenever you find yourself put in a position to go against God's word, think about Joshua and the words he spoke so long ago. Whom will you serve today?
Go
1. What are some ways you can serve the Lord today?
2. How can you focus on putting God's will first before your own?
Workout
Psalm 86:11
Matthew 6:19-21
James 4:7-8
Bible Reference:
James 4
Ministry