Pastor
Jerry was reading from Joshua 24:1-3, 14-25.
God had chosen Joshua to be the new leader and to take the children of Israel into the
promised land.
During
their long journey the people had been rebellious and at times would worship
foreign gods. Some had even brought with
them idols of the Egyptian gods.
As far as The Lord God Jehovah, their worship was merely lip service.
As far as The Lord God Jehovah, their worship was merely lip service.
Joshua
called the people together and gave them an ultimatum.
They
must make a choice because God is a jealous God and he does not want a rival.
The
people needed to make a covenant to serve God only and to put
away their false gods.
New
ground was ahead as it is for us in our lives.
For each of us there is an uncharted future ahead.
Our journey may seem strange, and it is time to make a solid
choice.
Are
we allowing tradition and religious ceremony to become our god or will we
choose to have a personal relationship with the True and Living God?
Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth,
and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River
and in Egypt .
Serve the Lord! And if it
seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for
yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers
served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the
Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord.”
The
choice was not to be made lightly but in all sincerity.
Joshua
pointed the people in the right direction by recounting all that God had done
for them; Their escape from Egypt , and how God
had fed and protected them on their long journey with the large congregation
and all their livestock.
They
had good reason to trust the Lord and serve Him with faithfulness.
Pastor reminded us of Joseph
and Mary who took a journey with the baby Jesus into Egypt to escape the wicked King.
The
Apostle Paul, and others took long missionary journeys as they proclaimed the Gospel of
Christ Jesus.
We
mark time on our journey and there are always decisions. We can say yes, or we can say no.
Pastor
gave an illustration of two frogs seated at a banquet table. One frog said to the other frog, “I truly
miss eating flies.”
Are
we like the frogs and sometimes want to eat flies? But then Kings and Queens
do not eat flies !!
In
the old country dirt roads, there often are ruts from rain, mud and previous
vehicles. It is easier to travel if you
place your tire in the rut and allow it to take you on your journey; but the
truth is the rut might take you to where you don’t want to go.
Decide
to serve The Lord God for serving Him helps you to choose relationships, work,
career, friends and blessings along the way. Serving God makes a difference in
your life.
Do we choose God’s path or demand to have our own path?
Do we choose God’s path or demand to have our own path?
Choose
to serve God and eliminate many heart aches and troubles.
God’s
way is best.
3 comments:
Blessings, Hazel! Delightful to visit again and be so blessed by this post! I have recently seen the idea of worshiping a form of church take its toll in a church body. How my heart breaks when I see glorious movements of the Lord become institutionalized through the decades and life dwindle. This is a powerful message you've shared - thank you for raising His banner high for all to see! Joy!
Kathy
God's really been emphasizing to me that we need to take Him at His Word. To truly believe Him. Like Joshua we need to decide who we serve...this is what prompted my post for this week.
Great post, Hazel. Thanks for sharing. I think God is trying to stir us up into a closer relationship with Him instead of just lip service and traditions.
Great post and wonderful analogies. I love that verse from Joshua. May that be said of me...
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