Readings for today: Joshua 23-24, Judges 1
Who do you worship? Whom will you serve? It’s the fundamental question every single human being must answer for themselves. Will you worship and serve the Lord or will you worship and serve other gods? It’s also a question we don’t just answer one time in our lives. In a very real sense, we must ask ourselves this question every single day. Who will I worship today? Who will I serve today? Will it be me? Will it be money? Will it be success? Will it be a particular celebrity or political figure? Or will it be the God who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ? Who we choose to worship determines how we spend our time, our money, our energy, and attention. Who we choose to serve determines how we prioritize our lives. If we worship and serve the Lord, we will put Him first, others second, and ourselves third. If we worship and serve other gods, we will put ourselves first which results in all kinds of brokenness and pain.
The people of Israel faced this choice. They were in the midst of another major leadership transition. Moses was long gone and now his successor, Joshua, had reached the end of his own long life. Unlike with Moses, there doesn’t seem to be a clear succession plan. This makes sense on some level because the different tribes were now about to go their separate ways and inhabit their respective territories. They would each now need to raise up their own leaders. In his final address to the people, Joshua recounts everything God had done for them going all the way back to the beginning. Back to when Abraham and his family were still living in Ur. It’s a stirring testimony with one underlying warning…the worship of other gods. Terah worshipped other gods when he lived beyond the River Euphrates. Their ancestors worshipped other gods when they were enslaved in Egypt. They themselves were tempted to worship the gods of the different tribes they met as they journeyed through the wilderness. (Remember the incident at Peor that cost them so dearly.) And now they found themselves in the Promised Land where once again they would be tempted to worship and serve the gods of the Canaanites. So Joshua issues a powerful charge to them. “If you have no desire to worship the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the Lord!” (Joshua 24:15 NET)
Choose this day. Choose today. Choose right now. In this moment. Will you worship other gods? The gods our culture lifts up for veneration? The false gods of other religions? The gods of our own making? Or will you worship and serve the Lord?
Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays