14 “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! 15 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.”
It is enough! That’s what Joshua is telling the people of Israel. God has demonstrated more than enough of His love, His power, and His mercy on their behalf to make the decision to serve Him an easy one.
But serving God requires a dedication that “puts away” the gods you once served. In other words, adding God to your focus isn’t sufficient. You must remove the other priorities from your life and give yourself fully to His path.
You see, many of the people of Israel tried worshipping God and maintaining their connection to the gods of the world around them. That way they didn’t stand out as too different from their neighbors and they could still chase after the things their culture seemed to prize.
Joshua would likely confront us with the same choice. God has found many ways to prove His love, power, and mercy for us. Are we willing to lay aside our pursuits of our culture’s gods—money, position, popularity, power, etc.—and give ourselves totally for Him?
– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
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