Devotional

Serve the Lord

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." -Joshua 24:15, NIV

Near the end of his life, the great warrior Joshua addressed the children of Israel. Now that they were in the Promised Land, they would have to decide where their spiritual allegiance would lie, with the God of their fathers or the gods of their newly conquered land. With boldness Joshua proclaimed that he had made his choice, he and his family would serve the Lord.

Every couple must make this decision for their families. It not only determines their future, but also that of their children. To choose to serve the Lord will bring peace and blessing to the family both now and in the future. “All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Is. 54:13). “The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him” (Prov. 20:7). The influence goes even beyond our children to our “children’s children” (Ps. 103:17) and our “descendants’ descendants” (Is. 59:21).

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, and let that choice be to serve the Lord!

Joshua