but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:1,2,14,15.As you will see when you begin to read the 24th Chapter of Joshua, the blessings of God to the Children of Israel were rehearsed (recalled to their memory). And once again their covenant with God was renewed. Along with their words, their witness and vows made that day were recorded in stone. Then we see:
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel. And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. Joshua 24:22-26.Joshua 23:1-3 tells us that after the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies 'round about them, Joshua called for ALL of Israel, including their elders, judges and officers, to come and listen to him. He told them, I am old and stricken in age: And ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you. After a lifetime of faithful service to the Lord, he knew it was his time to die. He told them, And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. Joshua 23:14.
This Godly man had gone against the "popular opinion" time after time in his life--the route in life he chose meant "swimming AGAINST the stream", not being a part of the "in crowd". As he spoke before them this last time, reviewing the marvelous things God had done for them, the times of deliverance out of seemingly impossible situations, he warned them: When ye have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you. (verse 16) Then he put it to the people in VERY PLAIN terms: CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YE WILL SERVE.
Oh my! Make a choice? "But we don't WANT to have to make a choice!" We still want to worship MANY gods: god of nature, god of earth, god of trees, god of seasons, god of fertility, god of moon, sun and stars, god of money, god of music (they call it music), god of new cars, god of sports stars and ball games, god of sunday-at-the-beach, all kinds of icons and graven images, don't we?? Then if we have any time "to spare", we MIGHT throw a moment or two in the direction of THE GREAT "I AM", but not too much--don't want folks thinking we're "fanatical", you know!
"Well, God understands what we mean." YOU CAN COUNT ON IT! He understands EVEN better than we "think" we do! He told the Israelites that day through Joshua, CHOOSE! And I've got NEWS for you: He STILL says "CHOOSE"!
In THIS day and age, the WORLD counts anyone who is zealous for God a "fanatic". I said, zealous FOR GOD, I didn't say "zealous for what THEY can do", or "zealous for what power THEY can hold over people"; I said, zealous FOR GOD! There is as much difference in the two as there is in daylight and darkness, because one is of light and the other is of darkness! To be zealous FOR GOD is to walk in HIS light and HIS understanding; to be a fanatic is to glory in one's own power to hold dominion over people. That is nothing BUT darkness! The WORLD doesn't understand because it is leaning unto its own understanding!
If EVER there was a time in the lives of "Christians"--that is, CHRISTians--followers of JESUS CHRIST, a time when we need to be sure of that which we believe, it is today! If ever there was a time when we need to have our minds made up, FULLY persuaded of in Whom we believe, it is today! But oh no! We want to go the way of popular opinion, parroting that which is "politically correct", doing that which is "good in the sight of men". We are "men-pleasers", NOT God-pleasers! We let our "circumstances", our "environment" not only dictate our faith, but we let it dictate the witness of our salvation (or lack of it) too!
We have [at least] two ways of thinking about things: that which will make us a part of the "in crowd" with the world, and that which we already KNOW in our hearts and minds, but refuse to do because of how the WORLD might perceive us. Friends, we had better be about the Lord's business and leave the world and the things of the world behind! A double minded man is unstable in ALL his ways. James 1:8.
Now let's go back and pick up that verse in James, Chapter 1, in its context, verses 2-8: My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers (diverse) temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of the Senate, House of Representatives, our President, Billy Graham, Benny Hinn, Oral Roberts, the Pope, tv psychic, big name doctor, high priced lawyer...
There may be some in that list that are wise, but they are NOT the sources we are told to go to when we lack wisdom! The scripture CORRECTLY reads,
IF ANY OF YOU LACK WISDOM, LET HIM ASK OF GOD, that giveth to ALL(NOTE use of the word "ALL" there) men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A DOUBLE MINDED MAN IS UNSTABLE IN ALL HIS WAYS.And then we find in James 4:7 and 8: Submit yourselves therefore to God. RESIST the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
"Well, I just can't make up my mind, and anyway, what's the rush?" Yes, there are those, even with all that is taking place in this world today, who still ask that question, "What's the rush?" Well, here's the answer for them (and you, if you are of that mind set):
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know NOT what shall be on the morrow. For WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? It is even a VAPOUR, THAT APPEARETH FOR A LITTLE TIME, and THEN VANISHETH AWAY. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:13-17.Folks, not only are things unfolding more quickly than ever before in this world, wherein our personal safety is in more and more jeopardy, but let me tell you, old "everyday death" has not taken a vacation, either! That which comes to so many of us through our everyday lives, here on home soil, not of the scope and nature of the devastation of September 11, 2001. That which all of us are subject to meeting each and every day! Let me tell you, IF a decision FOR Christ is not made BEFORE death, it canNOT be made AFTER death! We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.) II Corinthians 6:1,2.
If EVER there was a call from the pulpits and the "Sunday School classes" of this nation for people to Make Up Your Mind, it needs to be NOW! The double-mindedness under which so many operate will not serve them when temptation or trials hit. If we are not FULLY, I said, FULLY persuaded of in Whom we trust, we'd best be getting there quickly! God has proven Himself and the power of His might to us time after time after time--we cannot say we were not warned. We cannot say we've not had the opportunity.
Oh sure, there will be those who will stand before God and TRY to tell Him, "But I never had a chance." NO, what they will be saying is, "I had not YET made up my mind, so I never had a chance." It won't wash with God, my friends. Yet, even with all the warnings that have gone forth, that are still going forth, there are those who will never make a decision for Christ, always believing that they still had "more time".
Warning: Do NOT be misled by those who preach and teach the false doctrine of "God will not make His creations to suffer"! He has given each of us a choice to make. He sent His ONLY begotten son, Jesus Christ, to live on this earth, to present Himself a sacrifice for our sins, in order to complete His PERFECT Plan of Salvation for each and every one of us! There is an everlasting destination for each of us, COMPLETELY and TOTALLY dependent upon the decision we made in THIS life, FOR or AGAINST Jesus Christ. NOT the "good works" that we do: how much we gave to this or that charity, which church we attended or how often we warmed a pew: TOTALLY and COMPLETELY dependent upon whether we made a decision to repent of our sins and surrender our lives to Jesus Christ or not.
In today's world, those who preach a straight-forward, TRUTHFUL message of the Gospel of Christ are labeled "fanatics". Festus said to Paul: And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. Acts 26:32. Still, with Paul having poured out his very heart before Festus and Agrippa that day, the response he got was, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
The world says there are ONLY TWO places where "close" counts, and one of them is horseshoes. As usual, the world is TOTALLY and completely WRONG! Let me tell you an even MORE important place where "close" counts:
to be CLOSE to being saved is to be FOREVER LOST!
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth NOT? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. INCLINE YOUR EAR, and COME UNTO ME: HEAR, and YOUR SOUL SHALL LIVE; and I will make an EVERLASTING covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. SEEK YE THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND, CALL YE UPON HIM WHILE HE IS NEAR: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For MY thoughts are NOT your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:1-3, 6-9.Make up your mind, TODAY. NONE of us have any promise of tomorrow in this life. Whether that sounds like doom and gloom, you decide, but it's not only Biblical fact, it's physical fact. Get it set in your heart RIGHT NOW, make up your mind, RIGHT NOW, who you will serve. TODAY is the day of salvation.
"Make Up Your Mind!" Copyright © 2001 by Patricia Sikes.
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