Choose today

¹⁴ “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24 NLT

What a glorious time in Israel's history? The Lord had given them rest from their enemies and they finally had a home and one that was better than just an allotment of land. They had towns and houses they hadn't built and fields they hadn't sewn...a land flowing with milk and honey. They finally had peace after years of war, made many mistakes, dealt with consequences and basically went through the fire together.

When was your last battle? Are you going through one right now or perhaps feel like you are wandering through the desert? The desert of loneliness, apathy, weariness, weakness, "beatendownness", "lack of motivationalism"....
Wait! Just look beyond the Jordan.... thanks be to God the dawn is just about to appear and the night will be over soon.

When times are tough (and believe me when I say I have known many tough times), my temptation is always to give up... obviously!! That's absolutely normal. The human body and mind resist and even rebel against painful stimulation. We do things to avoid pain and God knows that. After all, he did design our beings. However, choosing to endure and be refined is choosing God. Not one of the patriarchs, prophets or apostles whom I admire became who they were without going through pain or suffering and being triumphant through endurance.
 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. James 5:10-12 NLT
 
 And I remember, No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. 1 Corith 10:13 Message

We started with Joshua's admonition to Israel but imagine his life. He had to wander through the desert for 40 years too and because of sins that he didn't commit. He was one of the faithful ones but he had to suffer along with the rest. Was that fair? He was Israel's military leader, basically. Imagine all the years that he spent fighting. I would be sick of all the bloodshed, constant strategizing and what seemed like endless wars. Why did he do it? Because he chose to serve the Lord and he knew that God would fulfill his promise to give them a home.

What can we say here and now, today even though the pain seems endless and Satan tempts us to think about ourselves to soothe the pain through our own devices.
The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.” Joshua 24:24 NLT

Don't look to the left or to the right, look up to God and Him alone. Choose today whom you will serve and let nothing stand in your way, as for me, I choose the Lord.

Melanie Reid
Dusseldorf