In my attempts to exercise in the morning, I have found one simple habit that makes me much more likely to actually exercise like I planned: setting out my clothes and shoes the night before. As I see my gym clothes set out with my tennis shoes, I am reminded of something important: I already decided the night before that I was going to get exercise. That reminder motivates me to take the steps to exercise, which I had already planned the night before. On a much larger scale, when it comes to becoming spiritually stronger, we can decide today to love God with all our strength and let that decision motivate all our actions going forward. That was the message of Joshua to the people of Israel in Joshua 24:15: “Choose today whom you will serve.”
Joshua chapter 24 records some of Joshua’s final words to Israel. Earlier this week, we studied Joshua’s calling to lead Israel and how Joshua led the Israelites with strength and courage as they faced obstacles on their way to the land that God had promised them. Now, in Joshua 24, Joshua was an older man, and he knew his death was imminent, so he gave some final words to the Israelites. As he spoke to them, he warned them not to worship anyone else but the one true God. He said, “Fear the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly. Put away forever with the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone” (verse 14). They had an important decision to make. They could serve false gods around them and face the consequences for their idolatry, or they could worship that one, true God. Then, Joshua spoke these poignant words: “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (verse 15). Joshua was surefooted. He was unshakable. He would not waver. He would serve the Lord. His family would serve the Lord. He had pre-determined. Because he had predetermined that He would serve the Lord, he would not be swayed when temptations came or have to second-guess how he would respond during difficulties. He had chosen whom he and his family would serve, and it was the Lord.
Whom will you serve today, my friend? Will you commit to following Joshua’s example, serving the Lord over everything else? Decide today so that when temptation comes, when difficult decisions need to be made, you will love the Lord with all your strength, saying “no” to this world and “yes” to Him. He alone is worthy of all of your attention, worship, and obedience.
What is a step that you can take today that you can take to serve God with your strength, everything in you? Can you take a step of courage and share your faith with someone who is far from Christ? Is that commitment signing up for a small group where you can grow in your faith alongside other followers of Christ? Maybe that step to love God with your strength is to take a step of obedience, even though you do not fully understand what God is calling you to do or why He is calling you to do it. Take that step today, without putting it off for tomorrow. Determine today that you will serve and love God with every last drop of your strength.
1Then Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers. So they came and presented themselves to God.
2 Joshua said to the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought terrible plagues on Egypt; and afterward I brought you out as a free people. 6 But when your ancestors arrived at the Red Sea, the Egyptians chased after you with chariots and charioteers. 7 When your ancestors cried out to the Lord, I put darkness between you and the Egyptians. I brought the sea crashing down on the Egyptians, drowning them. With your very own eyes you saw what I did. Then you lived in the wilderness for many years.
8 “Finally, I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land. 9 Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, started a war against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to him. Instead, I made Balaam bless you, and so I rescued you from Balak.
11 “When you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them. 12 And I sent terror ahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. It was not your swords or bows that brought you victory. 13 I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build—the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.
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.”
16 The people replied, “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods. 17 For the Lord our God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us. 18 It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the Lord, for he alone is our God.”
19 Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”
21 But the people answered Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!”
22 “You are a witness to your own decision,” Joshua said. “You have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes,” they replied, “we are witnesses to what we have said.”
23 “All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of the Lord. 26 Joshua recorded these things in the Book of God’s Instructions. As a reminder of their agreement, he took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the terebinth tree beside the Tabernacle of the Lord.
27 Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.”
28 Then Joshua sent all the people away to their own homelands.
29 After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. 30 They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the plot of land Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for 100 pieces of silver. This land was located in the territory allotted to the descendants of Joseph.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron also died. He was buried in the hill country of Ephraim, in the town of Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas.
