Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth".... 15 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".... "or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
This passage of scripture teaches us that we all have a choice to make, of whether to serve the God of heaven, or the many other false gods that have come upon stage of action. In this instance, a deliberate choice on the part of Joshua and his family members was made in favor of serving God, and he would not allow popular sentiment to the contrary to interfere with, or alter in any way, his views and service to God. In other words, what Joshua was saying to the Hebrews is that regardless of the choices they made, he and his entire family would serve God anyway.
This sort of deliberate choice by Joshua is not of the superficial kind, for it is a well thought out decision to make choices that are in harmony with God's revealed will, as situations and experiences unfold across the entire spectrum of life. Thus, in both his public and private life, he would be found faithful, always bringing the principles of God's kingdom to bear directly on whatsoever situation may occur during the day.
Choosing to serve God involves much more than many Christians realize, for it involves interfacing all of life's experiences with "It is written". In other words, the majority, popular sentiment, pertaining to moral issues, are never allowed to take preeminence in our thinking, just so that we will not be viewed as being queer.Truth will never be popular, and therefore, we are counseled to stand firm for righteousness, even though at times it may seem as if the whole world is on board with opposing theories. Christ alluded to this very same situation when describing the only two options available to all people. Let's read:
Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
(Spiritual gifts vol. 1 pp. 174 and 175) A train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole world was on board. Then he showed me the conductor, who looked like a stately fair person, whom all the passengers looked up to and reverenced. I was perplexed, and asked my attending angel who it was. Said he, It is Satan. He is the conductor in the form of an angel of light. He has taken the world captive.
They are given over to strong delusions, to believe a lie that they may be damned. His agent, the next highest in order to him, is the engineer, and others of his agents are employed in different offices as he may need them, and they are all going with lightning speed to perdition. I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade me look in an opposite direction, and I saw a little company traveling a narrow pathway. All seemed to be firmly united, and bound together by the truth.
It behooves us then to make those choices that will place us on the right side of history, for serving God is included in the everyday decisions of life. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to serve and worship God alone, for nothing and no one else is worthy of our praise. Let's read:
Psalm 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!