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Joshua 24:15 - Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve.

Joshua 24:15 (NLT) But if you are unwilling 
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. 

INTRODUCTION

One of the most famous of Old Testament 
affirmations of faith, As for me and my household, we 
will serve the LORD [The 365-Day Devotional 
Commentary] 

   [God's] invitation is clear and 
nonnegotiable. He gives all and we give him all. Simple and 
absolute. He is clear in what he asks and clear in 
what he offers. The choice is up to us. Isn't it 
incredible that God leaves the choice to us? Think 
about it. There are many things in life we can't 
choose. We can't, for example, choose the weather. 
We can't control the economy. 
   We can't choose whether or not we are 
born with a big nose or blue eyes or a lot of 
hair. We can't even choose how people respond to 
us. 
   But we can choose where we spend 
eternity. The big choice, God leaves to us. The 
critical decision is ours. 
   That is the only decision which really 
matters. [Grace For The Moment SB By Max Lucado] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   We must inevitably be under the control 
of the one or the other of the two great powers 
that are contending for the supremacy of the 
world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to 
choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in 
order to come under its dominion. We have only to 
neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. 
If we do not co-operate with the heavenly 
agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and 
will make it his abiding place. The only defense 
against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the 
heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless 
we become vitally connected with God, we can 
never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, 
self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many 
bad habits, for the time we may part company 
with Satan; but without a vital connection with 
God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him 
moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a 
personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual 
communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall 
do his bidding in the end...  
   Every soul that refuses to give himself 
to God is under the control of another power. 
He is not his own. He may talk of freedom, but 
he is in the most abject slavery. He is not 
allowed to see the beauty of truth, for his mind is 
under the control of Satan. While he flatters 
himself that he is following the dictates of his own 
judgment, he obeys the will of the prince of darkness. 
DA324, 466 

COMMENTARY

Choose
   It seems like a choice that should have 
been made long ago. In fact, it was, at least at 
times and in certain degrees. Israelites who had 
made it to the Promised Land had already pledged 
loyalty to God and His chosen leaders at key 
moments. They had expressed their intentions. Yet 
idols remained among them (Joshua 2:23). Like many 
of us, they had been following God while 
hanging on to a supporting cast of deities. But the 
supporting cast wasn't very supporting, and in fact 
undermined their best intentions. We see that clearly 
as Scripture and history played out over the 
next few centuries; no one can truly serve 
multiple masters. One has to reign supreme. 
   That's why Joshua called the people to an 
emphatic, decisive commitment. "Choose today whom you 
will serve." God had called for this choice 
repeatedly, reminding His people that He was the one who 
had delivered them from captivity, defended 
them, protected them, provided for them, and made 
a covenant full of extravagant promises for 
them. But even at the end of the conquest, they 
needed to be called again to a choice. They needed 
to make a commitment that would stick. 
   So do we. We can't criticize ancient 
Israelites very harshly because we are guilty of the 
same pattern. We make once-and-for-all 
commitments to God again and again and again, only to 
find ourselves clinging to worthless idols years 
later. We have to remember that we were born into 
this life to love and to serve. Period. We belong 
to another, and everything He has designed for 
us is good. Every choice we make in our own 
self-interest that contradicts His choices for us is 
really a self-inflicted wound. We have to plant a 
stake in the ground as a marker forever and choose 
- not just once, but every single day - whom 
we will serve. And whatever it takes, we have 
to ensure that this commitment never fades into 
the background of our lives. [The One Year 
Heaven On Earth Devotional by Chris Tiegreen] 

Free to Choose
   When I stop and ponder deeply how the 
Creator chooses to interact with you and me, it 
takes my breath away. The source-of-life Creator 
is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and 
everywhere present. He gave us life, and then chooses 
to love you and me unconditionally and have a 
close personal relationship with us, His dearly 
beloved. But He doesn't force, cajole, or even coerce 
us to have that relationship with Him, one that 
He longs for. Rather, He leaves us completely 
free to choose Him - but only if we want to. 
Since He is the source of life, becoming His 
friend leads to even greater life. But refusing a 
relationship with Him is, in fact, selecting death. 
Embedded within each one of us is a still small voice 
(moral compass) to help us choose life rather than 
death. It gives us reliable directions as long as 
we regularly download updates through Bible 
study and prayer. If we choose not to download 
updates and choose to ignore the directions, the 
voice tends to go away and not bother us anymore. 
 
   Sometimes I wonder why God doesn't simply 
give us a DVD that shows us how and when He 
created this world. No doubt He has even better 
wireless technology than we do, making it easy for 
Him to give each of us a personal, full-color, 
3-D, surround-sound-with-mega-bass movie of what 
He did at Creation. Oh, I can feel the floor 
shaking as the thunder crashes on the fifth day. Of 
course the movie would have full documentation. 
With that information there would be no question 
that God is the Creator-God. The entire 
devil-designed flimflam yarn of naturalistic origins 
wouldn't stand a chance, and all of us would be 
convinced of the Creator's authenticity and rally 
around Him, electing to have that personal 
relationship.  
   But then I realize that this kind of 
proof would take away real choice. I would be 
forced to decide. But a true lover never forces. 
The beauty is that God gives me enough evidence 
to choose Him if I like, but He will not erase 
all doubt. I get to decide for myself. What a 
lover!  
   Lord Jesus, what a freedom is mine when I 
realize that I am free to choose to believe or not. 
Just now, for this day, I choose to believe. [God 
of Wonders by David Steen re 1 Kings 18:21, 
James 4:4] 

   I've noticed that some days, I'm all gung 
ho to serve the Lord. But there are other days 
when I don't feel nearly as determined. We all 
have these dull, unenthusiastic days, and 
sometimes we're just in a bad mood. That's why God 
challenges us each and every day to choose whom we will 
serve. It's more than a once-in-a-lifetime choice, 
more than a yearly choice, more than a daily 
choice. There are times when we have to renew our 
decision moment by moment.  
   All our choices are this way, really. We 
choose to stay in love with our spouses, we choose 
to continue to attend meetings, we choose to 
open up to our friends, we choose to be honest 
about our situations, we choose to put others 
first. So why would it be different with our 
decision to serve God? 
   The good thing is that all those mental 
gymnastics don't mean a thing. They are just feelings, 
and for the most part, feelings can't be 
trusted. So we shouldn't put ourselves down on those 
days when we're less than gung ho. We just choose 
to go on, knowing that God sees our hearts and 
knows our true motivations. 
   Father; forgive me for those low days 
when I struggle with commitment. I choose to 
choose you each and every day In Jesus' name, Amen. 
[Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional by John & Johnny 
Baker] 

ILLUSTRATIONS

   After living with quadriplegia for a 
short time, I finally got tired of being fed at 
our dinner table. But as I tried to feed myself 
with paralyzed arms, I felt like giving up. I 
wanted my arms back! Wasn't there an easier way 
than having a bent spoon inserted into the pocket 
on my leather armsplint? Then straining my weak 
shoulder muscles to scoop food on the spoon? Then 
balancing and lifting it to my mouth? It was 
humiliating to have my food land more times on my lap 
than in my mouth. 
   I could have surrendered - it would have 
been easy and many wouldn't have blamed me. But I 
had to make a choice. Was I going to let 
disappointing failures overwhelm me? I decided the 
awkwardness of feeding myself outweighed the fleeting 
satisfaction of self-pity. It pushed me to pray, O God, 
help me with this spoon! Today I can easily feed 
myself. No, I didn't recover the use of my hands, 
but I was able to leave self-pity behind, as 
well as cultivate a little bit of humility. It 
meant making the hard choice many, many times. 
   My growth in Christ can probably be 
boiled down to one word: choose. Choosing the right 
path is hard. Often we have keep pushing through 
failures. Sometimes it seems easier just to ignore 
God's instructions. But Proverbs 8:10-11 says, 
"Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge 
rather than choice gold...." 
   What a difference you can make for the 
kingdom if you will follow the lead of the Savior 
and "Choose life, so that you and your children 
may live and that you may love the Lord your 
God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. 
For the Lord is your life...." (Deuteronomy 
30:19-20). 
   Father, every day is filled with so many 
choices. Touch my awareness, open my eyes, quicken my 
understanding to the eternal implications of seeking your 
heart and choosing your path. [Joni Eareckson Tada 
Daily Devotional: 
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional] 

Why Choices Matter
   My son Jonathan and his wife, Brittni, 
were in Peru awhile ago to work on some projects 
with Compassion International. Jonathan brought 
along backpack full of toys and other things, and 
while they were hanging out with a family, 
Jonathan played soccer with a little boy named 
Anthony. 
   Then, as Jonathan and Brittni were 
getting ready to leave, Anthony ran to Jonathan, 
hugged him, and presented him with a little gift: a 
small bank in the shape of a dog. Obviously, this 
was a very precious object to Anthony. He had 
very little, yet he gave his very best to 
Jonathan. 
   What is the most precious thing to you? 
What is the most precious thing you can give to 
Jesus? Yes, you can give Him your resources. You 
can give Him your time. But most of all, you can 
give Him your life. Present your future to the 
Lord. 
   The best thing you can do with your 
future is to choose to follow Jesus Christ. That is 
the best choice. The best choices Ive made in 
my life were to give my life to Jesus Christ at 
the age of 17 and to marry a girl named Cathe. 
Those are two choices Ive never regretted. 
   And heres why choices matter: You make 
your choices, then your choices make you. You 
will never regret choosing to follow Jesus 
Christ. So make that choice now and then choose to 
dedicate your life to the Lord. 
   At the age of seventeen, I didn't have a 
lot to offer Jesus Christ. I was a confused kid. 
I had gotten into drugs and made some bad 
decisions. But I said, Here I am, Jesus. And 
whatever good has come out of my life has been God 
taking very little and multiplying it. 
   So lets give our very best to God. He 
deserves nothing less. [Greg Laurie from Harvest 
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

CLOSING APPLICATION

Better than the Worlds Best
   Can sin be fun? You might be surprised by 
my answer. Yes, of course, there is pleasure in 
sin. Otherwise, why would we do it? But its a 
short-lived pleasure. Then the problems will follow. 
Thats why we want to make the right choices. 
   Joshua stood before the people of Israel 
and said, Choose for yourselves this day whom 
you will serve. Then he added, But as for 
me and my house, we will serve the Lord 
(Joshua 24:15 NKJV). 
   Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and spoke to 
the vacillating, fickle people of Israel and 
said, How long will you falter between two 
opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him (1 Kings 
18:21 NKJV). 
   And Moses decided to choose difficulty 
over ease. Hebrews 11:25 says of him, He chose 
to share the oppression of Gods people 
instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin 
(NLT). Yet because of his right choices, he was a 
man of personal integrity. 
   Gods worst is better than the world's 
best. What is the worlds best? Its a few 
short-lived pleasures. And what is Gods worst? Its 
persecution, rejection, being mocked, and things of that 
nature.  
   On the other hand, Gods best is peace, 
purpose, meaning in this life, a relationship and 
friendship with God Himself, and the guaranteed 
assurance of Heaven beyond the grave. What is the 
worlds worst? Its misery, guilt, emptiness, and 
a future of judgment in Hell. 
   No matter what choices you make, you will 
stand before God one day. But only one road leads 
to Heaven, and its through Jesus because He 
died on the cross for our sins and rose from the 
dead. 
   If you want to know that you will go to 
Heaven when you die, you need to ask Jesus Christ 
to forgive you of your sins and begin to follow 
Him as your Savior and Lord. [Greg Laurie from 
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Joshua 24:15 - Choose This Day Whom You Will 
Serve. (update) 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2012/20120422-0937.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs