Joshua 24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
I am blessed to have a family heritage of service to God. Not only were Sunday's in my hometown of Bolivar dominated by church activities, but even when we would visit Grandma and Grandpa Martin at Lockwood, church clothes would be donned, and we would take the short walk across the street to First Baptist Church on Sunday mornings. I can still hear the church bell and smell that distinct odor of Pine Sol and hymnals.
Although I strayed from my Christian upbringing for a large part of my adult life, the foundation was laid during my early years. (Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6) I am so thankful to have been raised in a household where God was a focal point.
It is interesting in this verse, Joshua addresses two reasons some people choose not to serve God. First, "I wasn't raised that way." "We never went to church." "Dad worshipped God on the lake." Second, is a another reason why many do not serve the Lord- society and the pervailing world view that obedience to God is not a requirement. My ancestors did not serve God, neither does society today, so why should I? Some things never change. The people in Joshua's time, 3500 years ago, were offering the same excuses for disobedience.
"SERVE" the Lord, not just trust in, or believe in, but SERVE. Joshua's pledge is not one of just an intellectual or emotional connection with God, but one of service. Just last night I was visiting with a fellow Ridgecrestian about our Saturday work project. I was disheartened to learn that several of the service projects had to be consolidated because there were less than 200 volunteers from a church membership of over 2000. Less than 10% of the membership of an organization dedicated to God were willing to give up 3-4 hours on a Saturday morning to help out others. If these numbers are indeed accurate, shame on the Ridgecrest membership. While there are legitimate excuses, I cannot help but believe that many not signed up for Saturday are just too plain lazy and self-centered to step up.
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