Choose

““Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.””
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24:14-15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Choose

Every new day is filled with choices, some that bring blessing, and some that bring a curse. Under the sovereign will of God, we have all been given the right to make those choices, but not the right to avoid the consequences. Often we do not like the consequences that we have received, and we seek to blame God for the bad things that happen.

In reality, the Lord has given us the best choice, salvation, and He has given us His word as a guide, and for those who are of the born again, He has given us His Holy Spirit to take from that word understanding, and the power to put it into practice. If the follower of Jesus chooses to not follow, his suffering is on him.

Joshua was getting old, and it was time to give the children of Israel His parting message. He took them through the retelling of all the good things the Lord had done for them, reminding them of their faithful God. He also reminded them of all the times they had disobeyed, but the Lord had blessed them anyway.

We who are the modern day followers of the Lord, have seen the grace of God. I know personally, that the Lord has blessed me far more than I deserve, and spared me when I deserved destruction.

“So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.””
Joshua 24:16-18 NKJV

They spoke with words, but not with hearts, for they quickly turned and went after other gods, and forsook the One who had cared for them all that time. I cannot look down upon them, for I know the I am just as guilty, having forsaken the grace the Lord had shown me, so many times, choosing to pursue baser things.

The great thing about God’s grace is that is plentiful, and it, like His blessings are new each day. Because of that, I awaken to each new day facing a choice: to live for Jesus.

I choose each day who I am going to serve. In my case, I have the choice of serving the “Bernie god,” conceding to my flesh, or the saving the One, Jesus, who saved my soul.

As I have grown in the faith, I have found the true meaning of “as for me and my house…” As a converted, born again follower of Jesus, I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and I have become His house. As I mature , my body is dedicated to His will. Though I have liberty to choose, I am to glorify the Lord in my body.

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
I Corinthians 6:18-20 NKJV

I have found that the more I choose Him, the more power I have to choose Him and the less likely I am to yield to sin.

Brothers and sisters, let us choose each day to serve the Lord. I know that my self made god, is an unfaithful god, and only the Lord Jesus can deliver me. Let us all decide today who we are going to serve.

Let us also go out and proclaim it, tell all who will hear of Jesus who gave His life in exchange for ours. May we thank the Lord for His Spirit’s work in us, as He transforms us day by day. Approach each day with an eye toward knowing Him and making Him known. Focus on the “holy habits”, that serve to edify and build up in the faith.

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
Colossians 4:2-6 NKJV

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

Happy first day of Spring! Have a blessed Sunday!

#prayforukraine

https://www.allaboutgod.com/the-roman-road.htm