April 7
“WITH ALL FAITHFULNESS”
DAILY
KEY SCRIPTURE: “Now
fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your
forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in
Joshua 24:14
What comes to your mind when you think of the word
“faithfulness”? Norman Geisler, as a child, went to a
daily
The question has been asked, what if that bus driver had
given up on Geisler at 395?
Another question is, what if the bus driver had said,
"This kid is going nowhere spiritually, why waste any more time on him?" The faithfulness of that bus driver to pick
Joshua was not just calling the people to fear the Lord and serve Him. Joshua makes it clear that God is to be feared and served with all faithfulness. Partial faithfulness is not true faithfulness. God requires more than token faithfulness. He wants all of our faithfulness.
To serve the Lord with all faithfulness is to serve the Lord with integrity, moral uprightness, and steadfastness. Faithfulness is revealed in circumstances that test a person’s commitments to truth, responsibility, and honesty. To serve the Lord with all faithfulness carries the concept of totality. The word was used most often in regards to a perfect animal for sacrifice. In other words, serve the Lord with the very best you have to offer Him.
“O may all who come
behind us find us faithful;
May the fire of our
devotion light their way.
May the footprints
that we leave lead them to believe,
And the lives we live
inspire them to obey.
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.” Jon Mohr
April 8
“CHOOSE FOR YOURSELVES”
DAILY
KEY SCRIPTURE: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable
to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you
will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my
household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua
24:15
The other morning I was talking with our 8 year old daughter, Amanda, about what she was going to wear that day. On her bed were several outfits that had been set out as she was making her choice. She said, “Dad, how cold is it going to be today?” I responded to her question, and then she made her decision. The clothes she chose that day would not have been my choice for her. One of my favorite outfits she wears from time to time was turned down. However, it was not my choice, it was hers. When Amanda was a baby, some things seemed easier. She did not wear what she chose, but what the person who dressed her chose for her to wear. However, there came a day when Amanda began to make her own choices in a lot of areas, including her clothes.
Life is filled with many personal choices. Choosing to serve God is a personal choice with personal responsibility. As Amanda chooses her own clothes, she will choose how she lives her life. Sharon and I have the responsibility and privilege of teaching, guiding, overseeing, and equipping her to live for God, and to live life to the fullest through Christ, but ultimately, she will make her own personal choices.
Each one of us will make personal choices today. The choice to serve God faithfully is a personal choice that will impact the other choices of our daily lives. A personal choice to serve God in response to His gracious love will impact what you do and say. A choice to serve the Lord impacts how we spend time, and who we spend time with. A choice to serve the Lord impacts the way we live, as well as who we live for.
Today will be filled with many choices. Each one of us must take responsibility for the choices we make today. Take a few moments to prayerfully reflect on the choices you made yesterday, searching your heart and praying accordingly. Ask God to help you make the right choices today. God wants to help you serve the Lord in all you do today, and every choice you make.
April 9
“FAR BE IT FROM US TO FORSAKE THE LORD”
DAILY
KEY SCRIPTURE: “Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from
us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!’” Joshua 24:16
What comes to your mind when you hear the words, “to forsake the Lord?” According to Webster dictionary, to forsake is to oppose, refuse, renounce, quit, leave entirely, or to desert. When the people heard the plea of Joshua, they responded that forsaking God to serve other gods would be the last thing they would do. Joshua made it clear to them that in order to serve God they had to forsake other gods. The issue before them was related to what they were they going to forsake. Were they going to forsake and throw away other gods, or were they going to forsake God? They responded that they would not forsake God.
An example of the call not to forsake God in the Old Testament would be when Azariah addressed King Asa and said, “…Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” II Chronicles 15:2. Joshua had made it very clear that it was a serious decision with consequences. It was not to be made lightly.
To follow God meant not following other gods. Serving God meant not following other gods. To follow the true God, the people must forsake false gods and evil practices, and commit themselves to following the true God. Isaiah the prophet said, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” Isaiah 55:6
Joshua was talking to the people about serving God in a way that resulted in a changed life and changed behavior. When the people said we will not forsake the Lord, they were confirming they would do what Joshua had instructed, which was to throw away the other gods. He was talking about true repentance. If you were driving down the street and discovered you were going the wrong way down a one way street, you might feel bad, and even sorry that you were doing it. However, if you did not change direction and turn around and go the right way, the knowledge that you were going the wrong way had no real impact. True repentance is turning from. It is a change of direction.
God was calling for a change of direction in the way the
people lived. To not forsake God meant they would have to forsake evil and
other gods, and change the direction they were going. With your commitment to
follow God, are there some changes in direction God wants you to make today?
April 10
“THE GOD WHO BROUGHT US OUT”
DAILY
KEY SCRIPTURE: “It was the Lord our God himself who brought
us and our fathers up out of
What has God done for you? I would like to encourage you to pause for a moment and prayerfully reflect on some of the things God has done for you. Reflect on where you are today, and where He brought you from. Consider the bonds of sin and habit God has freed you from, the strength, help, peace, and comfort God has given you. Think about the things God has protected you from, and the wonderful things God has done for you.
Joshua is reminding the people of what God had brought them out of, and what He had done for them, and those before them. He is revealing God’s divine care for His people. We serve a God who cares about us and for us. The Psalmist wrote, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22. The prophet, Nahum, wrote, “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7
We serve a God who, not only has done so many wonderful things for His people in the past, but is still doing great things for His people today. He still brings people out of the bondage of sin. God still sets His people free from the chains of yesterday, and leads us into a new today.
“My heart was
distressed ‘neath Jehovah’s dread frown,
And low in the pit
where my sins dragged me down.
I cried to the Lord
from the deep, miry clay,
Who tenderly brought
me out to golden day.
He brought me out of
the miry clay;
He set my feet on the
Rock to stay;
He puts a song in my
soul today,
A song of praise, hallelujah!”
Henry Zelley and Henry Gilmour
April 11
“WE TOO WILL SERVE THE LORD”
DAILY
KEY SCRIPTURE: “And the Lord drove out before us all the
nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the
Lord, because he is our God.”
Joshua 24:18
What words would your neighbors use to describe you and your family? Words like busy, noisy, never home, quiet, good neighbors, friendly, they keep to themselves, good gardeners, lousy caretakers of their property, they are always washing their car, and numerous other words and phrases might come to your mind? What words would you like your neighbors to use when they describe you and your family?
Joshua had made this passionate declaration to the people. He said, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15b. He erased any doubt, question, or uncertainty, and clearly established the direction and focus of his family. The people of God were responding that they too will serve the Lord because of who God is. They also wanted to be known as families of God who serve the Lord.
What words come to your mind as you think about the characteristics of a family that chooses to serve the Lord? In other words, think about the practical aspects, priorities, and actions of a family of God, committed to serving God. For example, you might read Matthew 6:33 and reflect on what it means to be a family with Kingdom values and priorities. The verse says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
Another Scripture that comes to mind that might be helpful in prayerful reflection is Romans 12:1-2. It says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Have you and your family chosen to serve the Lord? Take a few moments to reflect on what it means for you and your family to serve the Lord. Are there some changes that God would have you make? Spend some time in prayer asking God to show you any changes He desires you to make, and help you and your family be the family that He desires you to be.