Wednesday Words of Encouragement

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Joshua 24:14-15 ~

 “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse 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.”

I have heard comments from quite a few people in our church lately.  They go something like this, "I think God is going to do something big here."  "I've gotten the sense that something good is going to happen."  "I can feel God moving here lately."  These comments warm my heart tremendously. 

 For the past year,  Dan & I have been praying that the Lord would rattle people and shake them up and open their eyes to Him. We've been praying that He would revive people's hearts.  We have been praying that they would get on fire for Him.  It seems as if He is starting to answer that prayer.

In this passage of scripture, Joshua has come to the end of his life.  He is offering final words of counsel to his people.  It is his farewell address.  I love what he has to say to them.  He is telling them to make up their minds.  They can't have a foot in both worlds and the time has come for them to make a decision.  They must decide to either follow the "gods" of Egypt and the surrounding nations or follow the Lord.  Then Joshua sums it up by telling them that he and his household are on the side of God.

I think that's true of not only our own congregation, but many Christians.  They have a decision to make.  We don't worship idols of stone any more, but many do worship the idol of success and security and safety.  They worship the god of money and comfort.  They choose to live lukewarm lives.

There is a decision to make.  Will you continue to keep a foot in both worlds?  Will you continue to do your own thing and keep God in the back seat during the week and then show up and pay Him lip service on Sunday?  Or will you decide that you are going to plunge into the waters of faith and serve Him wholeheartedly wherever He calls you?

 The time has come to make a decision.  Don't sit on the fence.  Don't waver back and forth.  Make a decision today to serve Him with all faithfulness.  Jump into the water!  It's beautiful.

 As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind.

Comments

  1. JanSeptember 11, 2013 at 10:04 AM

    Excellent post-thank you! This is something I need everyday.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2013 at 11:53 AM

    One of my favorite verses. Thanks, Terri, for posting this.

    Debbi

    P.S. I ordered one of your new books. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriSeptember 11, 2013 at 12:03 PM

      Thank you, Debbi! When you are finished with it, would you be willing to leave a review on Amazon? Thanks!

      Delete

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