As for Me and My House: Serving God Faithfully

written by: Jessie Sabin

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24: 14 – 15)

In this passage, Joshua is speaking to the Israelites about pursuing God as faithfully as He pursues us. In the verses prior, Joshua gave them a history lesson on what God had done for them, from God’s covenant with Abraham, to the fall of Jericho. Joshua mentions all these things to remind the Israelites what God has done for them.

In our fast-paced lives of the modern world, it is easy to forget the things that God has done for us, and it is good to take moments of remembrance. In Joshua 24:14, Joshua tells the Israelites, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” In other words, to fear God is to love Him, and to love God is to serve Him faithfully. If we faithfully serve God, then we will choose to toss aside all other idols. Granted, in our time other “gods” can be more like money, grades, relationships, jobs, and success — rather than the pagan gods of the ancient world. Still, such things should not become like gods in our eyes. If they do, then they hinder our walk with the Lord. Just as Joshua says in Joshua 24:15, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  

So, in short, we should toss away the “gods” that would otherwise keep us from faithfully worshipping and serving God, committing ourselves to Him and His will for us, just as Joshua told the Israelites. We need to be serving the Lord in full faithfulness and love, so that His will may be done through us. I would like to challenge you to take some time to call to memory the mighty works God has done in your life first, and then consider what might be taking God’s place in your heart–and toss them away!