Joshua 24:14-15 (NRSV) “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region 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.” [1]
In the Old Testament times, God judged people on how they lived their life. If they obeyed all the commandments of god, God would bless them but if they didn’t obey then God would curse them. The first commandment was to have no other gods.
Are we judged in the same way today?
Do we have to choose who we are going to serve?
John 15:16 (NRSV) “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.”
Jesus was talking to His disciples here. They did not see Him and decide to follow Him until He asked them to. Jesus then chose them to be His disciples. Jesus is the One who draws us to Himself. When He does this, we can surrender our lives to Him or leave Him alone. Some people call this choosing Him but we would not be able to do this unless He chooses us.
Once we have surrendered our lives to Him, then we have to choose minute by minute whether we are going to obey Him and serve Him or not. There are many idols today and many of them are not carved in stone or wood. Even Christians may have an idol or idols they have problems with. We must decide whether we are going to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and bear fruit or just have fire insurance. Don’t let the idols get in the way of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
By Dean W. Masters
homefurn@erred.com
Owner of the Masters List
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/masterslist/
Unedited redistribution approved
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[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996, c1989.