WE ALL HAVE TO SERVE SOMEBODY – WHO DO YOU SERVE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“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)

MEDITATION:
Where would the planets be without the sun? There would be no
uniformity and consistency of the solar system. The sun is what
holds the solar system together. It is the center of our universe
and God gave it exactly what was needed to keep the planets
organized and in their proper place.

If God was not involved with the solar system, then the orbits of
the planets could become disorganized resulting in chaos across
the universe. We can see the value of God being the center of all
His creations.

Society is much like the solar system without God. When God is
excluded from society, then we can expect all kinds of problems,
disorganization and chaos. This is what happens whenever we do
not have His presence to provide guidelines for proper living with
one another. Mankind has decided that God is not needed, but
mankind is wrong!

Without God, we are left with our own efforts to try and keep everything
organized. The problem with our efforts is, there are multiple guidelines,
which means some clash with others. As an example, mankind has created
many governments in their efforts to establish some guidelines, but as we
have seen, there are still countless problems throughout the world.

The government of one country is organized entirely different and
has different rules than the government of other countries. When
the philosophies of two governments conflict, wars can often be the
result. Each country feels that all countries should have the same
organization and guidelines as theirs.

However, whenever one country defeats another country in war, it does
not guarantee that the losing country will embrace the principles of the
victorious country. Mankind just does not have the capability of doing
what God can do. And yet, both countries refuse to follow the guidelines
God has established for mankind.

So, we see all kinds of evil abounding throughout the world. There are
senseless killings, which could be a result of devaluing life (beginning
in the womb). Robberies are increasing every day since mankind has
ignored God’s commands not to steal.

In essence, most of the problems we see in a world without God is the
result of selfishness. Mankind has decided to exclude God because He
gets in the way of their selfish desires to fulfill their own pleasures
(although it is difficult to understand how anyone can find pleasure
in senseless killings).

We have seen the importance of God being the center of the universe
and the world we live in, but what about our families? Shouldn’t God
be the center of our families as well? Of course He should be, and it is
each family’s responsibility to include Him.

With the increase of divorces, we can surmise that many families
have decided that God will not be the center of their home. Just
like the planets fly apart without God’s involvement, the home
can fly apart without God to hold it together. Without God, the
structure of the family is fragile and can be easily broken.

The home is the basic unit of society, and we can see how society has
been impacted because many families are not glued together by God
and His principles. Without God as the center of the home, His rules
and commands are missing. As a result, each member of the family
unit chases after their own selfish desires.

Spouses fail to appreciate the one God has chosen for them, and they
begin to look for others to fulfill their own ideas of marriage. Children
become attracted to whatever guidelines their friends have established.
Kids can become disrespectful to their parents as they pursue their own
desires.

To them, parents are like cops telling them what they can and cannot
do. Without the love of God in their parents, they look for love in all
the wrong places. In some cases, that is probably why we have seen an
increase in teenage pregnancies and children being born out of wedlock.

Without God’s established rules to guide them, many have decided to
create their own rules which say that living together is okay and marriage
is not a requirement. Some have grown up in church, but experienced a
bad marriage that ended in divorce. As a result, they have decided that
God’s laws didn’t work for them, so when they find someone else they
are attracted to and abandon God’s guidelines as they pursue their own
desires.

The sad part is, some have children, and when they decide to live with
someone outside the bonds of marriage, their children are taught that
they don’t have to respect and obey God’s laws. The parents propagate
their own ideas to their children, and forget that God says,
    “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who
      believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them
      to have a large millstone hung around their neck and
      to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
      (Matthew 18:6)

Steering children away from the principles of God is serious business
and we will be held accountable for teaching them the wrong ideas
about marriage. God expects us to teach our children His principles
through our words and actions. Our children look to us for guidelines
to follow. Even if they don’t like it when we teach them God’s principles,
they still look to us for instructions.

Our children want us to show them that our faith is genuine by our
words and deeds, and by our consistency in worshipping the God we
claim to believe in. If we don’t show the genuineness of our faith, then
why would they be attracted to God? If they can’t believe our faith is
real, then they are unlikely to believe anything else we say.

ACTION:
Do you have unity and happiness in your home? Is God the center
of your home? Have you allowed your own selfish desires to exclude
God from your home?

Are you misguiding your children through your actions? Would
your children say they have seen a sincere and consistent faith in
you? Have you thought about the seriousness of your responsibility
to teach your children the right principles? Does the way you live
your life point your children toward God, or away from Him?

God’s Word is clear:
    Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
    in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
    Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
    (Proverbs 3:5-7)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me if I have pushed You aside
and not included You in my family unit. Help me to repair
any damage I have caused due to trying to fulfill my selfish
desires. Show me how to teach my children that my faith is
real and that worshipping You is important to me. I pray
that You will help me to always keep You at the center of
everything we do in our home. Thank You for the principles
and guidelines You have given us in Your Word. My desire
is to have a home without chaos and I know that when we
allow You to guide us, we can experience happiness and
order. We may still have problems at times, but I have
confidence that You will give us what we need to cope
with, and resolve them.”

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