WE ALL HAVE TO SERVE SOMEONE – 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:
We all have to serve someone, don’t we? Employees serve companies
in order to receive checks. CEOs serve the stockholders. Politicians
serve the people (or at least they should). Firemen and policemen are
public servants. Mothers serve their families in order to keep order
in the home (being a mom and a housewife could possibly be the most
challenging of all jobs).

We could add many more examples, but the point is, we all serve
somebody. However, many who claim to have given their lives to
the Lord have made a choice not to serve Him in any capacity.
They have decided that it is “undesirable” to serve the Lord.

There are at least two problems with that kind of attitude.

First of all, they gratefully accept His salvation but feel no obligation
to do anything to show their appreciation (which brings into question
the sincerity of their faith). However, God’s Word tells believers to…
    Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
    them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
    Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
    commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the
    very end of the age.”
    (Mathew 28:19-20)

God calls some to become pastors, missionaries, etc. But He calls
all of us to be participants in His earthly ministry. He may not
call some of us to be full-time pastors, etc. but He expects every
believer to commit to serving Him where He calls us to serve. If
we don’t feel He wants us to serve Him, then we should ask
ourselves,
    “Am I a member of God’s family?”

Secondly, if they are not serving the Lord, then something else will
demand their service. More than likely, they will serve their own
selfish desires which are sinful and exclude the Lord.

When we look at the scriptures in Joshua, we see something very
interesting. He says,
    “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”
Joshua knew the importance of including the Lord as the foundation
of the home. The basic unit of any society, past or present, is the home.
When the home begins to break down, society is on the way to collapsing.

How many times have you heard parents say,
    “I don’t know why my kids don’t want to go to church”
However, when you look at the attendance record of the parents,
you find that they attend intermittently, or in some cases, not at
all. The kids see the lack of commitment from their parents and
decide
    “If it is not important enough for them,
      then it is certainly not important for me”

This was not the case for Joshua – he set the example for his home and kids.
There are way too many instances where parents ’send’ their children to
church instead of ‘taking’ them to church.

Without establishing the foundation of the Lord in their lives, kids are more
susceptible to gravitating toward all kinds of decadent things later in life.
As parents, we have an obligation to introduce our kids to the Lord, not
merely with words, but through actions that assure them that the Lord is
important to us.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Is serving the Lord desirable or undesirable for me?
    – Have I established the Lord as the foundation of my home?
    – What would my kids say about my faith?
          Would they consider it to be casual at best,
           or sincere, dedicated and committed?
    – How has my faith impacted my children and, or my spouse?
    – Do I worship Him on a convenience basis, or do I
       sacrifice my own desires so I can give Him top priority?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for not giving You the rightful place
in my life and in my home. I realize now that all too often I serve
‘me’ instead of ‘You’. Help me to change my priorities so that I
will establish You as the foundation of my home. I want my children
to see what genuine praise and worship looks like. Forgive me if I
have not established a proper example for my children. How easy it
is to push You to one side and superficially remember Your blessings.
Teach me to always keep you at the center of all that we do in my home.
Show me where and how I need to start serving You.”

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