In the book of Joshua, chapter twenty-four, verse fifteen makes it clear the choice of whom we will serve. The stanza begins, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua made his choice to serve the Lord. What is our choice? There are three areas to choose from in this verse. The first choice is the living God. Joshua recaps the Israelites from the beginning of this section, where they came from before the deliverance.
The second choice is the gods which our fathers served. Joshua points out in the same chapter to the Israelites that Abraham’s father served other gods. Each person begins their life in either a godly or ungodly environment. Our choices and lifestyle will continue in the same direction until we receive an opportunity to know the truth and go from there.
The third choice is the gods of the Amorites. These people represent the ungodly lifestyle and environment we may be experiencing right now. Joshua briefly outlines to the Israelites that he gave them help to overcome the enemy, such as the Amorites, to live freely in the way God intended them to live.
In summary, it is inherent in the salvation provided by the Lord is the issue of personal choice. Each believer must continually choose whom they will serve. We must choose time after time to believe, trust, persevere in faith, to obey God and His Word. The renewal of the right choices by the believer involves several factors: The fear of the Lord, loyalty to the truth, obedience from a sincere heart, and the renunciation of sin with its sinful pleasures.
Serving the Lord will take time, patience and undergo personal trials and tribulations. The enemy will use the public to test any believer’s relationship with God by setting obstacles and challenges to cause trouble. However, we must overcome to grow and stay firm in the Lord.