Tuesday
Read Joshua 24:1-2a and 14-18
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel
together at Shechem. He called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the
officers of Israel, and they came into the presence of God. 2 Joshua said to
all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has to say: ‘Long
ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and worshiped
other gods...
14 “Now then,” Joshua continued, “honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. 15 If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord.”
16 The people replied, “We would never leave the Lord to serve other gods! 17 The Lord our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt, and we saw the miracles that he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. 18 As we advanced into this land, the Lord drove out all the Amorites who lived here. So we also will serve the Lord; he is our God.”
14 “Now then,” Joshua continued, “honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. 15 If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord.”
16 The people replied, “We would never leave the Lord to serve other gods! 17 The Lord our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt, and we saw the miracles that he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. 18 As we advanced into this land, the Lord drove out all the Amorites who lived here. So we also will serve the Lord; he is our God.”
Think
As Joshua leads the people of Israel into
the promised land he invites them to choose their God. To let go of the gods of their past and to
follow the Lord who delivered them. When
we choose to worship the Lord we choose to adopt the Lord's values of justice
and love.
Pray
Lord I choose to serve you, but I am
constantly distracted by other things, teach me to hold on to your values and
to your love.
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