Every Day is a Choice

Joshua 24:14-25

(We pick up the scripture with Joshua addressing the Israelite people):

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lorddrove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.

When we are looking for a doctor, plumber, electrician, carpenter, restaurant or just about anything else, it is easier than ever to seek advice. We can write one sentence on social media and we can have several responses within minutes. Within those responses there will most likely be some conflicting suggestions, there will be some that we definitely do not agree with, there will be other suggestions that we have never heard of and there will be suggestions of what we really wanted to hear in the first place. Now, this doesn’t just occur on social media, it happens in conversation but it is social media that allows for us to take the temperature of a lot of people at the same time. Instead of seeking advice from one or two people we really trust, social media allows for us to seek the advice of hundreds of “friends” in seconds. As we look through the comments on our post, we mentally weed through them and dismiss them as we go. We find the one or two people we really trust and take their advice anyway. It goes back to the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It really does hold true, even in today’s tech world.

In our scripture for this morning, we find Joshua asking the people of Israel to make a choice. The temptation of worshipping other gods had proven to be a difficult challenge for them. Today, the gods of the Egyptians and the Amorites are not tempting to us but Martin Luther said that anything one fears, loves and trusts above everything else, whether it be riches, self, prestige or whatever, is one’s God. Therefore, we all serve many gods. While the temptations for us today may not be exactly the same as it was for the people of Israel, the potential of serving other gods before God is still very much real. You know, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Joshua goes on to challenge the people of Israel several different times, telling them that they are not able to serve the Lord and each time the people respond by saying they will serve the Lord. What Joshua is most likely trying to do is increase the level of commitment of the Israelites, each time he can get them to say they will serve the Lord, the more likely they are to actually do it. For example, if we have a difficult task ahead of us, how do we motivate ourselves to accomplish that task? We continually tell ourselves that we can do it. We learn this technique from a little engine that could: I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Joshua is trying to encourage the Israelites in the same manner. If they repeat it enough, maybe they will actually do it. Joshua is forcing the issue here by asking them to make a choice. He encourages them to make the choice he wants them to make by using threats, maybe not the best technique by today’s standards, but it was a technique used for thousands of years. Joshua tells the Israelites that God will not forgive their sins and that if they continue to forsake the Lord that He bring disaster upon them and make an end of them. Some pretty serious threats, threats that scare them into choosing to serve God. Today, I am not trying to scare you into anything. I am just offering you an opportunity to make a choice.

Every day you have a new opportunity. You have a chance to make a choice with every breathe of each day. You can either choose to serve the Lord or not. You can choose to show others the love of Christ with all that you do or not. For God loves each of so much that He allows for us to make such a decision with every breath. God knows we will fall short despite our best efforts, yet that love still remains. I have often times found myself asking why would God continue to love me despite all the wrong choice I have made... And I think our scripture this morning helps us to find that answer. God continues to love and forgive with the hope and expectation that such love will lead to renewal in our lives, which then leads to growth in our faith and love for others in our actions. I firmly believe that God expects this from us. This is exactly why God has shown us, in countless ways, the love He has for us because He expects that this love will cause a change in our own lives. Joshua reminded the Israelites all that God had done for them as they travelled in exile with the expectation that it would cause them to rethink their faith. God expects, even demands, that when we see His love and grace that it causes some sort of change in our lives.

For if that love and grace does not cause change, then what is it good for? It is all for not if our faith and dedication to that faith is not altered when placed in the lens of God’s faithfulness, love and grace. Therefore, the choice we make each day is one God expects us to make. He has proven His faithfulness in so many ways, ways that we might not even acknowledge or see at times, and all He is asking is that we do the same with every person we come into contact with. This does not necessarily mean giving your testimony to every single person you see. It can be much more simple than that. God’s love can be seen in you without even saying a word. A simple “hello” or “have a good day” may be enough. Holding a door, sympathizing with mother, loving a child, giving to those in need are all ways to show the world that God is in your heart. There are countless other ways to accomplish the same thing but each one of them involve making a choice to do so. And just like Joshua was trying accomplish with his repetition, the more we do these things, the less they seem like a choice. We have a choice of whether or not put our shoes on each day. For Griffin, this choice seems like quite a life-altering choice some days but as we get older, it does not seem like a choice at all for it becomes second nature. Our faith and our ability to show love to others is exactly the same. At first, it can seem like a difficult choice but once we have made it and kept making it, the choice starts to become second nature.

In all honesty, this is what I meant by the expectation that God has of us. It’s not like our personal salvation is teetering on these everyday choices, for that only takes one decision to follow Christ. But someone else’s salvation may be depending on your everyday choice of following God. Have you allowed for God’s love to change you? Has the grace of God changed your perspective? Has God changed you? If so, then someone else’s salvation may be riding on the decisions and choices you make. We have a greater responsibility than self, we have a responsibility to God and to one another. When we take seriously the fact that the faith of others may depend on us, then we begin to see why God has expectations for us. This is exactly why God is so great! He created each of us uniquely so we can worship Him in our own way but also so our faith can have so many different faces. The way I approach my faith may not appeal to some people so that is why there is you. Your faith may apply differently to others. When people can see just how different faith may look like, the more likely they are to see that God loves them for exactly who they are. Everyday the choice is yours to make. I encourage each of you to keep seeking what that faith may look like and to keep growing your faith. Make the choice to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself and keep making it! If you need a little motivation, know that others may be counting on you and keep that “Little Engine that Could” in the back of your mind with a simple prayer: I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... with your help God. Amen.