23 Joshua said, "Now get rid of all the foreign gods you have with you. Say an unqualified Yes to God, the God of Israel."
– Joshua 24: 21, 23
Lip Service
This bit of scripture is amazing to me, yet at the same time, it hits home in a real and troubling way. I'm talking about the lip service we give to God, and to those we want to think we live "Christian" lives, and to those we don't want to know we live Christian lives . . . WHAT? Ouch!
That's right, for the most part, we sit on way too many fences (depending on our circumstances), and I have to wonder what God really thinks about our devotion to believing, and following His ways – His desire for a true love relationship with Him, and His design and overall plan for a people who will honor His name.
In this story, Joshua is trying to tell Israel that they don't measure up and that they serve way too many other gods. But Israel denies Joshua's claim and vehemently assert that they worship the One True God. Then Joshua, wise old Joshua, hits them where it hurts and basically tells them, "Look, if you say you worship God, then get rid of all the gods in your life that not only offend God, but keep you from really knowing who God is. I mean REALLY, after all He's done for you and you are still holding on to those useless things!"
You see God knows and sees and hears EVERYTHING! You can't hide your unholy obsessions. You can't cover up your "secret" sin. You can't be a liberal conservative, a push-me-pull-you, a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a two-faced, hot and cold, in-and-out, on and off again kind of believer. You can't be one thing to your non-Christian friends, and then be all "Christian-like" in church, and then go home and be who you really are, and think it pleases God. You just can't! It will catch up to you and it will ruin you in the end.
God is looking for a people who are committed to pursuing a real and true love relationship, with Him. Not for Him, not because of Him, not sometimes Him . . . but a real, genuine, 24-hour, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for all of the rest of your years, relationship where HE is God, and His Word IS Truth, and HE is your All-in-All, your first and last, your very reason for getting out of bed every morning.
God wants that from His children, and it must tear His heart to pieces because all of us – that's right I said ALL OF US – fall way short. Wouldn't you like to be the one who surprises God? The one who starts to end the broken pieces of God's heart and who gives HIM hope that His children really do love Him? What an awesome thing that would be, and I really don't think it would be that difficult. It would just take giving up the things that we want that really have nothing to do with Him; the things that take our time away from HIm; the "gods" that we have, and hold, and visit, and give time and pay attention to, more than Him. Would that be too difficult?
How about starting today? Take inventory of the things that keep you from pursuing and experiencing God. Start with just getting rid of one – it's a start right? Just one "god" in the trash with no regret or second-guessing. If we all do just one, I know God will be pleased, and it will start a journey to getting rid of two, then three, then all the rest. THEN, we will be able to confidently say . . . "No! No! We worship God!"
Prayer
Father, it is our desire to worship You. We have let other gods into our lives and we know we need to get rid of them. Help us Lord, reveal those things in our lives that are unpleasing to You and that we need to throw away in order to grow closer to You. Forgive us for giving our time and attention to them over You Lord. Forgive our sin. May this day, be the first day, that You see a change in our lives, towards You.
Have a blessed day everyone!
– Richard
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