30 August Revd Andy Chislett-McDonald

Whom do you serve. Scripture, reflection and prayer.
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Joshua 24:14-18 "“Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region 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.”

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” "

Reflection.
 "As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

In the Lord of the Rings, a wizard, who has gone bad, builds an army of humanoid monsters. He asks one of them, "Whom do you serve." Knowing whom is your Lord and Master is so very important.  

Joshua is posing just this question to the Israelites.  He asks the people to choose. The Lord or other locally regarded deities. (For those who notice these things, the Bible is not yet strongly monotheistic. It is worth noting that revelation in Scripture does develop through time as the inspired writers come to better understand God and their own place in creation).

The people, though often flawed in their decsions, make the wisest and best choice now.  Like Joshua, they choose to follow the Lord. They choose to follow our Lord. God has been very good to them and they know this. "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord our God."

"As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

What choice are we making? Whom do we serve? What say we?

"As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Prayer. Lord Jesus, help us, please, to choose you each and every day. Amen.
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(I do you hope you are enjoying revisting some of these foundational and amazing people from the Old Testament)