Life is filled with choices. At the end of Joshua’s life, he tells the Israelites, “Choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship—the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD” (Josh. 24:15). Throughout history, God has called people to make a choice. We do not choose to be born and we do not choose when and where to die, but we do choose how to live our life. We make our choices and our choices make us. Here are four of the best choices we can make:
The Length of Your Life
Joshua was 110 years old when he died (Josh. 24:29). People are living longer today than they were 20 years ago. Even the world talks about choices you can make to extend your life and certainly the quality of life. Stop smoking, get physical activity, avoid overeating, avoid drunkenness, get good sleep, manage stress, have positive relationships, find purpose. Choose to live! Jesus said, “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance” (Jn. 10:10). God has so much more He wants to do in your life. Your life will be so much better if you give it all to Jesus. It will not solve all your problems, but you will live for Someone bigger than your problems!
The Love of Your Life
Choosing who and what we love also defines our life. Joshua urged the people, “Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left” (Josh. 23:6). Jesus defeated the devil with the Word of God saying, “It is written.” Love the Word of God! Joshua goes on, “One of you routed a thousand because the LORD your God was fighting for you, as he promised. So diligently watch yourselves! Love the LORD your God!” (Josh. 23:10-11). If God be for us who can be against us? When God is fighting for us, the odds are in our favor! It is not about keeping the law and rules and regulations. It is about a relationship. We serve Him not because we have to but because we want to. We love Him because He first loved us. Finally, Joshua warned against becoming loyal to other nations and intermarrying with them (Josh. 23:12-13). He is not talking about race but religion. Paul said, “Do not be yoked together with those who do not believe. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14).
The Legacy of Your Life
Right before Joshua died he “summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers…” (Josh. 23:2). Joshua called all the leaders together and then he spoke to all the congregation, all the tribes. He recounts the faithfulness of God. Their story is our story. Remember where God brought you from. There are no self-made people. If you ever see a turtle on a fence post, just remember it did not get there by itself! There is so much in the Bible about “Do not forget.” Joshua recounts the miracles of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Exodus, plagues, parting of the Red Sea, the Jordan River, and Jericho, and says look at where you are today! Keep telling the stories of what God has done in your life. Joshua did not leave a successor like Moses left Joshua. It proved to be disastrous. There is no success without succession! One day we are going to die. Make sure you leave a lasting and eternal legacy. How you honor God with your life and resources communicates to your family how much you love God. We have to make sure what we do ends up in heaven. Social justice without spiritual justice is not justice at all. If you feed the planet and they go to hell, you lose and they lose.
The Lord of Your Life
Joshua’s big statement of choosing who to serve is followed by him saying, “You will not be able to worship the Lord, because he is a holy God” (Josh. 24:19). Joshua warned God’s people that they had to obey all of God’s commands to remain in covenant relationship with Him. Then he told them they can’t do it on their own. That is why Jesus came. Jesus obeyed all of God’s commands and through His death and resurrection provides eternal forgiveness and relationship with God for all who trust in Him. Everyone serves/worships someone or something. Choose is a verb. It is an action you cannot avoid. Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Mt. 12:30). Joshua told the people “today” they must choose. None of us have the promise of tomorrow. The absolute most important decision we can ever make is to choose Jesus to be the Lord of our life.
