Tuesday 2 February 2016

As for me and my house

Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." – Joshua 24.14-15

The second part of this passage makes the decision personal. Joshua could not decide for anyone else about who they were going to serve. He had warned the rest of the nation and told them that they needed to make a choice, but it was all up to them.

But Joshua could decide for one family, and that same choice is still true today.

‘As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.’

It is indeed only ‘me and my house’ that I can make a decision for. It is only my family. I can’t do it for my friends or neighbours or church members or anyone else. It is only me and my house.

That really puts the onus on us. It is the parents who have the primary task of training our children to serve the Lord. It is not the church or youth group or Christian school or even worthy mentors who have that primary job. They all have their place and sometimes individuals within the home choose to serve the Lord. And, sometimes, those within a home choose not to serve the Lord when they leave.

But in the home is where service and training for service begin.

What about me and my house? What about you and your house? Are we willing to stand with Joshua?

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