Who do I serve?

Based on Joshua 22-24

"Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14‭-‬15

It is important to be completely sure of our commitment to God, the One True God! In these last chapters of Joshua, it talks about the different fathers of our faith on the different sides of the flood. It also talks about being on the other side of the Red Sea, separated from Egypt, and even the other side of Jordan. It's important to ask ourselves, what side of the fence are we on? Are we on The Lord's side? Can we stand firmly and defend our faith?

"And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel." Joshua 22:11

The children of Reuben, Gad & the half tribe of Manasseh had claimed an inheritance before crossing the Jordan river instead of on the other side with the rest of the tribes. Joshua had told them that they could dwell there, but they still had to fight alongside their brethren. They did so, and in going back to claim their land, they built an an altar unto The Lord. But, their altar was questioned:

"Thus saith the whole congregation of the Lord, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord , in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the Lord?"
Joshua 22:16

These tribes were not in rebellion, but in being the ones separated from the other tribes, Joshua had to be sure that they were serving God and not an idol of the other nations. It's important for us to stick with our church and build our relationship with God firmly. We need to know who we serve, because we will ultimately serve someone or something in this life...we need to be sure that Someone is God! No one, nothing, loves us like Jesus!

"Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:" Joshua 23:6‭-‬7

Joshua gave an urgent reminder to his people to serve The Lord, just like the urgent reminder we are being given today! So many desperate situations are arising. So much disease, so little cure. Some are dying, but some by the Hand of God are miraculously recovering! WE NEED GOD! WE NEED TO BE ON THE LORD'S SIDE!

"Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you." Joshua 23:13

These snares, scourges and thorns would take place through sin, and Jesus took these upon Himself for us! He took the scourge in His side-so let's be on His side! Let's serve Him with a true & pure heart. No other would sacrifice like this for us! Our God loves us! Claim it today: As for me & my house, we will serve THE LORD!

"And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel."
Joshua 24:31

Joshua's continued fervency in following God's commandments, and his urgency in encouraging Israel to do that same, allowed for generations after Joshua to serve The Lord! We need to pass this on to others, so we need to establish ourselves firmly in His Word & get just a little more serious about God! Who do I serve??