Who Will You Serve?

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15)

Joshua finished leading the Israelites into the land. He completed the work that God had given him and he now faced the end of his life. Many people die years before their bodies do, but Joshua (like Moses) was alive and well until the day he died. He assembles the troops and gives them a pep talk. He assembles all the people and reminds them of all that the LORD had done for them and challenges them to renew their covenant with God. When he was finished with the reminders, he challenges them to make a commitment. He calls on them to choose.
I like that! God gives them the right to choose. He brought them safely to the promised land and delivered their enemies into their hands and given them blessing beyond their imaginations, but still gives them the option to choose to serve someone or something other than Him. In this case, God is pro-choice. He could have made man to be like a parrot, to sit on his shoulder and repeat what He said. Instead, He made man with a free will and gave him the ability to choose. The Israelites could (and eventually would) choose to serve other gods. He had been completely faithful to His promise. (Joshua 21:43-45) "Not one of all of the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." Every single one was fulfilled!
Let's think about that.....God had been faithful in keeping His promises, yet He gives those that he blessed the right to choose whether or not to serve Him.
What can we learn about God from His treatment of the nation of Israel? Can we apply any of this to our relationship with Him today?
In Acts 2, Jesus has ascended to Heaven and sent His Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The apostles are gathered in one place and receive the Holy Spirit and Peter preaches the first gospel sermon. The church is established and people begin to choose who they will serve.
 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:36-40)
God makes another promise and then allows people to choose who they will serve. They are called to "repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins". They must choose, I must choose. They are told that the "promise is for them and all that God would call". They must choose, I must choose. They are told to "save themselves from this corrupt generation". They must choose, I must choose.
Salvation is a choice. We were not born into it. We do not inherit it from our parents. Just as in the day of Joshua, God is pro-choice when it comes to serving Him. We must decide this day who will will serve. Will it be self? Will it be wife or husband? Will it be boss? Will it be some other god? The LORD allows us to choose, but He insists that we choose. We cannot sit on the fence; it is Him or not Him. That is the choice.
May you choose to serve the God that offers salvation through His Son. The choice is free, the value of the choice is eternal. As our minister said this past Sunday in a quote from Indiana Jones....."you must choose, but choose wisely".