Day 76 - Joshua 22-24

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 76 - Joshua 22-24 (As For Me and My House, We Will Serve the Lord)
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"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 phrase "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" hangs and many living room walls including mine but what does it really mean?  Based on the context from the Scripture where it is quoted from, we learn that Joshua, the leader of Israel, has come to the end of his long life and he gathers all the tribes of Israel to impart his final words to them.

Joshua's last words to Israel were more a call to choose sides; God's side or the side of the gods of the people whom God sought to destroy because of their evil practices associated with their idols.  When we really think about it, everything in life boils down to the simple choice of choosing God's side or the Devil's side.

Joshua declares his own choice to the people, as for him and his house, they will serve the Lord.  The people also declares their choice to Joshua that they will serve the Lord their God.  Then, "Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem" (Joshua 24:25).  

If you are head of your family, you would be wise to follow the example of Joshua and publicly declare that you and your household will follow the Lord.  In doing so, you will need to stand your ground and resolve never to compromise your devotion to God despite any and all pressure to do so.  As head of your family, you will give account to God for everything that happens under your roof.

As head of my household, it has not always been easy to stand my ground when members of my family have attempted to convince me and pressure me to compromise my convictions.  But by the grace of God, I believe that I can stand before Him with a clear conscience that I have stood my ground in trying to keep my vow that, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."