Josh 24:22-23
22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” ESV
- Vs 15 states the question, “Whom will you serve?” Choosing God means removing anything else from the number 1 place in your life. Living for God will require sacrifice, sometimes things will be hard. Are you willing to follow God when it is hard? If so it is time to let go, to get rid of any areas that we have held back anything we have been doing our own way. It is time to find accountability or a witness. He used the congregation to hold each other accountable. Who will call you out if you begin to buckle when living for God isn’t easy? Prov 27:6, 12;
- I think a lot of people want to follow God and have it cost them nothing. Luke 14:27-33 says that we need to count the cost and place God above all. We need to be willing to lay down anything that would come between us and God. Following God means I need to carry my cross Matt 10:38; you need to be ready push on and stick to your word even if it causes you pain Ps 15:4. Christianity isn’t a way out of all of life’s problems.
1 Sam 2:3
3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. ESV
- Your Tongue is under your control. It doesn’t speak with out your permission. You may not think before granting your mouth permission to speak but it doesn’t speak without permission. Lord help me to take responsibility for my words. Help me to only speak what will build people up. Let no arrogant, harsh, corrupt, or degrading words come out of my mouth, help me to guard my tongue. PS 141:3; Prov 18:21;
Ps 40:8
8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” NIV
- Prov 13:19; PS 119:11; Ps 37:4;
- God give me that desire for you and your word. It appears it is a result of filling my heart with your law. Choosing what I fill my heart with is a job you gave me. Help me to fill up on and meditate on your word. Ps 103 David tells his soul to bless the lord and he does it by choosing to remember all his benefits. He chose where to focus and it changed his attitude. Lord may my meditation be pleasing you PS 104:34 If you want to see a desire for God and his word read PS 119. The overwhelming theme for that chapter is a love for God’s word which seems to be an overflow of his heart of what he has stuck inside. Over and over it talks about how he meditates on God’s word. Ps 119:15-16 talks about how he meditates on God’s word which results in vs 16 which is delight in God’s word. It becomes his joy and desire. Lord, help me choose to meditate on things pleasing to you. My desire and my beliefs determine my choices and actions. No wonder renewing my mind is so important Rom 12:2. God grant me your way of thinking. Let me see the world through the filter of your word, so I can see what you see and want what you want.
Prov 10:19
19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
NIV
- Prov 10:8, 10, 18:2; 18:21; Ecc 5:3
- Do you know when to hold your tongue?
Deut 29:18
8 Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit,
ESV
- “Beware” implies that if one is not careful this will happen. He warns that if we don’t watch against it our heart will go off course. 2 Chron 12:14; We have to choose on purpose the course of our heart, then we have to watch carefully to make sure we stay on course.
- We are also warned about a root that will bear poisonous and bitter fruit. Lord have I let anything take root that is producing bad fruit? Is their anything in me producing, bad attitudes, resentment, un-forgiveness, anger, jealousy, hatred, greed, or just plain selfishness? Have I given the room or a foot hold for the devil in any part of my life? Eph 4:27; A seed so small becomes such a great tree, a comprise so small becomes such a great fall. Eccl 10:1;
- God I ask that you help uproot anything that would take my heart off course or produce ungodly fruit in my life
Matt 26:38
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” ESV
- Through this whole chapter we see that Jesus was thinking about what was to come. He makes 12 references to what is about to happen before he is arrested in Matthew 26. I can’t imagine what it would be like knowing what he was walking into.
- Why not walk away, he had the option (vs 53) . Heb 12:2, says he went through it all looking forward to me. God I am sorry for my sin my rebellion, my idolatry, my selfishness. God thank you for paying the price that I couldn’t pay. Thank you for enduring the cross for me. There are no words that can thank you for what you went through on my behalf. Help me to live a life of service to you out of gratitude. God how is it that you would die for me. For all sinners. How is it that you would die not just for those who would turn to you, but you did it to offer forgiveness even to those who would reject you. God your love is far beyond my comprehension. I ask that you would fill me with it. God I want to live for you. I want to show others the love that you showed me. I want to introduce them to my loving savior that died for them.
Deut 1:6
6 “The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. ESV
- We often keep walking around in the same problem. Deut 2:3; There are a lot of problems not cured by time. They take a change in action. As long as you keep doing the same thing you will keep getting the same result.
