“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 24:15)
Scripture makes it clear that the heart’s allegiance determines the soul’s god. That which claims your highest esteem, deepest affection, and chiefest service is what you truly worship. The man who says he loves God but lives in daily pursuit of worldly status, possessions, or pleasure has a divided heart. Christ stated in Matthew 6:24 that no man can serve two masters. If the affections are not wholly Godward, they are scattered and unfaithful. “Love not the world,” John wrote, “neither the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15).
The choices you make each day prove where your treasure lies. If Christ has changed your heart, that change must govern your conduct and your commitments. Joshua’s declaration—“choose you this day… we will serve the LORD”—is spiritual war language. The old gods must be renounced. The idols of affection must be smashed. And the mind must be girded with the seriousness of what it means to give God preeminence. As Thomas Hobbes observed, to waver in your allegiance is spiritual treason.
Joshua stood in the midst of a people surrounded by cultural gods and national deities. Yet he did not flinch. He did not appeal to emotion or nostalgia. He did not bargain with the crowd. He spoke as the leader of a house wholly given over to God. If Christ has bought you, then your confession should be the same. The Lord must not be served casually, occasionally, or conditionally … but always, only, and entirely.
Do not presume you can give your time to worldly gain, your mind to worldly entertainment, your strength to worldly success, and then call Sunday morning devotion “service.” The soul that serves God must serve Him alone. And this requires the mortification of every sin that competes for the throne of the heart.[1]
Because God does not share His glory. He does not tolerate rivals. “He that would not have all of Christ,” wrote a wise Puritan, “would in truth have none of him.” So too, the soul that harbors even one sin with consent cannot sincerely be seeking holiness. Every known sin must be cast down. Every allegiance to self must be crucified. The Lord calls for all—mind, heart, soul, strength. He gives grace in full, so how can we return divided obedience?
The idols of the heart, whether ambition, sloth, vanity, or pride, are not neutral. They are hostile powers. They seek to claim what belongs only to the Lord. And God will not be a secondary god in any life. As Joshua asked Israel, so now you must answer: whom will you serve? The day of wavering must end. Choose this day—and every day—the Lord. In this lies peace, power, and the joy of His presence.
Contemplations:
- The necessity of mortification. Lord, our work of mortifying the natural man and his sinful desires must extend to all that raises its head for our attention and affection, especially those sins we tend to excuse away or bear with for their supposed insignificance. For it is most certain, that true mortification cannot stand side-by-side with the practice of any known sin. You will not share your reign in the heart and life with any other.
- Every sin is a transgression of God’s Law. Lord, may I be able to say with David that I have refrained, not from one or two, but “from every evil way.” He did not knowingly, willingly succumb to the practice of any one sin; knowing full well that every sin is a transgression of Your most holy Law.
- All of Christ or none of Him. Lord, I know that “whoever commits sin transgresses the Law, for sin is the transgression of the Law.” Yes, every sin is transgression because when I sin, I serve myself. I make myself liable to Your wrath and judgments here, and even to eternal damnation hereafter if I persist therein. It is true that the one who would not have all of Christ would, in truth, have none of Him. And he that would not be rid of all sin has no sincere mind to be rid of any.
- Rid my heart of all sin. Lord, you are a gentle and loving Savior, but I know that You will have all or nothing. Every sin must be left behind. Help me serve You as confidently as Joshua did. Help me set myself against every sin, great and small, open and secret, carnal and religious. Help me overcome wickedness to the degree that no iniquity can live a day longer, nor sleep a night more in quiet with me.
- Fighting the good fight. Lord, as I desire to serve You, help me fight against sin and wickedness in the strength of the Lord, and then I will quickly find that I enjoy the power and peace of Christ while here in time and be assured that I will reign with Him through all eternity.
Prayer:
O Lord of Heaven and Earth, King above all kings, You have called Your people to love You with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. I confess that I so often fail to serve You with undivided allegiance. My heart has leaned too often toward the comforts of this world and the applause of man. But You are the God who deserves all glory. You have redeemed me by the blood of Christ, not to serve the world, but to serve You.
Give me strength to put away every idol. Make me resolute like Joshua, to declare with confidence and consistency that I—and all You have placed under my care—will serve You without compromise. Subdue every rebellion within me. Expose every false affection. Root out all self-glory, so that I might give You what You alone are worthy of.
Let no sin have dominion over me. Let no affection rise above the duty I owe to Christ. Let no competing desire find welcome in my soul. I know You require all, and I want to give You all, for in You is fullness of joy and peace forevermore.
Preserve me in Your will, empower me with Your Spirit, and cause me to run the race of obedience with steadfast resolve. Let the world see that You reign in my heart by the life that I live. And may the fruits of faith and holiness abound as I serve You in spirit and in truth.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Further Scripture References:
1 Kings 18:21; Genesis 18:19; Ruth 1:15; John 6:67
[1] “First, when the heart turns away from every other object which competes for the first place in its affections, abandons all confidence in its own righteousness, and lays hold of the Savior. Second, when grace is diligently sought to take Christ as our Exemplar, following “His steps” in the path of unreserved and joyful obedience to God.” Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1954), 575.
