Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
This verse seems pretty straightforward. This is a proclamation of someone who is making sure that it is known that their allegiance, their affection, the way they spend their time, their money, it will be in service of the Lord. This is the kind of thing that you would hope we would say about ourselves. We want to be the kind of people who dedicate every part of our lives to service to God.
A Choice That's Necessary
But it's interesting when you catch where this verse is written in its context, because it's not just a proclamation in and of itself as a standalone statement. It's in relationship to other options than this as an idea. What I mean by that is, in the soliloquy that we find this verse in, you see that there is a choice that's necessary. Are we going to choose to serve the gods of our fathers, the gods of those who are from outside of where we're from? Maybe a different faith background and perspective? Or are we going to choose serving the living God?
There is a real choice that isn't just in and of itself a proclamation of whether or not you will serve God. It is serving God relative to the other options that are on the table. Now, you might be going, all right, well, in 2026 or whatever year it is, what other options would there be for me when it comes to serving another God? I don't have any other gods that are on the table to worship.
The Definition of an Idol
It's here where I start thinking about the definition of an idol. An idol, by definition, is something that captures the attention, the affection, the income, the constant awareness the individual and their imagination. What do people give their lives to? More simply put, what is stealing the worship that should be intended for the living God? What am I giving my heart, my time, my money to that really should be dedicated to serving Him?
When I say it that way, it kind of moves us out of the realm of some other god that would be represented by a golden statue or some post in some other country. But instead we have to be careful, because even as people who would be described as Christians, followers of the way of Jesus, we could potentially be giving our time, our affection, our attention, or our money to things, disproportionately, that are not God.
In Opposition to Other Temptations
In other words, this proclamation that's found in the Book of Joshua is not just a standalone message, it is a stance in opposition to other temptations, other places, other ideas that could steal the affection that's designed by our very essence to go directly to God. Now think about how it says in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verse 11 that God set eternity in the hearts of humankind.
In other words, there's a longing in our hearts that can only be satisfied by God alone. One of the things that we find in our humanness is we attempt to satisfy that soul-ish longing that can only be satisfied by God with other things. It's important for us to realize we will never be satisfied. We'll never be able to fulfill the longings we have in our soul by things that are temporal, by things that are not designed to be worshiped, by things that we should not be serving.
Consider What It Means
It's this proclamation that we in our house are going to dedicate our time, our affection, our attention, our worship to the living God. As you go into your day today, consider: what does it mean for you and your family to serve the Lord?
