“But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15 (NASB)
I have been doing a lot of looking back on my life. I tend to do this when I am questioning what to do in the future. I think of my younger carefree days and how much easier things were, (so I thought), then I think of that feeling of being carefree and I miss it. My thoughts move forward to how different I feel today with a daily relationship with the Lord. I wouldn’t say it’s carefree, but I have changed inside. I have many more responsibilities that keep me from being carefree. I can’t just jump on my horse and go for an all-day ride or hang out at the barn every day piddling around, then come home to a precooked dinner-thanks to parents. In those days, I was serving me, I was choosing me. I didn’t know it then, but it was all about me. Understanding that causes me to feel grateful for Lord’s longsuffering of my neglect toward Him while He was shaping me over the years to serve Him, something I didn’t realize at the time.
As an adult, I strive to be more aware of “who” I am serving, and if it points to me, it would be my thoughts, or maybe my attitude. If I am acting upon either of those things which go against the truth of God, then I have served me instead of the Lord. Taking an honest look at myself, God revealed I have been hanging onto past hardships over an extended period of time. My grip limits any movement toward God setting me free in order to serve Him wholeheartedly. By allowing God to help me, I release a part of life that I wasn’t sure how to live without.
Throughout the 31 years of choosing the LORD, there have been ups and downs in my faith, and my decisions; I have lived the consequences of being self-serving or of serving God. I have found that no matter how hard or carefree life can be, choosing Christ has been the best choice I have ever made. There is a contentment within my soul that can only come from knowing Christ. I like knowing that wherever I am in life, I can say “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” And who better to help me along the way than the Lord Himself.
For I the LORD your God hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” - Isaiah 41:13 ESV
Father, there are many things that can sway us to serve ourselves and turn our backs on You. May you continually show us that Your way is best and to entrust ourselves in Your hands, the one who promises to help us.
This devotion by author, Terrie Miles, is exclusively and solely shared with permission to New Beginnings Church. Any unauthorized printed reproduction, sharing or use of this material is prohibited.
