God’s Story Is Our Story: From Genesis To JesusSample

Reflecting on the last week: Who would the Israelites serve? The LORD or the idols? Joshua’s generation chose the LORD (Joshua 24:31), but as Israel’s tragic history unfolds, we learn that their children took a different path: idolatry. Perhaps, unlike their parents, they did not take seriously the impossibility (humanly speaking) of following God without his grace (Joshua 24:19). Some might have thought, “This will be easy! I’m up for the task,” but found themselves as in love with lust, wealth and power as their foreign neighbors. Perhaps others simply doubted the seriousness of God’s judgment (Joshua 24:19). Such people may have thought, “God will not judge me for this small sin, for this tiny act of injustice, for this minute abuse of power.” Soon enough, they no longer cared a whit what God thought and small sins became great. Do we make either error? Do we proudly think ourselves fit for challenge? Or arrogantly ignore God’s definition of good and evil, preferring whatever is most convenient for our personal welfare? Choose this day whom you will serve. If we say, “Jesus is king and I serve him,” then let us also pray, “By Christ’s grace and spirit, empower me to see my temptations. Strengthen me to confess all the ways I’ve ignored the Father’s will by redefining good and evil. Give me grace, and I will have the strength to live for you and you alone.”