Counting The Cost
Choose today whom you will serve. Josh 24:15(NLT)
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14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." 16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God." Joshua 24:14-18 (NIV)
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Our six year old granddaughter had apparently been quite naughty one day. Finally,
her mother had enough and needed a break from the constant disruption that little
Sarah was causing. Confronting Sarah directly so that she would know that mother
meant business, Barb sent Sarah to her room and told her she was grounded.
her mother had enough and needed a break from the constant disruption that little
Sarah was causing. Confronting Sarah directly so that she would know that mother
meant business, Barb sent Sarah to her room and told her she was grounded.
It seemed Sarah’s heart had been broken. After a short but suitable period of time,
Barb opened the door to the bedroom. From behind the closed closet door she heard
the sobs of little Sarah. Barb opened the closet door and Sarah looked up through
her tears and said, "Mommy, I don’t know what grounded means!”
Sarah is quite the little lady and she is quick to test how far she can safely go.
She has been known to weigh the consequences and to make her choices
accordingly. I’m not sure what troubled Sarah more — the fear of being
grounded or the fact that she couldn’t weigh the consequences ahead
of time because she didn’t know what grounded meant.
I wonder if we aren’t like that much of the time. There are the times we look
at our choices and, with a little understanding of the most probable consequences,
we make our decision. There are other times when many of us hold back from
taking a particular action because we aren’t sure where the choice will lead us.
The people of Israel listened to the explanation of Joshua. They made a choice that
day to honour God in their lives. This meant eliminating the false, ineffectual idols
that they had foolishly embraced. There is a choice that all of us can make.
We can choose to honour God in our lives. The consequences of this
choice are life-giving and eternally beneficial.
At the end of chapter 23, in the book of Joshua, we read a statement of Joshua:
“Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come
true. Not a single one has failed!” (Josh 23:14, NLT) This is surely still the case.
Weigh the consequences. As the people of Israel did, place your faith in the Lord
your God and determine to honour Him today.
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Heavenly Father, there are so many times that I am careless in making life choices.
I sometimes live life as though I were going through a grocery store check-out.
There are so many weird articles in the papers, interesting little gizmos and dozens
of candy bars all saying ‘choose me.’ I realize that life’s choices shouldn’t be like
impulse shopping, but I often fail to consider the consequences before I act.
Please help me as I try to consider more fully the possible ramifications
of the choices that are presented to me today. Amen.
I sometimes live life as though I were going through a grocery store check-out.
There are so many weird articles in the papers, interesting little gizmos and dozens
of candy bars all saying ‘choose me.’ I realize that life’s choices shouldn’t be like
impulse shopping, but I often fail to consider the consequences before I act.
Please help me as I try to consider more fully the possible ramifications
of the choices that are presented to me today. Amen.
- Noel Churchman
Noel was the Executive Director of Christian Horizons form 1976 to 2001. The devotionals we will be using are from a book he wrote in 2005 called “Walking with God”. Noel’s reflections are grounded in his experiences as an educator, and provider of supports for individuals with exceptional needs as well as his life as a dedicated follower of Christ.
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