Joshua 24:15 “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.”In Joshua's final address to God's people, he included something that ought to be the vow of every Christian to their Creator; “...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
This commitment included two parts:
1. “As for me” - Joshua was emphatic about his personal intent. No matter what happened, he vowed never to quit serving God. This is something we are all capable of doing. It does not mean we have not failed God in the past, or that we will never fail Him in the future. It simply means that to the best of our ability (with God's help), we will continue to actively serve God, offering our life as a living sacrifice (see Romans 12:1).
We must always remember, this statement is not dependent on the obedience of others. “As for me,” I “will serve the Lord” is essentially saying, “If all others forsake thee, Lord, I will continue to serve you.” Our relationship with God should be our primary relationship, in that, even if those we love most, those we have respected and possibly learned from in the past turn their back on God, “we will serve the Lord.” Our love and desire to please God should trump our love and desire to please anyone else, even our closest family or friends. I pray it never happens, but even if my mother, wife, or son decide to quit serving God, I vow that I will not. “As for me,” I “will serve the Lord.” I've encouraged them to make that same vow, independent of anything I would ever do.
2. “As for...my house” - Joshua did not just vow that he would serve the Lord, but that all the members of his household would do so as well. Joshua was, as ALL men should strive to be, the spiritual leader of his household. A husband/father is the pastor of his house. Job was a great example (see Job 1:5) of a father who was vigilant about keeping his family in the will of God.
Joshua knew that God had given him the responsibility to care for the spiritual welfare of his family. As parents, we are responsible for the spiritual welfare of our children. I'm often amazed to hear things said like, “Well, I don't want to influence my children in their faith. I'm going to let them grow up and make that decision for themselves.” Ironically, these same parents insist their children brush their teeth, bathe, go to the doctor, dentist, etc. Nobody would dare say, “I'm not going to insist on my child's health. I'm not going to force them to go to some doctor's office or hospital. I will remain neutral so they can decide as an adult if they want to care for themselves.” Parents that would do such a thing would be charged with negligence. Let us not be negligent about assuring our children know Jesus, and have had every opportunity to hear the gospel and be convinced to accept Christ as their Saviour. They have been entrusted to us by God, and their spiritual health is just as much our responsibility as their physical health.
I am thankful that, as a young child, I wasn't asked, “Do you want to go to church today?” I was told, “Get dressed, it's almost time for church. Get in the car, we're going to church.” The commands were just as non-negotiable as, “Brush your teeth. Take a bath.” Yes, one day our children will be accountable for themselves, and can decide whether or not they want to serve the Lord, but until then, we must teach them what is best for them, and for the Christian, serving God is ALWAYS best.
Are you a Christian? If so, have you made a commitment to God? If not, why not do so today? If you have made a commitment and not lived up to it in the past, the answer is not to give up and continue in disobedience. Get back in God's will today.
