A Choice
"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. " This is a command from God - worship and serve our Lord ONLY by throwing away the gods. There is no bargaining platform in the command itself. Can I serve You when I have time? Can You help me to get out of my struggles so I can worship You wholeheartedly? A command is a command. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength". Very clear and precise that there's no way one can misinterpret or manipulate it.
"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."
Command is not an order. God doesn't force us to follow his command. We all have a choice - a choice to do it or not to do it - and the choice is personal and individual.
"But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
I made my choice, and you?
A reflection on Joshua 24:14-16
posted by tuenmo at 12:42 PM
1 Comments:
Another similar passage that always reminds me about the choice, AND the consequences:
申命記 30:11-20
我今日所吩咐你的誡命，不是你難行的，也不是離你遠的。不是在天上，使你說：‘誰替我們上天取下來，使我們聽見可以遵行呢？’也不是在海外，使你說：‘誰替我們過海取了來，使我們聽見可以遵行呢？’這話卻離你甚近，就在你口中，在你心裡，使你可以遵行。看哪！我今日將生與福、死與禍陳明在你面前。吩咐你愛耶和華你的神，遵行他的道，謹守他的誡命、律例、典章，使你可以存活，人數增多，耶和華你神就必在你所要進去得為業的地上賜福與你。倘若你心裡偏離，不肯聽從，卻被勾引去敬拜事奉別神，我今日明明告訴你們：你們必要滅亡，在你過約旦河進去得為業的地上，你的日子必不長久。我今日呼天喚地向你作見證，我將生死禍福陳明在你面前，所以你要揀選生命，使你和你的後裔都得存活；且愛耶和華你的神，聽從他的話，專靠他，因為他是你的生命，你的日子長久也在乎他。這樣，你就可以在耶和華向你列祖亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓應許所賜的地上居住。
Post a Comment
<< Home