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Joshua 24:15 - Who Is Your Master?Joshua 24:15 (NLT) But if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD."INTRODUCTION One of the most famous of Old Testament affirmations of faith, "As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] We can easily slip into a quiet rebellion, going about life in our own way. But the time will come when we have to choose who or what we will follow. The choice belongs to each of us. Will it be the one true God or an imperfect or sinful substitute? Seek each day to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Invite him daily to rule your heart, mind, and desires (Romans 8: 9). Then it will be much more difficult to drift away from him. [Life Application SB 2019] COMMENTARY PEARL We Must Inevitably Be Under The Control Of The One Or The Other Of The Two Great Powers That Are Contending For The Supremacy Of The World. It Is Not Necessary For Us Deliberately To Choose The Service Of The Kingdom Of Darkness In Order To Come Under Its Dominion. We Have Only To Neglect To Ally Ourselves With The Kingdom Of Light. If We Do Not Co-Operate With The Heavenly Agencies, Satan Will Take Possession Of The Heart, And Will Make It His Abiding Place. The Only Defense Against Evil Is The Indwelling Of Christ In The Heart Through Faith In His Righteousness. Unless We Become Vitally Connected With God, We Can Never Resist The Unhallowed Effects Of Self-Love, Self-Indulgence, And Temptation To Sin. We May Leave Off Many Bad Habits, For The Time We May Part Company With Satan; But Without A Vital Connection With God, Through The Surrender Of Ourselves To Him Moment By Moment, We Shall Be Overcome. Without A Personal Acquaintance With Christ, And A Continual Communion, We Are At The Mercy Of The Enemy, And Shall Do His Bidding In The End... Every Soul That Refuses To Give Himself To God Is Under The Control Of Another Power. He Is Not His Own. He May Talk Of Freedom, But He Is In The Most Abject Slavery. He Is Not Allowed To See The Beauty Of Truth, For His Mind Is Under The Control Of Satan. While He Flatters Himself That He Is Following The Dictates Of His Own Judgment, He Obeys The Will Of The Prince Of Darkness. DA 324, 466 COMMENTARY Jesus Is Lord Of Your Life It's one thing to speak of God's greatness in a general sense - to intellectually acknowledge that Jesus is Lord over creation, over death and the grave, over evil and its consequences. But it's much more vulnerable to recognize Jesus as your Lord. Doing so has a major effect on your life, because if Jesus is your Lord, that means you're not the master. You have to acknowledge your lower position. You exist for Him - not the other way around. For many of us, this is where the rubber meets the road in our spiritual lives. Every single day, our culture hammers us with the idea that we are the masters of our own fates - that we control our own destinies. We can't proclaim Jesus as Lord and then continue to live as our own masters. Those two realities cannot coexist. Either we are the masters of our lives or Jesus is. The choice of who you serve belongs to you. Dear Jesus, I surrender my desire to rule my own life in order to embrace Your lordship over my days. [Grace and Glory by Louie Giglio] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Joshua 24:15 - Free to Choose. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220731-0824.html Joshua 24:15 - Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220521-1024.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |