In Joshua’s farewell address to the nation of Israel he urges them to make a choice.  In Joshua 24:15 he says, “. . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (NKJV).  We can boil down Joshua’s challenge into two possible choices.  Either choose to follow God, or choose to not follow God.

We today have the same choice before us, in a manner of speaking.  While it is unlikely that we would choose to follow the gods that the ancient Egyptians or Amorites worshipped, there is no shortage of false gods within our society today.  Many choose to follow after riches, whether in the form of money or the possessions that money can buy.  Many choose to follow after fame, whether in sports, movies or popular music industries.  Many choose to follow their own way, and in that sense become their own god in determining what they think is right or proper.  However, it is not up to us to determine what is right or wrong, for who are we to make that determination.  The ultimate determination of right or wrong has to come from a higher standard, which we find in God’s holy word.

Joshua is not challenging Israel to follow him because of any righteousness that he himself possesses.  He is, however, challenging them to follow his example in serving the Lord and following what He has said to do.  We then need to set our selfish desires aside and leave the desire to serve riches, fame, and ourselves in order to set our minds on that which is above and serve God.  We cannot have one foot in both worlds, because in serving God we are to give Him our all (Joshua 22:5).  We cannot give God our heart, mind, and soul while trying to still keep one foot firmly planted in worldliness.  The choice still stands before us this day.  Are we choosing God, or are we choosing something else?