Enjoy the green pastures and throw out your idols.
Scripture
“I gave you land you had not worked on and I gave you towns you did not build. The towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them. So fear the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt and serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:13-14
Observation
Prior to this scripture, the Lord was reminding the children of Israel of His deeds towards their fore fathers and themselves . How time and time again, God had delivered them from the hands of their enemies.When we look at our lives, there’s so many instances God has delivered us from pain, sickness, attacks , lack of basic needs amongst others. However as humans we are always quick to forget. If we’re going to be honest there’s certain situations we don’t know how we came out of or how we survived but God came through for us. When we look at our lives as children of God, we have and possess so many things and gifts that we can genuinely say we did not work for. The goodness of God is so evident in many aspects of our lives. Knowing this, we are called to live a life with God at the centre of it. A life that looks like having reverence for God and being a labourer for Him. To serve God in sincerity and truth means to work or labour for Him in completeness , integrity , honesty , reliability and faithfulness.
Application
It’s important we always remember the goodness of God. God has never given us a reason to turn our backs on Him. Yet time and time again we follow after our own selfish desires and neglect our intimacy with God. This “fear” of God is to revere Him. It looks like having reverence for God and obeying His words to you both logos (written words in the Bible) and rhema word (specific, timely, and personally applied word from God) . It’s possible to serve Him in a flimsy manner or through “eye service” however God wants us to serve Him wholeheartedly in truth . Whenever we see things or people contending for the position God has in our lives, it’s important to remember we owe God that reverence.This looks like doing what He says you should do, saying what He wants you to say, going where He wants you to go etc. In this modern age, idols look like things you’ve put in highest priority or value above God ie sleep, money , relationships etc We are God’s workmanship created for His good works (Ephesians 2:10) . So the question is, what are you currently doing to serve God in truth and in sincerity today ? Can you confidently say you’ve put away anything that has most priority above God in your life ?
Prayer
Heavenly Father thank You for word today. Thank You for all the blessings and the favour You’ve bestowed upon me even when I did not deserve or care for it. I pray asking for forgiveness where I’ve exalted anything or anyone above You. Bring me back into a place of reverence and obedience for You and Your words in Jesus name I pray Amen.