98 Joshua 24:14,15 Taking Sides
JMD Devotional 98 Joshua 24:14,15 Taking Sides
Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served 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.
Living as a free people as we do in America, we may not naturally think of our selves "serving" anybody or of being subservient. Terms that sit better with us are: affiliation, allegiance, religion, faith, belief-system, passion, commitment, loyalty. God will not let us get away with being nominal or neutral; we are either acknowledging His Lordship with our lives or we are dethroning Him. What good is being able to intellectually parrot the Lordship of Jesus Christ when your living contradicts it?
I have discovered a triad of principles that keep me centered:
I strive to be:
>Fully committed (undivided heart, allegiance)
>Totally dependent (on God, 'vital union', abiding in the vine)
>Completely Yielded (to God's will)
2 Peter 1:10,11 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NIV)
God's Lordship over your life should play out in your choice of companions. If the people you are trying to impress make you ashamed to be identified as a servant of Jesus Christ; your commitment and allegiance needs to be reevaluated!
Psalm 119:63 I am a companion of all those who fear, revere, and worship You, and of those who observe and give heed to Your precepts.
Dear God,
I am a Jesus Freak! I am fanatical about You! May I not be ashamed to admit that before a scoffing world so You won't be ashamed of me when I enter Heaven. help me to love the Church for which You died.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
My Poetry
http://saintjamespoetry.blog.com/
(Some) of my Devotionals
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
Now therefore, [reverently] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the [Euphrates] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served 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.
Living as a free people as we do in America, we may not naturally think of our selves "serving" anybody or of being subservient. Terms that sit better with us are: affiliation, allegiance, religion, faith, belief-system, passion, commitment, loyalty. God will not let us get away with being nominal or neutral; we are either acknowledging His Lordship with our lives or we are dethroning Him. What good is being able to intellectually parrot the Lordship of Jesus Christ when your living contradicts it?
I have discovered a triad of principles that keep me centered:
I strive to be:
>Fully committed (undivided heart, allegiance)
>Totally dependent (on God, 'vital union', abiding in the vine)
>Completely Yielded (to God's will)
2 Peter 1:10,11 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NIV)
God's Lordship over your life should play out in your choice of companions. If the people you are trying to impress make you ashamed to be identified as a servant of Jesus Christ; your commitment and allegiance needs to be reevaluated!
Psalm 119:63 I am a companion of all those who fear, revere, and worship You, and of those who observe and give heed to Your precepts.
Dear God,
I am a Jesus Freak! I am fanatical about You! May I not be ashamed to admit that before a scoffing world so You won't be ashamed of me when I enter Heaven. help me to love the Church for which You died.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
My Poetry
http://saintjamespoetry.blog.com/
(Some) of my Devotionals
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 10:11 AM
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