Rooted in The Lord
Today, I want to share with you a very, very familiar phrase of Scripture. The phrase is found in Joshua 24:15, and it reads as follows in the (KJV):
“but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Now, I believe practically everyone in America, even the unsaved, have heard or seen this portion of Joshua 24:15; “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” You see it on doormats, plaques in entry ways, wall art, T-shirts; you hear it on the radio and also in theater scenes.
Yes men, this phrase is extremely popular, and one can even assert that it’s the most essential part of the verse. In fact, THE MOST CRITICAL DECISION any human must make for themselves is found within this phrase! Yet, on the front side of this BUT, before the conclusion is made, there are some choices presented, and how many of you know —- LIFE will always present you with CHOICES—- and depending on YOUR FOUNDATION, depending on what you’re ROOTED IN, will ultimately determine how YOU respond to those CHOICES.
Let’s look and hear what the entirety of Joshua 24:15 says,
15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Brothers, when we observe the entirety of this verse, we see that the word SERVE or a variation thereof is used four times, which reveals to us Joshua’s main focus — which is SERVING. The only question is WHO will you SERVE?
Although Joshua was resolute about serving the Lord, he had witnessed many times throughout his life the indifference of others to share his same commitment to the Lord. Nonetheless, Joshua remained ROOTED IN THE LORD and was not going to allow the apathy of others to dissuade him from serving the True and Living God.
Brothers, too often the justification of “everybody’s doing it” is used by adults and adolescence to excuse inappropriate conduct and character. However, Jesus warns us about following the crowd and the “everybody’s doing it” mentality in Matthew chapter 7, He states, “The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it”- Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT).
Brothers, my prayer and my desire are for YOU to be among the few. When we CHOOSE to serve the Lord, overcome CHALLENGES, and remain COMMITTED to God, it is at that time we too are declaring like Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
