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Bible Verse As For Me And My House

What Choices Does Joshua Give The Israelites In Joshua 24

503: As for me and my house | Joshua 24:15

Joshua gave three choices to the Israelites to either: Serve the lord, serve false gods their fathers served or serve false gods that were popular during their time. In summary, they were:

1. Serve the Lord.2. Serve the false gods that their forefathers had served from the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt.3. Serve the false gods that were popular in the land that they were now living in.

Joshua finishes speaking on the Lords behalf in verse 13, and begins to make his last earthly appeal to this people that he loved so deeply. Joshua knew that it was his last opportunity to influence them and calls them to a place of decision.

God is seeking full commitment from His people. Joshuas appeal is the heartbeat of what God desires of them. It is the only viable option.

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt and serve ye the LORD. Joshua 24:14

Although there was no outward and public idol worship permitted from the Israelites, many of them had secretly held on to the worship of false gods that was practiced in Egypt and by previous generations. God was never pleased with this worship but permitted it in His longsuffering.

God desires our intentional and complete devotion. Serving two masters will never be allowed or accepted by Him.

Joshua Reminds The Israelites Of God Their Provider

The people choose the path of righteousness by telling Joshua they would serve the Lord and forsake their former gods, re-dedicating themselves to the covenant with the Lord. This prompts Joshua to call them all witnesses for their verbalized allegiance to the holy God .

So, we learn from this revolutionary speech that Joshua brought awareness to the Israelites, reminding them that all their provision and survival in the wilderness over the past several years was from a loving God who had done the same, generations before them, and would continue for generations to come.

The Example Begins At Home

But it was not only about Joshua personally. He also included his whole family. It doesnt mean that they didnt have a choice, or that they had to do whatever he wanted. It meant that he knew them, he knew that they had chosen to serve the Lord too.

We can assume that Joshua taught the commandments of the Lord to his family, as Moses had ordered the people to do: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. . His family learned from him how to love the Lord with everything they had.

We cannot force our family to choose the Lord, but we can teach them about Him. We can show our love for Him in our words and our actions. They will learn to love the Lord from our example. And, when the time comes, they will also have to make their own choice.

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The Problem With Idolatry

Joshua reminded the people that their ancestors worshiped idols back in Egypt. He also noted that their new neighboring nations worshiped other gods. But he knew that God had commanded: thou shalt have no other gods before me and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might . These verses tell us that the Lord wants our full devotion, not because he needs it, but because we do. Idols are illusions that turn our hearts away from the only true God.

Back then, in Joshuas time, idols were easier to identify. They were carved in stone or wood. They were the work of mens hands . But there are many idols that creep into a persons heart more subtly: money, power, pride, sex, another person, or even themselves. Anything or anyone that takes the place that belongs to God in our lives, as our most beloved one, is an idol.

Girl Talk: First Year Of Motherhood Featuring Savannah Alexander

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, Joshua 24:15, Bible ...

Hi friends! It was an absolute joy and honor to have Savannah on this special girl talk segment to chat all things about new motherhood! From postpartum depression to finding your new life rhythms and keeping your marriage alive and thriving, tune in to hear some encouraging perspectives from two young moms who are intentional about their parenting to the glory of God!You can follow Savannah on Instagram and YouTube and check out their podcast For Us wherever you listen to podcasts.A big thank you to today’s sponsors! Check out the links below for big savings on some great brands and products we use and love:SimpliSafe – Get 50% off any new system at simplisafe.com/myhouseBetterHelp – Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/myhouseCozy Earth – Save 40% on bedding, loungewear, pajamas, and towels at cozyearth.com/myhouse and enter code “my house” at checkout to apply your discountKiwiCo – Get your first month of any crate line FREE at kiwico.com/asformeVerse of the Day:

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What We Wish We Knew Sooner: On Parenting

Hello friends! So many of you really enjoyed the first installment of this series on marriage and requested we discuss parenting next! Although weve only been walking in parenthood for 3 1/2 years, there is already so much we wish we couldve done better or differently in our parenting style. Similarly, there are some things we feel weve actually done right and if we are able to encourage you in sharing those things, our job is done! Let us know your thoughts in the comments as well as what youd like us to discuss next time on What We Wish We Knew Sooner!A big thank you to todays sponsors:SimpliSafe – Get a free indoor security camera plus 20% off with Interactive Monitoring at simplisafe.com/myhouseKiwiCo – Get your first month of any crate line free at kiwico.com/asformeBetterHelp – Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/myhouseVerse of the Day:Train up a child in the way he should go even when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6Parenting Resources:- Focus on the Family – Books By Dr. James Dobson: Bringing Up Boys and Bringing Up Girls – Our favorite Instagram account on Gentle/Intentional Parenting: Flourishing Homes and Families

Bible Commentary For Joshua 2: 15

Wesley’s Notes for Joshua 24:15

24:15 Seem evil – Unjust, unreasonable or inconvenient. Choose ye – Not that he leaves them to their liberty, whether they would serve God or idols for Joshua had no such power himself, nor could give it to any other and both he and they were obliged by the law of Moses, to give their worship to God only, and to forbear all idolatry in themselves, and severely to punish it in others but it is a powerful insinuation, whereby he both implies, that the worship of God is so highly reasonable, necessary and beneficial and the service of idols so absurd, and vain, and pernicious, that if it were left free for all men to take their choice, every man in his right wits must needs chuse the service of God, before that of idols and provokes them to bind themselves faster to God by their own choice. He will – But know this, if you should all be so base and brutish, as to prefer senseless and impotent idols, before the true and living God, it is my firm purpose, that I will, and my children, and servants shall be constant and faithful to the Lord. And that, whatever others do. They that resolve to serve God, must not start at being singular in it. They that are bound for heaven must be willing to swim against the stream, and must do, not as most do, but as the best do.

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Whom Will You Serve

Joshua succeeded Moses as Israels political and religious leader and brought the people into the Promised Land. Shortly before his death he urged them with similar words:

Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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. Joshua 24:15

Joshua knew what Moses knew: the people had to make a choice about God, either loving and serving him completely or turning away to serve themselves and their own ambitions. There is no middle ground. Choose! Whats more, the next generation formed a crucial element of that choice, as Joshua said he and his house would serve the Lord. He chose to know and love God and to pass down his faith to his children.

Unfortunately, after Joshua died, the people did not listen to him or Moses. Judges 2:10 recounts the story:

And all generation also were gathered to their fathers and there arose another generation after them, who did not know the Lord or the work which he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt they went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were round about them, and bowed down to them and they provoked the Lord to anger.

What Did Joshua Mean By As For Me And My House We Will Serve The Lord

Joshua 24: 1-33 As For Me and My House: We Will Serve the Lord !

To get the full context of this question lets look at 14 and 15.

“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 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 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.” Joshua 24:14-15

Within this verse, Joshua is making a declaration about what matters most to him and his household. He is stating clearly and without any doubt who he will serve. It didnt matter to him what any other Israelite and their families decided to do he was establishing what was right for his house.

In this chapter, Joshua begins by summoning the people of Israel together.

“Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.” Joshua 24:1

To get the full context of this question, lets look at 14 and 15.

Within this verse, Joshua is making a declaration about what matters most to him and his household. He is stating clearly and without any doubt who he will serve. It didnt matter to him what any other Israelite and their families decided to do he was establishing what was right for his house.

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Be Careful Not To Follow Gods Of Comfort

Yet, just as Joshua admonished the Israelites for continuing to embrace their fathers gods, we are still at fault for following false gods who promise us comfort, understanding, and love . Truth be told, several of us have chosen to go to others who know less about our situations than the Father who created the heavens and the earth.

No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and man .

This speech from Joshua calls for us to be witnesses just as he calls the Israelites: that we have to not just speak these words so we look like Christians, but proclaim them boldly to ourselves that, from this day forth, our houses, our families, and ourselves will serve only the one, true Lord.

Serve The Lord Out Of Thankfulness

For those of us who are parents, making the choice to follow Gods decrees in raising your children and leading your household is standing firm on the belief that serving the Lord is important. Being slow to anger produces greater understanding while training our children in the Lord from the beginning will help them not depart from this path when they are adults .

The bottom line is that we, as Christians, need to know serving the Lord isnt for glorification from man for our good deeds it is serving in thankfulness for all the Lord has done, is doing, and will do when we leave these earthly homes for an eternal one. It is also for the pleasure of serving Him and following His will, in that we can help others draw closer to God and make the choice to allow Him into their lives through the acceptance of Jesus.

You are the witness to this proclamation to serve the Lord, as Joshua said to the Israelites long ago, so make the choice to put your service to God before everything else and know He will be greatly pleased with His good and faithful servants!

Blair Parke is a freelance writer for BibleStudyTools.com and editor for Xulon Press. A graduate of Stetson University with a Bachelor’s in Communications, Blair previously worked as a writer/editor for several local magazines in the Central Florida area, including Celebration Independent and Lake Magazine in Leesburg, Florida and currently freelances for the Southwest Orlando Bulletin.

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As For Me And My House We Will Serve The Lord

Of the Seventy

There is not anything a young man can do that will be any more important than serving a full-time mission.

âAnd Joshua said unto all the people , ⦠choose you this day whom ye will serve ⦠but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lordâ .

As in the days of Joshua, so it is with us today. As parents, one of the choices we must make is whether or not we are going to prepare our young sons to serve full-time missions.

To help us understand the importance of this decision, let me quote from the prophets of our time.

President Howard W. Hunter noted: âEarlier prophets have taught that every able, worthy young man should serve a full-time mission. I emphasize this need todayâ .

President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: âI say what has been said before, that missionary work is essentially a priesthood responsibility. As such, our young men must carry the major burden. This is their responsibility and their obligationâ .

What would the Lord say to a young man today that was making the decision to serve a full-time mission? In words filled with love, He said to 19-year-old Orson Pratt: âMy son Orson, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you. â¦

â⦠Blessed are you because you have believed

âAnd more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospelâ . Can you feel the love that the Lord has for a young man who has answered the call to serve?

‘as For Me And My House’: How Do We Serve God With Our Family

Scriptures Bible Verse Wall Sticker As For Me And My House We Will ...

Apart from marriage, family is one of the closest relationships that models the intimacy we can have with Christ. What are some practical applications on how to serve God with our families?

Be a Witness to Your Family

Family means different things to different people. For some this might be a biological family, others this could be adopted, or it could even be roommates to a single person. Family might have a special place in your heart or be a negative word that brings up past wounds. Whoever God has brought you to, in whatever household you live, you have an opportunity to be a light to those who see you on a daily basis.

If a pastor spends all of his time ministering to everyone outside of his home and completely neglects his own family, what good is his ministry? Families are ministries. We are called to raise up our children in the way that they should go . We can do this through being present when we can, praying for and with each other, doing devotions as a family, creating a safe place to ask hard questions, and reminding each other of the Gospel regularly.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Invite Others In

Romans 12:13: Share with the Lords people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Go out Together

Further Reading:

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What Does ‘as For Me And My House’ Mean

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Who said this phrase and why did he say it? The protege of Moses himself spoke these words. Joshua shared this message when he was elderly and dying. The chapter begins with a brief history of the Lords faithfulness to Israel . Then, Joshua exhorts Israel. He motivates them to make a choice to get rid of their false gods and to serve the one true God . From verses 16-28, there is a dialogue between the people of the Lord and Joshua as they are repentant of trying to bring idols into their lives. Joshua concludes by setting up a large stone under the oak tree near the holy place of God as a witness against them.

Ephesians 2:19-21 says, Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of Gods household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.

Notice how the verse mentions Gods household. Jesus is the stone set up by God as a reminder of the victory and the adoption of believers into the family of God. When Joshua claimed his household for the Lord, he was foreshadowing the house that God was building. If we look at the name Jesus in its original Hebrew form, it actually translates to Joshua.

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