EVERYTHING WE NEED: “As For Me and My House”

After Moses died, God appointed Joshua to lead the Israelite people and promised that He would be with him as He had been with Moses. He encouraged him to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9 NIV1984).There were conditions, however. “…Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you... Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Josh. 1:7-8). Even with the obstacles Joshua faced along the way, this was how he lived and led God’s people.

Advanced in years and toward the end of his life, Joshua called the leaders of Israel together to remind them of the things God had done for them. “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed” (Josh. 23:14). God had given them a land on which they had not toiled, cities they had not built and vineyards and olive groves that they had not planted.

Joshua also reminded them that should they violate God’s covenant and serve other gods, there would be severe consequences. Then he added, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living…” (Josh. 24:15). After all God had done for them, why would their loyalty even be questioned? Because of their disposition toward idolatry.

Whatever they decided, Joshua stated firmly, “…As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). What a powerful statement! Does that hold true in your life?

A large picture frame with those words printed on it hangs on a wall in my home. Around it, there are even more photos as our family has increased over the years. This symbolizes what Tom and I have tried to adhere to with our children. We see the same desire in them as they raise their own families and then as their children instill this same principle into their offspring.

That verse means more to me than just words highlighted on a wall. Scripture verses placed all over one’s house mean nothing unless they affect the heart. Joshua told the Israelites that they had to make a choice — serve God or go back to serving their idols. They couldn’t pretend. David admonished his son, Solomon, to acknowledge and serve God wholeheartedly, “for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts” (I Chron. 28:9).

The good news is that the Israelites committed themselves to serving God. “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him… Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who outlived him” (Josh. 24:24, 31). Sadly, the generation after them didn’t know anything about God or what He had done for them. The previous generation had not passed God’s words on to them as they were commanded to do.

Parents, teachGod’s Word “to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deut. 11:19). “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Prov. 22:6). Make this your lifetime objective — “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”