Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Joshua 24:14-18 (NIV)
14 “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. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
After Moses led Israel out of Egypt, Joshua took over. Here he is stepping down, but warning the Israelites to remain faithful to God. They think they can do it! But the book of Judges shows them failing over and over again. Have you ever decided to do something important? Lose some weight? Start eating healthy? Stop watching so much television and read more? Fix something on the house? Keep your house or car clean? We know that actually doing what we set out to do is hard and can be a daily struggle. This week will set the stage for an in-depth look at the book of Ruth. Ruth and her husband Boaz are two “ordinary” people, meaning they do not accomplish big, heroic things for God. Instead they live daily lives of devotion and faithfulness to God and others. How can you show incredible honor and devotion to God today and this week in your “ordinary” life?