Do you know your family history? Do you have a family history of following Jesus? Or do you have a family history of putting other gods ahead of Jesus? Have you personally struggled with making Jesus your priority? Do you know that you are not alone?
Many families have a checkered history. Nearly every family has someone who has done something wrong, perhaps criminal. But it is a dire situation when our family history has not made Jesus a priority. It makes it more difficult for us to change our ways.
Joshua was dealing with an important issue. The Israelites had become accustomed to worshiping the Egyptian gods while in captivity. Perhaps they were forced. Perhaps they willingly worshiped other gods. Regardless, Joshua is telling them to set those gods aside and worship only God. The Israelites were going to have to set aside generations of wrongful worship. They were being required to take a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn.
If our family history does not include worshiping God, following Jesus, we can find it extremely difficult to change our ways. It requires us to give up worshiping the gods we previously worshiped. Those gods often include money, possessions, prestige, and popularity. It may require us to give up old friends and make new friends. Our entire life may change. We must desire the change. We must desire to know and follow Jesus more than anything else. It cannot be a half-hearted effort. This can apply to those of us who think we have been following Jesus. We may need to reassess our commitment.
I pray we all choose to follow Jesus. I pray we are willing to give up the other gods we have been worshiping. I pray each one of us reassesses our lives and recommit ourselves to Jesus. Choose to follow Jesus. Give up other gods. Reassess your commitment. Recommit to Jesus.
Joshua 24:14 “Now, therefore, revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord.”
