But if you don't want to worship the LORD, then choose right now!Each morning since January first, I have spoken that passage aloud, trying to remember every word and punctuation mark in sequence. Today, I claimed those words as my own declaration of allegiance.
Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did?
Or since you live on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you'll worship their gods.
I won't.
My family and I will worship and obey the LORD.~Joshua 24:15 (CEV)
Will I worship the same idols that my ancestors did? Will I bow down to the gods of corporate America, allowing my career (or lack thereof) to determine my worth? Will I allow the tidiness of my home the actions of my children to rule my thoughts and define my identity?
No!
Since I'm living in the land that belongs to a society of accumulation, will I, too, bow down? Will I worship the things I have, continually questing for more? Will I allow the fact that I have an old, used truck and a beaten-up, broken-down Blackberry make me feel inadequate, lacking, less-than?
No, I won't!
My family and I - we will worship and obey the LORD.
Who defines my worth? Only Him. What gives me value? Serving Him. How can I be filled with joy? Worshipping Him and Him alone.
Father, this is my declaration today. When the idols of this world try to lure my focus away from you, I will turn away. I choose to keep my eyes fixed upon You. I choose to seek Your face and submit to Your will. I choose to place my significance in Your love for me. And I pray, Lord, that You will use me to teach Your ways to my children. My desire is that all seven of us will one day say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!"
Would you like to join me today in claiming our families for His glory? Feel free to write your desires, prayers, or verses in the comments.
Ditto this whole post! Except the Blackberry part...I don't own one of those. But I did just jokingly tell my husband that I "need" one! Haha!
ReplyDeleteThis is a brave stance to take...many times the world (and even some believers) just don't understand why we'd CHOOSE to sacrifice the things of this world. Many times, I walk away from people almost feeling stupid for the choices I make & the things I don't do like the rest of the world. An example: when most people find out I don't watch any sort of television programming anymore (ONLY clean movies...which are rare gems), they honestly look at me like I am some sort of strange alien. Sometimes it's simply humorous, but sometimes I actually feel alienated and left out. All that to say...YOU (and I) can do this! Stand firm! Love you...