Joshua 24:15  “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 house, we will serve the Lord.”

The Book of Joshua chronicles in large part the battles of the Israelites, led by Joshua, against the people occupying the Promised Land.  A long time of peace ensued. Joshua was a very old man by the time of this verse. He gathered the people and reminded them how the Lord first brought the people out of the land beyond the Euphrates and then out of Egypt.  They, themselves, had seen many great wonders.  As Joshua prepares to go the way of all earth, as he puts it, he challenges the people of Israel at that time, and for all time, whom will they serve?

We are confronted with such a choice in this day.  Indeed, this is a choice we make every day. Who do we serve?  I would say that to whomever my actions are pleasing is to whom I serve.  If my actions are only pleasing to the world, then I serve the world.  If my actions are simply pleasing to myself, then I am simply self-serving.

It is not a stretch to say that we give service to the things we care about and value. Our happiness becomes tied to these things. If we give service, care about, and put our faith and values into things that are superficial and pass away, so too will our happiness.  If we care about things more permanent, so too will be our happiness. If we care about, and put our faith and values into things that are everlasting; so too will be our happiness.

So who you going to serve?