Faithfulness to the Lord

Faithfulness to the Lord (Joshua 24:15)

Joshua 24:15, And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Millions of Christians throughout history have armed themselves with the weapon of total surrender to the Lord. They have willingly laid down their lives for Christ and died a martyr's death for the Lord. For example, consider the story of the forty martyrs of Sabaste. These forty soldiers, all Christians, were members of the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome's imperial army.

One day their captain told them Emperor Licinius had sent out an edict that all soldiers were to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. These Christians replied, "You can have our armor and even our bodies, but our hearts' allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ."

It was midwinter of A.D. 320, and the captain had them marched onto a nearby frozen lake. He stripped them of their clothes and said they would either renounce Christ or die. Throughout the night these men huddled together singing their song, "Forty martyrs for Christ." One by one the temperature took its toll and they fell to the ice.

At last there was only one man left. He lost courage and stumbled to the shore, where he renounced Christ. The officer of the guards had been watching all this. Unknown to the others, he had secretly come to believe in Christ. When he saw this last man break rank, he walked out onto the ice, threw off his clothes, and confessed that he also was a Christian.

When the sun rose the next morning, there were forty bodies of soldiers who had fought to the death for Christ. They were armed with the weapon of a faithful, devoted mind that was made up and committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. May we be challenged by their testimonies. May the Lord help us to not have one trace of hesitancy in our lives but be totally devoted to Him.

Joshua was a great man of God because he made his choice and he was committed to that decision. The people must personally decide if they will recommit themselves to serving the Lord who has never broken a promise, who has proved His faithfulness over and over, and who has given them the Promised Land with all its vast blessings. The people made a strong confession of renewed dedication; to never to forsake the Lord. They declared that they would never turn away from the Lord, never commit apostasy against Him. They recommitted themselves to serve the Lord. In this confession they were renewing their commitment and covenant with God.

Total devotion requires faithfulness to the Lord. The choice must be made to serve the Saviour and that decision be final. Your heart and mind cannot be divided if you are going to be devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot live your life for Him and also live your life for those who are worldly and sinful. You are going to have to make a choice about whom you are going to serve. If you are going to dedicate your life to the Lord, then you need to make yourself available to Him just like Isaiah. Our attitude is to be one of service, "Here am I, send me." The problem with many believers today is they don't want to serve. They want someone to serve them. That kind of attitude clashes with dedication to God.

Daily, we must decide for ourselves whom we will serve—to whom or to what we will commit our lives. God demands that a decision be made. We must make a decision for the Lord, a decision to believe and follow Him wholeheartedly. There is no room for neutrality, nor any room for delay or hesitancy. In fact, if a person does not make the decision to accept God, he is choosing to reject Him.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, give me the strength to live my life daily for You, sacrificing my wants and desires for how You would have me live my life. Make in me a clean heart daily, as this world is full of sin and filth. Help me to continually remember to wash my sins away by repentance and through Your promise of forgiveness. Thank You for giving me the power of the Holy Spirit to resist the evil around me. Help me to be a light in this dark place. In Jesus name, AMEN!

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