“But As For Me And My House...”

Richard Thetford

J oshua told the children of Israel exactly where he and his house stood in their relationship to the almighty God in Joshua 24:15. In a time where man was “doing their own thing” in their worship, Joshua told them to choose whom they would serve, the god’s of men, or the God of heaven. He encouraged them to put away the foreign gods and to incline their hearts to serve the Lord God of Israel. This man of God, Joshua, was a faithful and trustworthy servant of God. This man that we have grown to love by reading of him in the pages of the Old Testament was doing the work of the Lord, encouraging all who would listen to him to turn from the ways of the world and serve the one true God.

Sound familiar? Each Lord’s Day across this great country of ours preacher after preacher stands before a congregation of people encouraging them to turn from the ways of the world and serve the true and living God of heaven. Many who hear the words of the preacher say to themselves that they will try to do better in their personal life and become more devoted to the Lord’s work. Yet, this is only idle thought because they soon return to their homes and continue doing their own thing. However, there are a few that will listen to the preaching of the gospel of Christ and strive to do what they can to become obedient to our Lord. Every preacher should be as convicted as Joshua in their service to the Lord and that they are earnestly trying to encourage and help others serve the Lord.

Are we really trying to serve the Lord or ourselves? It would be so good to have a congregation full of Joshua’s that are proud to say “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”