Choose You This Day

Joshua 24:15

Joshua was the first general of the armies of Israel. He was also the successor to Moses as leader over the nation upon their entrance into the Promised Land. The book that bears his name is the story of Israel’s journeys under this great man and its last chapter is his final charge to the people preceding his death.

Joshua’s speech to Israel not only recounts their journey from Egypt into Canaan, but it also ministers of God’s grace. “And I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and olive yards which ye planted not do ye eat” (Joshua 24:13). No work went into the cities that they were living in or the food that they were eating, thus these blessings were a result of God’s grace. It is glorious how Joshua, though under the law, takes opportunity to minister to God’s people concerning His abundant grace and favor.

This speech contains one of the greatest proclamations of choice that is recorded in the Word. Joshua has just challenged the people to put away the strange gods which had come from Egypt and to serve the LORD. He lays in front of them the choice as to whom they 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” (Joshua 24:15). Then he declares his own intent, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”.

Note the King James usage of “LORD” in this verse, showing us that the original Hebrew word here is “Yahweh” or “Covenant Lord”. Joshua is declaring that he and his house choose to trust the God of covenant. When you appeal to the God of Covenant, you are holding God to his end of the deal so to speak. As New Covenant saints, when we appeal to Covenant, we are appealing to Christ’s finished work on the cross. What Jesus paid for, we are recipients of, and we should always appeal backwards to the cross to rest in what is rightfully ours by His blood.

Joshua not only declares that he will serve the LORD, but that his house will serve the LORD as well. As the priest of his home he has declared that his entire household will follow after the covenant that God has made and they will trust God to keep that covenant. Men should take this as an example from the great Joshua. Take the lead in your home and steer your family towards the things of God. Be the husband to your wife as Christ is to His church, loving her passionately and speaking sweetness to her, and father your children as the Father loves His Prodigal Son, with open arms and forgiveness of heart. When you lead in this way, you will not have to wonder if there is anyone following, for the household will gladly go after the man who is going after the LORD.

Never forget to open the challenge for following the Lord with as much grace as possible. There is no such thing as “too much grace”, though some will try to dissuade you from referring to this wonderful gift for fear that it will bring a license to sin. Where sin is great, grace is greater and if we can agree that sin is rampant in this world, we should agree that grace is needed now more than ever!

The Power to Choose

Genesis 4:7

Lost in the story of Cain and Abel is the wonderful moment when God gives Cain the power to choose which way that his life will go. Just before Cain’s murder of Abel, the Lord asks Cain why he is so upset, and then, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door” (Genesis 4:7). God is showing Cain the choice of life and death; one way is led by Cain’s obedience and it leads to acceptance on God’s part. The other way leads to disobedience with “sin” lying at the door.

The power to choose how we are going to live is a staple feature of God’s grace and kindness. Oftentimes I have had the question posed to me by young converts, “Why did God even put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden at all?” Some think that life would have been better if God had given man no opportunity to fall, but God created man to be a free creature, who would love Him willingly and not by obligation. By allowing man to fail, God allows a world of sin and grief to begin, but He also provides opportunity for redemption and perfect love. Neither of these wonderful things comes without a tremendous price, and Jesus has paid that price!

To get a sense of how wonderful this seventh verse is, we should look at what brought us to this point. Cain and Abel have both brought an offering to the Lord. Abel brought a lamb from his flock, “And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:4), while Cain brought some of his harvest and the LORD “had not respect” (Genesis 4:5). Why would the Lord accept one offering while rejecting the other?

I preached for many years (and have read many commentaries that are written in the same vein) that God accepts Abel’s sacrifice because there is blood involved and rejects Cain’s for the same cause. The verse, “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22) is nearly always cited, stating that God needed to see blood in order to honor the sacrifice. This argument falls on two simple points: there is no indication that Cain and Abel are bringing an offering to God for the remission of sins, but rather they are simply coming to worship the Lord; and God never told them there must be bloodshed, so it is unfair to hold them accountable.

Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, sure to choose from its best, while Cain simply “brought of the fruit of the ground”. There was an attitude in their worship that God was watching, prompting the question from the Lord, “Why are you mad?” Cain had no reason to be angry for he had simply been given a choice: he could choose life or death, and we know which one he chose.

The phrase, “sin lieth at the door” is “sin-offering lieth at the door” in Hebrew, for the same word is used for “sin” and “sin-offering”. God is telling Cain that for every failure that he commits, there is an abundant offering for that sin lying at the door of his heart. Paul would repeat this promise in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”. For every bad choice, there is enough grace waiting at your door as well.

You have the power to choose what you will do with this life and in this life. Place your faith in Jesus Christ and watch blessings touch every area of your life as you are resting in His grace and goodness.

Choose You This Day

Joshua 24:15

Joshua was the first general of the armies of Israel. He was also the successor to Moses as leader over the nation upon their entrance into the Promised Land. The book that bears his name is the story of Israel’s journeys under this great man and its last chapter is his final charge to the people preceding his death.

Joshua’s speech to Israel not only recounts their journey from Egypt into Canaan, but it also ministers of God’s grace. “And I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and olive yards which ye planted not do ye eat” (Joshua 24:13). No work went into the cities that they were living in or the food that they were eating, thus these blessings were a result of God’s grace. It is glorious how Joshua, though under the law, takes opportunity to minister to God’s people concerning His abundant grace and favor.

This speech contains one of the greatest proclamations of choice that is recorded in the Word. Joshua has just challenged the people to put away the strange gods which had come from Egypt and to serve the LORD. He lays in front of them the choice as to whom they 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” (Joshua 24:15). Then he declares his own intent, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”.

Note the King James usage of “LORD” in this verse, showing us that the original Hebrew word here is “Yahweh” or “Covenant Lord”. Joshua is declaring that he and his house choose to trust the God of covenant. When you appeal to the God of Covenant, you are holding God to his end of the deal so to speak. As New Covenant saints, when we appeal to Covenant, we are appealing to Christ’s finished work on the cross. What Jesus paid for, we are recipients of, and we should always appeal backwards to the cross to rest in what is rightfully ours by His blood.

Joshua not only declares that he will serve the LORD, but that his house will serve the LORD as well. As the priest of his home he has declared that his entire household will follow after the covenant that God has made and they will trust God to keep that covenant. Men should take this as an example from the great Joshua. Take the lead in your home and steer your family towards the things of God. Be the husband to your wife as Christ is to His church, loving her passionately and speaking sweetness to her, and father your children as the Father loves His Prodigal Son, with open arms and forgiveness of heart. When you lead in this way, you will not have to wonder if there is anyone following, for the household will gladly go after the man who is going after the LORD.

Never forget to open the challenge for following the Lord with as much grace as possible. There is no such thing as “too much grace”, though some will try to dissuade you from referring to this wonderful gift for fear that it will bring a license to sin. Where sin is great, grace is greater and if we can agree that sin is rampant in this world, we should agree that grace is needed now more than ever!

The Power to Choose

Genesis 4:7

Lost in the story of Cain and Abel is the wonderful moment when God gives Cain the power to choose which way that his life will go. Just before Cain’s murder of Abel, the Lord asks Cain why he is so upset, and then, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door” (Genesis 4:7). God is showing Cain the choice of life and death; one way is led by Cain’s obedience and it leads to acceptance on God’s part. The other way leads to disobedience with “sin” lying at the door.

The power to choose how we are going to live is a staple feature of God’s grace and kindness. Oftentimes I have had the question posed to me by young converts, “Why did God even put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden at all?” Some think that life would have been better if God had given man no opportunity to fall, but God created man to be a free creature, who would love Him willingly and not by obligation. By allowing man to fail, God allows a world of sin and grief to begin, but He also provides opportunity for redemption and perfect love. Neither of these wonderful things comes without a tremendous price, and Jesus has paid that price!

To get a sense of how wonderful this seventh verse is, we should look at what brought us to this point. Cain and Abel have both brought an offering to the Lord. Abel brought a lamb from his flock, “And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:4), while Cain brought some of his harvest and the LORD “had not respect” (Genesis 4:5). Why would the Lord accept one offering while rejecting the other?

I preached for many years (and have read many commentaries that are written in the same vein) that God accepts Abel’s sacrifice because there is blood involved and rejects Cain’s for the same cause. The verse, “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22) is nearly always cited, stating that God needed to see blood in order to honor the sacrifice. This argument falls on two simple points: there is no indication that Cain and Abel are bringing an offering to God for the remission of sins, but rather they are simply coming to worship the Lord; and God never told them there must be bloodshed, so it is unfair to hold them accountable.

Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, sure to choose from its best, while Cain simply “brought of the fruit of the ground”. There was an attitude in their worship that God was watching, prompting the question from the Lord, “Why are you mad?” Cain had no reason to be angry for he had simply been given a choice: he could choose life or death, and we know which one he chose.

The phrase, “sin lieth at the door” is “sin-offering lieth at the door” in Hebrew, for the same word is used for “sin” and “sin-offering”. God is telling Cain that for every failure that he commits, there is an abundant offering for that sin lying at the door of his heart. Paul would repeat this promise in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”. For every bad choice, there is enough grace waiting at your door as well.

You have the power to choose what you will do with this life and in this life. Place your faith in Jesus Christ and watch blessings touch every area of your life as you are resting in His grace and goodness.