May 15, 2020 CAC Living Water Devotional :- AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE
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LIVING WATER🌊 CAC DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
📆 Friday, May 15, 2020 – International Day of Families
AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE
Read: Joshua 24:1-27
Joshua 24:1-27 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
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.
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.
And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
MEMORISE: And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)
EXPOSITION
The events that happened in Joshua’s days, the malady of idolatry and godless living, was already creeping into the midst of the Israelites. Apathy towards the things of God was apparent everywhere. But in the midst of all these, Joshua made a resolute decision to stand for God. But he wasn’t going to do it alone. He would encourage his whole household to do same. The paramount desire of God is that, parents serve Him together with their entire household. As He is interested in the worship of the parents, so is He in the fellowship of the children.
How wonderful would it be, if we too will make up our minds that in these last days, when spiritual lethargy, compromise and worldliness seem to have taken hold of many families, we and our households will remain steadfast in righteousness and holiness. It would not matter to us what others in the community and the church are doing.
Our standard of living would be God’s Word alone, bearing in mind that it is on the basis of this Word, that each person in the family will be judged on the last day.
Be a good example to your children. Let them perceive, by your daily actions and conversations, that you are living with heaven in view. This is the easiest way to ignite passion for righteousness and godly living in them. Joshua’s resolute decision is a great challenge to us. May our children not turn around to be thorns in our fleshes, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1. O Lord, I resolve to be steadfast in You, together with my family. Help us against spiritual lethargy, compromise and worldliness, in Jesus’ name.
2. My Father, my Father, grant me and my family the grace to serve You to the end.
3. Pray for Christian parents who aren’t bequeathing good and godly examples to their children/wards, that God should help them to change, henceforth.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: 2 Samuel 22 & 1 Corinthians 4