The Power of Commitment

The Power of Commitment 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. Joshua 24 v 25 Each one of us as individuals and families need to choose whom we will serve. Worship and allegiance is our righteous service to God who created us and further redeemed us. God had made Himself manifest in His power and mercy to the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. He had revealed Himself in mighty signs and unparalleled wonders to release them from their bondage to the then world’s superpower- Egypt. Yet they were in two minds to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or to turn to the local deities of the lands through which they passed. Joshua as their anointed leader placed before them the choice. Joshua affirmed before the people of Israel that regardless of whom they chose to serve, he himself and his family would serve the Lord in these now famous words, “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” His unflinching commitment for all time transformed the situation and the fickle-minded Israelites also committed to serving the God who had proved Himself real in all their struggles for freedom and deliverance. Joshua ‘s public confession of his faith inspired and guided many others to commit their own lives to God. He warned them that God does not want to be a small part of their lives that He too is also worshipped. He reminded them that He is a jealous God who desires their wholehearted devotion and unswerfing commitment. The greatest blessing that we can pass on to our children and theirs is to live the life of faith. Even today the choice to serve the Lord is an individual choice. But our choices will affect the lives of our families to begin with and a whole generation of people we are living with. Today like Joshua, I too can affirm that as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. The commitment I made to Christ as a seventeen year old transformed my life. He set me free from many bondages, broke many curses, blessed me abundantly, took me through water and fire. He taught me to walk in the desert, through the water and on normal ground. I have shared the words of eternal life that the Lord gave me with thousands upon thousands with my messages and writings over the past thirty five years. At all times of day and night, there is a song of praise and appreciation for the Lord in my heart and a prayer on my lips. My family too shares my commitment and are blessed. The Lord is no man’s debtor and He has faithfully paid my wages as a worker in His kingdom. As for my family, He promised in a time of prayer, “ Your descendants will sit to the twelfth generation on my thrones.” Prateep V Philip