Wed., 7/17/13 Devotion (Josh. 24:15c)

Today's encouragement comes from Joshua 24:15c, where we read these words:

" . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

No matter what other people choose to do, God's true Christian church-men must choose to serve Him wholeheartedly. The Fall of man into sin has left us with the deplorable disease of "man-pleasing"; and of mindlessly following whatever new "gods" or theological fads that hap-pen to come along.

The sincere believer must be more thoughtful than that. If the world likes something, we ought to look askance at it, with a level of suspi-cion. This is not because we are paranoid--rather, it is because we have come to learn that idolatry is subtle, and easily slipped into.

[Puritan quote of the day: "To the extent that we give way to our will in sinning, to that extent we set ourselves at a distance from comfort."
--Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]