“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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

Joshua and the Israelites had conquered the promised land. Canaan was their land to possess. The walls of Jericho had fallen and the giants of the land had been driven out. The battle was won.

Surely, they didn’t accomplish this great victory on their own. In fact, they would never have succeeded in their own strength. The Lord fought for them. He showed up in the miraculous and in the mundane. He was faithful to his covenant people and his promise. They were victorious, because God gave them favor and blessing.

God was faithful to the people of Israel. Now, would they be faithful to him? Joshua preached to the people and called them to be faithful in response to God’s goodness. Joshua warned the people about idols, which would entice them away from God. He called them to choose God first and to love him above all else.

Every day we have a vital choice to make. We choose who or what we worship. We may choose to worship God or we may worship idols–like money, people, power, status, comfort, career, or things. To summarize Calvin, “Our hearts are idol making factories.” He understood humanity’s persistent temptation to worship lesser gods. This critical choice shapes the quality and character of our lives.

Today, commit to aggressively removing idols from your life. Confess anything that is too important to you and taking up too much of your attention. Devote your heart to the Lord as your greatest love. Choose, like Joshua, to serve the Lord and nothing else.