Daily Devotional
Spiritual Victory Through Steadfast Worship
“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 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 24:14-15
December 30, 2023
Ponder This
It is important to have steadfast worship. Joshua said, “We will serve the Lord.” He said, “I don’t know what choice you’re going to make. I can’t force you to make that choice. You can serve other gods if you want to, ‘But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’” He was dedicated to sincere, scriptural, and steadfast service for our Lord.
Joshua was saying, “If I have to, I’ll stand alone.” The closer we get to the end of the age, the more you’re going to have to stand alone. Noah stood alone and was called a bigot and a fool, no doubt. Elijah stood alone before the 450 prophets of Baal. Amos stood alone before the king’s court. You may have to stand alone.
We should never divide over incidentals, but we ought to divide over idolatry. Joshua said, if you want to serve those gods, you can go ahead. But I’m going to serve the Lord. Divide over issues leading to idolatry. Divide over issues leading people to worship something other than God. Whatever we face, we need to resolve that we will serve the Lord.
- What are some less important issues you feel tempted to divide over? What issues are worth dividing over?
- What does steadfast service to the Lord look like? Is that reflected in your life? Why or why not?
Practice This
Commit to steadfast service to the Lord. Write a list of things that need to change to make that happen.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
