Happy New Year, we all say it, right? A new opportunity to start over, wipe the slate clean, change from the past, dust off an old book, or start a new one. A new year is filled with all kinds of possibilities, only limited by… oops, there is the problem. We have to decide, one choice leads one way and another choice another! Joshua is one my favorite characters when it comes to choice.

“Choose you this day” Joshua 24:14. It appeared to be an easy choice, like, “will I have bacon & eggs, or cereal & milk”? Pretty straightforward right? Not really. Bacon & eggs: my cholesterol will go through the roof!! Cereal & Milk: if it’s not low fat my doctor would lecture me on my next visit. It all seemed simple until the choice was made! Joshua pointed out to his brothers & sisters that the choice was easy. Living into the decision, well that is something entirely different!

Listen to his words, “…Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15.

The choice, could they stop behaving as they had in the past, and choose a different path, or continue in the well-worn path which had been their norm? Stay in the past where it’s comfortable or… Their response, you can read about in the book of Joshua. ‘Oh, the heart is willing but the flesh is so weak.’

What about us…? A New Year is just that! Are you willing to make a different choice about your finances, relationships, commitment, weight, health, spiritual connection, unhealthy habits, and the list rolls on…? Joshua says something profound at the end of his challenge, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” It didn’t matter about others, he knew his life & his family’s lives were held together because of one factor, Jehovah God! Are you ready, let’s just do it! (Now where did I put that bacon…?) Ha, just kidding, see you in the place of commitment this Sunday!