March 2023
Me & My House
B. Keith Chapman, President & CEO
Have you ever changed your mind about something that you once felt very strongly about? Maybe, you learned over time and realized some fault in your original thought process. Maybe, you still believe the same way, but your commitment to the cause has just faded. Or maybe, you have been convinced otherwise by someone else’s opinion. We have likely all found ourselves in one of these scenarios over time. The people and things around us can have more influence on our thoughts and behaviors than many of us realize. This is an all-too-common phenomenon that can be seen throughout history.
The Israelites experienced this changing thought process many times on their journey to the land God had promised them. The journey, which lasted forty years, was filled with hardships because of their disobedience and wavering trust in God. It is easy for us to look back on this story and shake our head in disbelief. No matter how many times God provided or delivered them from hardship, they would eventually begin to question God’s ability again. They would find themselves looking to other things and false gods in an effort to improve their situation. While it is unlikely that any of us have spent forty years walking around in a wilderness, many can relate to the wavering thought process, especially when things get tough. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and man.” This passage makes it clear that we all have a choice of who to serve during our lifetime. The subtleness of influence in our lives can cause us to really deviate from what we know is best or true. We tend to underestimate the influence of those things around us and before we realize it our priorities have shifted causing our focus to be more on things that are temporal in nature.
We have all heard that there is strength in numbers. People pooling their strength and focusing in one direction can produce incredible power. This is true not only with physical strength but also with beliefs and opinions. The more people that believe or do the same thing, the higher probability they will convince others to come along. This is exactly what happened to the Israelites in the wilderness. However, God had positioned strong leaders to help reestablish the priorities and keep them focused on the correct Master. Joshua found himself in this position of leadership and was bold in his faith. He believed strongly in the one master principle and knew the Israelites needed a strong reminder. In Joshua 24:15, Joshua said this to the Israelites,” But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve…..But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” It didn’t matter how many people disagreed or were comfortable going a different direction, Joshua made it clear that he and his direct circle of influence would serve the Lord. This is the kind of boldness and leadership that each of us should strive for daily.
Challenge: It is easy to get caught in the wave of public opinion and twisted truth. Remember the one master principle and check your priorities and beliefs against those things that are found in God’s Word (an eternal, rather than temporal, investment). Be bold in your faith and actions by declaring that me and my house will serve the Lord!
Published: March 1, 2023
