One Choice
Joshua 25:15 “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.”
Every family, including my own, experiences heartbreak. When my brother, Mark, was in high school, he made one extremely unfortunate choice. This choice, he would later admit, changed the entire course of his life. Incredibly, this life-changing choice boiled down to one simple word: “Yes.” On a dare, a sixteen-year old Mark was offered liquor. Instead of saying, “No,” Mark said, “Yes.” In that very instant, Mark recanted how his entire life’s focus changed and his every thought became, “How can I get my next drink?”
Sadly, Mark’s story did not end well. It was on my birthday, 2006, that our family was called to the hospital. We held his hands and recited the 23rd Psalm together as Mark took his final breaths. That one fateful choice began the toughest battle Mark would ever be called to fight, a battle he ultimately lost at the age of 44.
One choice.
One word.
“Yes” instead of “No.”
The scriptures are filled with characters who, like us, chose poorly in one seemingly simple choice. Gratefully, there remain many stories of those who chose well. In the story of Joshua, we observe him making wise choices. It is a young Joshua who was chosen as one of twelve sent to spy out the Promised Land and report back to Moses. Ten of the spies returned with a doom and gloom report. It was Joshua and Caleb alone who chose to see the Promised Land as undeniably the “promise” of a God who cannot lie. Because of this, it did not matter that the inhabitants were gigantic or numerous. Joshua believed the promise of God. Case closed!
Sadly, the Israelites chose to believe the word of cowardly men over the promise of a mighty God, and for this choice, they were destined to forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
God later chose Joshua as leader of His people. In Joshua 24, we witness a heart-wrenching speech from an elderly Joshua to God’s people. This mighty leader knew first-hand the importance of choices. So, Joshua called to their attention three choices that stood before them. God’s people could choose:
Their past: Joshua reminded them they had the choice to remain in the sins of their past. (the gods their ancestors served)
Their present: Joshua told them they had the choice to remain in a sinful state they currently found themselves. (serving the gods of the Amorites in whose land they were currently living)
Their future: Joshua informed them of the better choice to serve the God of their eternity (“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”)
Sisters, we find ourselves today with the same dilemma. Every choice we make reflects the allegiances of our heart. My brother, Mark, and Joshua both remind us of the seriousness of every single choice we make, regardless how minor those choices may seem. For Mark, one poor choice was life altering. For the Israelites, one poor choice meant heavy consequences. For us, may we choose to be like Joshua, making godly choices that keep us living a victorious life in Him.
Father God, may we ever be intentional in the choices we make. realizing their eternal impact.
Blessings,
Rita Cochrane