choices~Josua 23-24

Joshua reminded the children of Israel of all that the Lord had done. He had freed them from bondage, parted the seas, and given them the Promised Land. And now they needed to make a choice between the god's of stone and the God of Abraham.

"Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth. And put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the flood and Egypt, and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day, whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, or the Gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14-15

After this very direct opportunity to choose, Joshua and the children of Israel made a covenant to the Lord God. Like the children of Israel at that time, we cannot have it both ways. We cannot serve God and worldly gods at the same time. They are incompatible.

"Joshua reminds us of the importance of making decisions promptly...Not tomorrow when we get ready, not when it's convenient--but this day, straightway, choose whom ye will serve. He who invites us to follow will always be out in front of us with His Spirit and influence setting the pace. He has charted and marked the course, opened the gates, and shown the way. He has invited us to come unto Him, and the best time to enjoy His companionship is straightway. We can best get on the course and stay on the course as Jesus did--make a total commitment to do the will of His Father." Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign, May 1983, 30-31

In Joshua 23:1-6 Joshua's final counsel to the children of Israel is similar to God's earlier counsel to him, be strong and have courage. It's was good counsel for them and is for our day, too.

Ezra Taft Benson said that two principles are essential for security and peace: "First trust in God; and second a determination to keep the commandments, to serve the Lord, to do that which is right...The Lord has made it very clear in the revelations that even though times become perilous, even though we be surrounded by temptation and sin, even though there be a feeling of insecurity, even though men's hearts may fail them and anxieties fill their souls, if we only trust in God and keep His commandments we need have no fear." Conference Report, October 1950, 146

"If good and evil is placed before us, does not the person who chooses the good and refuses the evil exhibit his agency and manhood as much as the man who chooses the evil and refuses the good? or is the independence of manhood all on the side of the evil-doer? I leave you to answer this question in your own mind. To me I think the angels and saints and all good people have exercised their agency by choosing the good and refusing the evil; and in doing so they not only exhibit their independence and manhood as much, but show a much higher and greater nobility of character and disposition; and I leave the future to determine who are wise in their choice of freedom and independence. Joshua said to ancient Israel 'Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve; if Baal, serve him. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' I think what we need to learn are the true principles that shall lead us to peace, to wealth and happiness in this world, and glory and exaltation in the world to come. And that if we can learn these principles, and receive them in good and honest hearts, and teach them as our faith, and practice them in our lives, we show our manhood, our independence, and our agency as credible before angels and God, as any wicked man can, in refusing the good and cleaving to the evil, exhibits his before the Devil and his angels." Esasterus Snow, Journal of Discourses, 19:180-81

Sometimes it is hard to know if you are serving the right master. I present this as a test. Do your choices bring you contentment, happiness, and peace even in the face of anxiety? Do your choices bring feelings of thrill, vindictiveness, blame, rationalization, justification, or righteous indignation? This is one good litmus test. Likely, there are others as well.