Put Away other gods and Serve the Lord

Put Away Other gods and Serve the Lord

As I have been studying in Joshua this week, I have been pondering on his counsel to the Israelites to serve the Lord and put away other gods.  What are some gods that we have a hard time ‘putting away’ in our lives?  Keeping in mind that anything that takes precedence over the Lord for us is a ‘other god.’

So what are some of the ones that you have a hard time putting away?  I think of of some such as education, prominence, wealth, food, and even more smaller things like exercise, reading, and entertainment.  We have been counseled to live in moderation.  The Lord wants us to be happy and we are able to do this as we follow Him and serve Him.

The Lord helped and blessed the Israelites so many times by helping them to overcome and battle those who were in opposition to them.  He helped them reach the promised land.  He made the ‘sun to stand still’ to lengthen the day so that the Israelites were able to prevail and win out against their enemies.

We are to cleave unto the Lord and serve Him with sincerity and truth.  When we do not do this, we cannot expect good things:  we cannot expect blessings.  I love these verses in Joshua 24: 14-15 that sum out so clearly what we are to do and how we each have a choice in what we end up doing:

 “14 ¶Now therefore ^afear the Lord, and serve him in ^bsincerity and in truth: and put away the ^cgods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, ^achoose you^bthis day whom ye will ^cserve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my^dhouse, we will ^eserve the Lord.”