“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, 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 24:15).

Our God is unique in that He demands our 100% devoted, undivided affection. Every other “god” (if there is even truly such a thing), is dedicated to certain aspects of life. There were many Greek and Roman “gods,” one for everything of importance to those people (war, wine, agriculture, etc.). Many of the pagan nations of the Old Testament were happy to acknowledge our God; they just added Him to the pantheon of their Baals and Ashtoreths. And of course, in our day we are inclined to make idols or gods of many different things, all at the same time.

The problem is it just does not work that way. Just because we make something a “god” does not mean that it has true power or even our best interests at heart. Think about it this way: Can you really trust a god that only has the power that you give it over your life? The one true God created us with a desire to worship, and He created us with a will to choose. The One True God makes it clear that when we choose to worship or serve any other god, it is the same as rejecting, or failing to choose, Him. Jesus also emphasizes this when he says, “Whoever is not with me is against me….” (Matthew 12:30).

This principle is why God includes the prohibition of adultery as one of the Ten Commandments. To “love” or to seek another at any level when one has entered in marriage vows with our spouse is adultery. It is unfaithfulness. In marriage, we promise to cling to each other. You cannot cling to two different things, or you will be stretched in two compromising both sides. You cannot grab onto one thing without letting go of another. This is why God uses marriage to represent our relationship with Himself. This is why we call the Church the Bride of Christ.

I love the language of “choose for yourselves this day.” I used to believe that it meant a once-for-all decision, and it does at the most fundamental level. When we trust Jesus as our Savior, he promises to never let us go. We are eternally secure. But “this day” also means today. We must continually choose to be faithful—in every thought, in every word, in every deed. Faithfulness is a moment-by-moment decision to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength.

As humans, we will never be perfectly faithful; however, when we continually compromise our faith with our idols of the heart, our hearts can become hardened. Let this be our daily prayer “Search me O God and know my heart…see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:3-4). And let us be thankful for God’s grace and mercy and repent when we fall short: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).

In Christ,

Judy