Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 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.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.
32 And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.
God gives us the freedom to choose who to serve, but often we blend His teachings with the customs of this world. In reality, God is the one who helps us; He has been with our ancestors and continues to guide us through each step of our lives. Unfortunately, we sometimes replace Him with worldly ideas, bad habits, and the worship of false idols. Our customs and culture can shape our thoughts, causing us to lose sight of the truth. Ideals can end up becoming our idols.
We need the Spirit of God to help us discern correctly. Good judgment is essential to keep us from harm.
Be led by the spirit!
Discernment is the process of making theological judgments about what is true and what is false. A mind governed by the spirit leads us to peace. The Goal is to obey the scripture.
Pastor Justin gave us a great understanding based on scripture: love is a wonderful thing because God is love. However, while love is important, it can become problematic when we make it the central focus. When we do this, we often lose sight of its true meaning and may incorporate ideologies that distort it.