Who Will You Serve? (Week 13)

​Once I became a mom, I felt the urgency to make a choice. I had three precious souls to care for and the weight of raising them well felt heavy on my shoulders.  At the beginning of a new season, and a new stage of life, I had to choose both whom and how I would serve.
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In Joshua 24, Joshua summons all the tribes of Israel to the city of Shechem to give his farewell speech. Joshua gathers the tribes before God to recount all that the Lord has done for them. He reminds the Israelites of their many provisions- their victories and vineyards. But the victory was not won by their swords, and the vineyards did not grow because of the seeds they sowed. God alone gave them all they needed.

After reminding them of God’s provision and protection, Joshua charges them with this decision: “Choose today whom you will serve.”

This choice is the same God asks us to make. The truth is this isn’t a one-and-done decision— it’s a choice Christ-followers must make every single day.

I’ll admit there are times when I don’t feel very wholehearted about serving God. As a mom, many days I am just trying to make it to bedtime. I know that I can come back to a place of renewal with God anytime, but I’ve also learned that if too many half-hearted days go by I start to feel distant from God. When I am overwhelmed I tend to hide parts of myself from Him. Instead of giving my whole self, I only give a little. I pull away from prayer and reading my Bible. 

Maybe, just maybe, you’re finding yourself in a similar place today. Have you, too, ever grown weary of following wholeheartedly?
In these times, how can we continue to serve the Lord and pursue a deeper relationship with Him?

Buried within Joshua 24 is some insight to this problem. The setting for God’s covenant renewal with His people is a city called Shechem, which translates to “shoulder” in the Hebrew language. What a beautiful picture I get when I think about leaning on the shoulders of the loving Father. He is the One who gives us victories and vineyards.

Remembering that He is the One who shoulders the weight fills me with strength to serve Him wholeheartedly. Remembering that He pursued me first fills me with passion to run after Him relentlessly.
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Trying harder didn’t work for the Israelites— it won’t work for us either. The more we choose to open our whole hearts to His love, the more we will serve Him wholeheartedly. Today, find a quiet place and remind yourself of the victories and vineyards God has provided. Allow His love to nourish your soul, and respond by choosing Him, again.

About the Author

My name is Audra Powers and I'm a wife and stay-at-home mom to three young children in the high desert of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

​My hobbies include hiking, playing guitar and thrifting! I love writing about faith, family and living motherhood empowered.

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