July 21st, 2025
By: Jason White
As for Me and My Family
In Joshua 24:15, we see this famous scripture that says “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord”. Lately, this scripture has jumped out at me about what it looks like to serve the Lord. More than anything in my life, not only do I want to serve the Lord, but I want my family to serve the Lord. In this scripture, Joshua was telling Israel that the Lord’s covenant with him and Israel was firmly established and he was challenging Israel to choose once and for all to serve the Lord.
If we read our Bibles, we know that Israel struggled throughout the Old Testament, doing just what Joshua is challenging them to do.. You see this cycle of ups and downs, rights and wrongs, and Israel can’t seem to get it right. One day they serve the Lord, the next day they don’t. Unfortunately, not only do we see this pattern in Israel in the Old Testament, we see it in people’s lives today. Truthfully, if we ask ourselves, we probably struggle with this as well. One day they are hot and on fire for the Lord, but when life gets hard, or they lose that zeal for the Lord, what was once hot turns bitterly cold.
I want to encourage you to keep that zeal for the Lord and continue to stoke the fire. Joshua 22:5 says “But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and your soul.” I believe this verse gives us the secret to serving the Lord everyday with a zeal that will not only decrease but increase.
To love the Lord your God, you have to love his word. You have to read it everyday, study it, dive into it, memorize it. When you do these things you actually see the verse that says it’s sharper than any two edged sword lived out. Hebrews 4:12-”For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
Another way you love the Lord is to pray. I don’t mean you have to pray this deep, educated, King James type of prayer either. You can speak to God as if He is your best friend! The Bible says to pray without ceasing! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says” Never stop praying.” For me, I am constantly in my mind, praying, thanking, speaking, and talking to Jesus, because He is my best friend, and He loves me.
Lastly, to love the Lord with all your heart and soul, you have to SERVE Him. There are countless ways to serve Jesus. Does this mean that everyone is called into full time ministry, ABSOLUTELY NOT. If everyone were, we wouldn’t be able to function in society. We wouldn’t have doctors, or teachers, or plumbers, or construction workers. I can’t imagine what life would be like without these professions. However, we can serve the Lord, no matter what our profession. It’s true that we all have different callings and some are called into ministry and others aren’t. However, I can’t find one place in scripture that says serving the Lord is optional. That means no matter what our jobs may be, we are ALL called to serve the Lord.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:24- “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Whether we want to believe it or not, we are serving either God or the world. Let this blog encourage, challenge, or inspire you today to serve God with all your heart and soul. I’ll leave you with the question that Joshua started chapter 24, verse 15 with, choose today whom you will serve?
As for Me and My Family
In Joshua 24:15, we see this famous scripture that says “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord”. Lately, this scripture has jumped out at me about what it looks like to serve the Lord. More than anything in my life, not only do I want to serve the Lord, but I want my family to serve the Lord. In this scripture, Joshua was telling Israel that the Lord’s covenant with him and Israel was firmly established and he was challenging Israel to choose once and for all to serve the Lord.
If we read our Bibles, we know that Israel struggled throughout the Old Testament, doing just what Joshua is challenging them to do.. You see this cycle of ups and downs, rights and wrongs, and Israel can’t seem to get it right. One day they serve the Lord, the next day they don’t. Unfortunately, not only do we see this pattern in Israel in the Old Testament, we see it in people’s lives today. Truthfully, if we ask ourselves, we probably struggle with this as well. One day they are hot and on fire for the Lord, but when life gets hard, or they lose that zeal for the Lord, what was once hot turns bitterly cold.
I want to encourage you to keep that zeal for the Lord and continue to stoke the fire. Joshua 22:5 says “But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and your soul.” I believe this verse gives us the secret to serving the Lord everyday with a zeal that will not only decrease but increase.
To love the Lord your God, you have to love his word. You have to read it everyday, study it, dive into it, memorize it. When you do these things you actually see the verse that says it’s sharper than any two edged sword lived out. Hebrews 4:12-”For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
Another way you love the Lord is to pray. I don’t mean you have to pray this deep, educated, King James type of prayer either. You can speak to God as if He is your best friend! The Bible says to pray without ceasing! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says” Never stop praying.” For me, I am constantly in my mind, praying, thanking, speaking, and talking to Jesus, because He is my best friend, and He loves me.
Lastly, to love the Lord with all your heart and soul, you have to SERVE Him. There are countless ways to serve Jesus. Does this mean that everyone is called into full time ministry, ABSOLUTELY NOT. If everyone were, we wouldn’t be able to function in society. We wouldn’t have doctors, or teachers, or plumbers, or construction workers. I can’t imagine what life would be like without these professions. However, we can serve the Lord, no matter what our profession. It’s true that we all have different callings and some are called into ministry and others aren’t. However, I can’t find one place in scripture that says serving the Lord is optional. That means no matter what our jobs may be, we are ALL called to serve the Lord.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:24- “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Whether we want to believe it or not, we are serving either God or the world. Let this blog encourage, challenge, or inspire you today to serve God with all your heart and soul. I’ll leave you with the question that Joshua started chapter 24, verse 15 with, choose today whom you will serve?
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