Serving the Lord Completely and Sincerely

In today's first reading, Joshua 24: 14-29, Joshua assembled the people and exhorts them:  "Fear the Lord and serve him completely and sincerely."  Not halfheartedly! Not only when it is convenient! Don't pretend to be serving Him when you really are serving other gods!  "Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.  If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

"Decide today whom you will serve!"   The same challenge is placed before us! Decide today!  Stop procrastinating! Stop serving other gods because they please you or because your ego is your "king," your savior from all that distresses you! Stop serving other gods because others are doing so and you want their approval! Today, you are to make a decision to serve God, the Lord, or serve false gods, pseudo gods, God substitutes!  What will your decision be?

Joshua reminds the people that they "may not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins, [Joshua warns]. If, after the good he has done for you, you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, he will do evil to you and destroy you."  Resolutely, the people respond:"We will serve the Lord!"   What is your resolve?

Serving God will not be an easy journey. We will, like Jesus, face opposition; for some, even death for God's sake.  The journey is an uphill climb, a climb up to Jerusalem with Jesus. We are not alone on this journey!  Along the way, we will meet critics, persons who will challenge our resolve and tempt us to abandon our commitment to serve the Lord. We also will fail at times, abandon our resolution.  However, we know from Jesus that God is a forgiving God, a God of compassion, slow to anger, a God who has pity on us, as modeled by His Son Jesus, the Christ!

May you and I, with Jesus, in good times and bad, remain steadfast in our resolve to serve the Lord, and not other gods.  May we live by faith, a resolve of our wills, and not by our emotions!  They are passing, like clouds by day or night!  Like Mary, our mother, who said "Be it done to me according to your will," may we also surrender our wills to God's will!