… Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
For the past four years, my husband and I have selected “a word” that we want to grow in, along with a song and a bible verse that encompasses that word. As we entered into a new season in our lives, we felt prompted to pick the word “choose” for 2019.
Our song choice was “Today” by Brian Doerksen. This morning as we sang it, two lines in the lyrics jumped out at me like never before, despite singing this song with my husband almost every Sunday for the past year. “Today, I choose to hear Your voice and live. Today, I choose to follow you.”
Today, you and I have a choice. We can do the “One thing” that is needed – to sit down at Jesus’ feet and hear His voice, fellowshipping with Him just like Mary did. Or, we can choose to become so distracted with the things of this world, even with good things just like Martha, that we forget the ultimate purpose for God creating us, which is to have a loving relationship with Him. (Lk.10:38-42)
Today, you have a CHOICE! You can choose to hear God’s voice, living in a loving relationship with Him and following Him.
Our 2019 bible verse that accompanied the word “choose” was Joshua 24:15, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Let us not forget that Joshua’s courageous obedience to God in the midst of a whole generation of “naysayers” was the byproduct of his time spent with God in the secret place. He entered into God’s highest calling upon his life, leading the Israelite nation into the Promised Land, because He chose to do the “One thing” that was needed. (Exodus 33:11)
If you put the “serving or following” before the “hearing”, too often you will end up living by law instead of relationship, duty rather than delight, and form in lieu of presence and power. Jesus declared, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (Jn. 10:27) Following Jesus, doing and saying what our heavenly Father is doing and saying, emanates from hearing His voice, developing a “One thing” lifestyle. (Ps. 27:4)
Today, you have a CHOICE! You can choose to hear God’s voice, living in a loving relationship with Him and following Him. Or, you can choose to hear the lesser voices – the voices of your flesh, the world, or the devil himself – and follow them. The latter occurs more easily when you have forgotten to prioritize the “One thing” you were created for – to have a loving intimate relationship with God.
Remember, your choice determines your destiny!
How to Hear God’s Voice teaching series will help you to choose to hear God’s voice daily.