A Christian Motto For Your Home

Joshua 24: 15 cf 2:10

A Christian Motto for Your Home

I am going to present you with a meaningful Christian Motto for your home. It is not something that I have made up. It is taken straight from the text in Joshua 24: 15: “As for me and my home we will serve the Lord”.

First, I would like you to take a moment to imagine the future – close your eyes and imagine what the church might be like in 10 or 20 years from now.

Who will be there?

Who won’t be there?

Why will they be there?

Why won’t they be there?

What has happened?

These are the kinds of questions that must have run through the minds of many who were present as Joshua gave his final message to the Israelites. They had crossed over the Jordan River and were now in possession of most of the Promised Land. The questions on their minds had to do with whether they would be able to hold on to it and who would be there in the future?

Our questions are a little smaller: how do you go about growing a church or having a godly family, let alone build a nation?

Joshua 24 reminds us that the nation, the church and the family are under attack. It cautions us against the great delusion that our children will turn out to be Christian because we are Christian, that they will go to church because we go to church, that they will take up this or that role in the church because we did this or that. It cautions us not to take matters for granted.

A number of statistical studies from around thirty years ago seemed to suggest that if neither parent was involved in worship then there was a 5% likelihood that their children would do so. Where the mother alone was involved in worship there was a 30% likelihood that her children would be involved. Where the father alone was involved in worship there was a 50% likelihood that her children would be involved. Where both father and mother were involved in worship there was a 85% likelihood that their children would be involved.

They say that the first generation of converts is committed, that the second generation conforms and that the third generation becomes complacent.

Ever felt that you can’t do it – that the task is too big – that you are too small to make a difference?

What is the problem?

Actually, the answer is not such a mystery.

Joshua said, “Choose this day whom you will serve…

The problem is a matter of the choices we make.

The words Joshua chose to speak were “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether it be …As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24: 15 provides us with a motto that could very well be your family motto or church motto or even our national motto: “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

We need to ask ourselves the kind of questions that Joshua asked in our text.

Whom are we serving? Is it ourselves? Is it someone else? Is it God? Have we been faithful in His service?

The Israelites had arrived at Shechem. Shechem was the place where God met with Abraham and ratified his covenant with him. It was a place of vision and of blessing. Not the kind of vision or blessing that we tend to dream up for ourselves! But the kind which beckons us to walk in a certain God-ordained path!

While at Shechem, Joshua stood before the whole Israelite population and called them to reflect on their history as the people of God – to recognize that God had called their fathers out of Egypt through miraculous signs and wonders, but that their fathers rebelled against God and as a consequence they all died in the desert and thus never got to enter the Promised Land. Their history was certainly not a game. It had not been a pleasant stroll in the park.

Oh to possess the land, inherit the blessings and walk in victory – that is what it is all about isn’t it?

Ever felt that you can not do it?

The Israelites were to fully occupy the land in obedience to God. Our task today is to win every home for Christ. That can only take place one home at a time, one person at a time - beginning with yourself. “As for me and my house…”

In response to Joshua’s statement the people responded “We can do it”. They reaffirmed, “…………

Now you would expect that Joshua, being a wise leader would have given the Israelites some encouragement at this point. No, no Joshua – what did you say? …………………