Directions For Living The Dream

Directions for Living the Dream

Joshua 24:13-24

"And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. 14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: 18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God. 19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. 21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. 22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. 23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. 24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey."

Introduction: Most of us desire to achieve the dream life, but it might be more important to understand how to maintain it. Living the dream generally means that someone is living his or her best life; that he or she is achieving the goals he wants to achieve; that he has all the material comforts and/or relationships that he wants to have with no regrets. Joshua final message to Israel comes as Israel is Living the dream.

Israel seen the fulfillment of every promise of God and has experienced great changes since leaving Egypt. During the long wilderness journey, God had purged the nation, allowing many unbelieving Israelites to perish along the way. The journey had changed their mindset from a slave mentality to a ruler mentality. The nation had gone from rags to riches. Sometimes prosperity can also be a burden. How wonderful it is to have leadership that can warn us of impending dangers. Joshua peeped into their future!

No other people on earth had experienced such great victories with such an ill-prepared army. Their parents had come out of slavery with the wealth of Egypt yet died without reaching their goals. Their Children were raised in the wilderness, circumcised at Gilgal, with little military training, God and Joshua had led them to victory. Now they had successfully conquered 31 kings and kingdoms and claimed the territory for themselves. They were living the dream! Living in houses they had not built, eating from vineyards and gardens they had not planted. They were enjoying the good life!

Joshua, their leader is 110 years, well-stricken with age. Long life, years of war and constant conquest has taken its toll. As Joshua witness the young nation enjoying the fruits of their labor, the prosperity, and temporal blessings, he cautions them to remember that God is a holy God. Joshua sees potential trouble over the horizon, so he challenges Israel remember who they are, where they are and how they came to this place. Then they must remember who God is, what God has done for them, where he brought them from and why He drove the nations that were here. I wonder what it was that Joshua saw that caused him to warn the nation and say, “14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.” Maybe this caution from Joshua says more about what he did not see. He did not fear of the Lord, nor service in sincerity and truth. He saw evidence of their formal lifestyle creeping back in. He saw enough and it was a red flag. So, he called the nation to a decision. Joshua defines how he was living and what it means to live the dream!