As For Me and My House: We Will Serve

Aug 02, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Choosing Whom to Serve in the Everyday

Joshua’s declaration cuts through life’s noise: every day holds choices that shape us. Like ancient Israelites tempted by Baal, modern distractions—success, status, possessions—whisper for our allegiance. These “little gods” demand service through anxious striving or quiet compromises. Yet Joshua’s weathered voice reminds us that freedom lies not in avoiding choice, but in naming what we prioritize. Serving the Lord isn’t a one-time vow but daily realignment, like pulling weeds to protect a garden’s fruit. What competes for your worship when stress tightens your chest or envy flares? [59:30]

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
(Joshua 24:15, NIV)

Reflection: What “little god” most often distracts you during moments of stress or success? How might naming it today loosen its grip?

Day 2: It Starts with Me: Modeling Service Beyond Words

Values crumble when they’re framed slogans rather than lived rhythms. Joshua didn’t delegate his household’s faith—he led through early morning prayers and battles where God’s faithfulness became their family story. Jesus knelt with a towel before commanding disciples to serve, proving actions outlast speeches. Children notice when our Bible stays closed, when generosity stops at convenience, when worship is performative. Modeling isn’t perfection but persistent alignment—letting laundry-folding hands and work deadlines become altars. [01:02:50]

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
(John 13:14–15, NIV)

Reflection: What one habit could make your commitment to serving God more visible to those who share your daily space?

Day 3: When One Household’s Choice Shapes a Nation

Joshua’s resolve didn’t stop at his doorstep. His integrity during wilderness grumbling, his courage at Jericho, his晚年 steadfastness—these rippled into a national legacy. Israel served God through his lifetime because his choices built a culture. Today’s small obediences—parking cars for strangers, brewing coffee with joy, praying over spreadsheets—are stones in a mosaic of collective faith. Your service in hidden places fuels others’ courage to step into light. [01:06:27]

“Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.”
(Joshua 24:31, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you seen your “ordinary” acts of service unexpectedly encourage someone beyond your inner circle?

Day 4: Values Lived Out Loud, Not Framed on Walls

Kitchen-wall scriptures mean little if resentment simmers during meals. Joshua’s household served God not because he quoted laws, but because he recounted Red Sea deliverances around campfires. Values thrive when practiced in traffic jams, budget meetings, and hospital waits—when patience is chosen over honking, integrity over shortcuts, gratitude over complaint. What we rehearse in the mundane becomes our anthem in crisis. [01:04:11]

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
(James 1:22, NIV)

Reflection: Which of your current daily routines most clearly reflects—or contradicts—the values you claim to prioritize?

Day 5: Serving Through Seasons of Drought and Harvest

Joshua served through slavery, wilderness, and conquest—his commitment wasn’t seasonal. Modern service includes showing up when worship feels dry, when prayers seem unanswered, when culture mocks conviction. Like farmers tending fields in rain and sun, faithfulness outlasts moods. Each “small yes”—to forgive, to give, to hope—roots us deeper. The Israelites remembered Joshua’s consistency because he outlasted every storm. [01:08:39]

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
(Galatians 6:9, NIV)

Reflection: What current challenge makes serving God feel wearisome? How might perseverance here strengthen someone watching your journey?

Sermon Summary

Joshua’s declaration, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” stands as a commitment, but more than that, it stands as a choice. Choices really matter. God has made people with freedom and free will, not like a remote control car, and that freedom means daily decisions can shape a life, a household, and other people as well.

Joshua speaks from lived experience, not theory. Joshua had been Moses’ assistant, had seen the plagues in Egypt, had watched the Red Sea part, had known God’s provision in the wilderness, and had seen the walls of Jericho fall. Joshua and Caleb had looked at the promised land differently from the other spies, because the obstacles were not bigger than God’s promises. Joshua had watched God fight battles for his people, and near the end of his life he gathered Israel to remind them of everything God had done.

The choice before Israel is plain: “choose for yourself this day whom you will serve.” Baal, Asherah, the gods of the ancestors, and the gods of the Amorites all stood as options in that culture. The people had freedom to copy the culture of the day if they wanted. Joshua’s line in the sand was clear: “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The little gods of today may not be Baal, but the temptation is just as real. Money, success, status, titles, possessions, celebrities, and plenty more can become things that are served and worshipped. Some of those things can be good things, but good things can still become little gods when they take the place that belongs to the Lord.

The value of serving the Lord starts with “as for me.” Values are not what gets printed on a wall, a website, a notebook, or a kitchen sign. Values are what gets practiced. If serving the Lord is to become real in a household, it must first become real in the life that is trying to lead that household.

Jesus shows that words only go so far. Jesus did not merely teach service, he modeled it by washing his disciples’ feet. A household may not always remember the words spoken, but the example given is often what sticks.

Joshua’s commitment did not stop with his house. Israel served the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and through the elders who outlived him. Serving the Lord in quiet, humble, practical ways has a bigger impact than people often know, in homes, in church, in workplaces, in the city, and sometimes even in the nation.

Key Takeaways

1. Choices shape more than one life Choice is not a small thing in Joshua’s story. God gives freedom, and that freedom carries weight because decisions do not stay private for long. A decision to serve the Lord can shape a household, while a decision to serve lesser things can quietly disciple that household in another direction. [56:25]
2. Little gods still ask for service The gods of the Amorites may not have the same names today, but the pull toward worship is still alive. Money, success, status, possessions, and titles can become little gods when they begin asking for trust, time, sacrifice, and identity. The danger is subtle because many of these things are not evil in themselves, yet they become dangerous when they sit on the throne. [60:50]
3. Values are practiced, not printed Values can look good on walls, websites, pens, T-shirts, and kitchen signs, but a printed value is not the same as a lived value. Joshua begins with “as for me” because a household cannot be led into a reality that is absent from the leader’s own life. Service becomes believable when it is seen before it is spoken. [63:45]
4. Example reaches where words stop Jesus knew that instruction alone was not enough, so the towel and basin became the lesson. The washing of the disciples’ feet shows that service becomes powerful when it takes visible, humble form. A household may forget many words, but remembered actions can keep speaking for years. [65:04]
5. Faithful service carries wider influence Joshua’s decision reached beyond his own house and marked Israel for a generation. Quiet acts of service in car parks, cafés, tech teams, youth work, worship, prayer, and practical care can carry more influence than the servants ever see. Serving the Lord is never just small, because God can use ordinary faithfulness to bless homes, churches, cities, and nations.

## [66:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[55:04] - All Ages Challenge
[55:48] - A New Household Values Series
[56:09] - As For Me And My House
[56:25] - Choices Really Matter
[58:16] - Joshua’s Lived Experience With God
[59:30] - Choose Whom You Will Serve
[60:50] - The Little Gods Of Today
[62:06] - Serving The Lord Starts With Me
[63:45] - Values Are What Gets Practiced
[65:04] - Jesus Models Service
[65:55] - One Household, Wider Influence
[71:31] - Prayer To Choose And Serve The Lord

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Joshua 24:15
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” [59:30]

Observation questions

In Joshua 24:15, what different options for worship and service are placed before the people, and what clear choice does Joshua make for his own household? [59:30]
What parts of Joshua’s life showed that he was speaking from lived experience rather than theory? [58:16]
What are some examples of “little gods” that can compete for a person’s worship today? [01:00:50]
What contrast is made between values that are printed or displayed and values that are actually practiced in daily life? [01:03:45]

Interpretation questions

Joshua says, “choose this day whom you will serve.” What does that wording suggest about service to God being an active choice rather than something automatic? [56:25]
Joshua begins with “as for me” before he speaks about “my house.” Why does that order matter when thinking about spiritual influence in a home? [01:02:06]
Money, success, status, and possessions can be good things, yet they can also become little gods. How can a group tell when a good thing has started to take the place that belongs to the Lord? [01:00:50]
Jesus washed his disciples’ feet instead of only telling them to serve. What does that reveal about how people usually learn values most deeply? [01:05:04]

Application questions

Everyone is serving something in practice, even if they would not use that language. What has been asking for most of your trust, attention, sacrifice, or identity recently? Are there any “little gods” that need to be named honestly? [01:01:57]
“As for me” puts the focus on personal responsibility before anybody else’s. In your own life, what is one area where serving the Lord needs to become more visible and consistent? [01:02:42]
Values are what gets practiced, not just what gets framed or spoken. What would serving the Lord look like in the ordinary rhythm of your home this week—at meals, with money, with time, or with conversation? [01:04:02]
People often remember example more than words. If someone in your household or close circle copied your current pattern of life, what would they learn about what matters most to you? [01:05:18]
Jesus gave service a visible shape. What is one humble, practical act of service you sense you should do for someone close to you, not to impress them, but to reflect Christ? [01:05:04]
One person’s faithful decision can influence far beyond the home. Where might God already be using your ordinary service—in church, work, neighbourhood, or friendships—in ways you may have overlooked? [01:06:55]
Joshua’s choice was clear and public: “we will serve the LORD.” What would it look like for you to make your own commitment clearer, both to yourself and to others around you? [01:00:37]

Sermon Clips

43s

#LeadByExample

“And Jesus knew exactly that. He knew that that actually just telling us to serve wasn't enough. And so he led by example. He took the disciples' feet and he washed it because he recognizes that actually words can only go so far. Sometimes what I say can only reach my children or my household to a certain extent, but what I do, they remember. Jesus didn't merely teach service. He modeled it. People in my household may not always remember my words, but they more often remember the example that I gave.”

36s

#ExampleSpeaksLouder

“And so he led by example. He took the disciples' feet and he washed it because he recognizes that actually words can only go so far. Sometimes what I say can only reach my children or my household to a certain extent, but what I do, they remember. Jesus didn't merely teach service. He modeled it. People in my household may not always remember my words, but they more often remember the example that I gave.”

37s

#ModelTheValue

“Jesus didn't merely teach service. He modeled it. People in my household may not always remember my words, but they more often remember the example that I gave. So my second question is this. can I better model the value I want to see? Hope you captured that for the youth out there. Some goodies here. How can I cat how can I better model the value I want to see?”

50s

#ValuesInAction

“``You see, the values look good on the wall. They look good on a company website. They look good on the company's notebook, on the company's pens, on the company's T shirts. And some of us, the values look good on our kitchen walls. Some of us, the values look good on our front walls that we've put those scriptures and those values in there. And that's good. But we know that values aren't what we print. Values are what we practice. And for Joshua, he understood that if serving the Lord was gonna become a reality in his household, it first had to become a reality in his own life.”

69s

#ChooseToServe

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. But you know the temptations to serve and to worship other things and other gods are just as real today as they were back then. We may not have the temptation to serve Baal, but the temptation to serve things around us are just as real today. The temptation to serve money and success and status and titles and possession and celebrities and so much more. While some of these things can be good things, they can also become little gods to us. They can also be things that we can worship and we can serve. And despite the traps and the temptations of his day, Joshua made the choice regardless of all those things I can serve, the list of things I can serve, I've made a decision, and my decision is that I'm gonna serve the Lord.”

62s

#ResistModernIdols

“But you know the temptations to serve and to worship other things and other gods are just as real today as they were back then. We may not have the temptation to serve Baal, but the temptation to serve things around us are just as real today. The temptation to serve money and success and status and titles and possession and celebrities and so much more. While some of these things can be good things, they can also become little gods to us. They can also be things that we can worship and we can serve. And despite the traps and the temptations of his day, Joshua made the choice regardless of all those things I can serve, the list of things I can serve, I've made a decision, and my decision is that I'm gonna serve the Lord.”

64s

#PracticeWhatYouValue

“If the value I want in my household is to serve the lord, it starts with me that I have the responsibility. And over the years, I'm sure you've seen or I'm sure you've worked with organizations that have wonderful values and wonderful statements, like integrity and respect and service and and excellence and teamwork and innovation. You see, the values look good on the wall. They look good on a company website. They look good on the company's notebook, on the company's pens, on the company's T shirts. And some of us, the values look good on our kitchen walls. Some of us, the values look good on our front walls that we've put those scriptures and those values in there. And that's good. But we know that values aren't what we print. Values are what we practice.”

54s

#ChoicesMatter

“Because our choices really matter. The choices we make in life, they they really, really do matter. Somehow, we've been created in a way that that God gives us freedom and a free will to be able to to make choices. He doesn't control us like a remote control car. He gives us the freedom and the license to be able to to make choices. He gives us the the freedom to be able to make choices every day. And sometimes the choices that we make are small, and they have very little consequences. Sometimes we make choices that have huge significance, and they shape our life, but they also shape the life of other people around us as well. Every day we make choices. Every day we make decisions. Some we make consciously. Some we make unconsciously. Some are insignificant, and some are very significant.”

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