Choose This Day: Serve the Lord Always

Devotional

Day 1: Standing at Life’s Pivotal Crossroads

Joshua gathered Israel at Shechem during a hinge moment—a time to choose their story’s next chapter. Like graduates stepping into unknowns, the nation faced a threshold where past faithfulness met future uncertainty. Joshua anchored their decision in memory: God’s rescue, provision, and power. Life’s turning points demand more than hurried plans; they require pausing to recall who God is and what He’s already done. Every choice flows from this sacred reckoning. [32:55]

“Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God.”
(Joshua 24:1, ESV)

Reflection: What pivotal decision are you facing? How might remembering God’s past faithfulness clarify your next step?

Day 2: Stories That Shape Our Identity

Joshua retold Israel’s history like a grandfather recounting family tales—Terah’s idols, Abraham’s calling, Exodus miracles. Stories aren’t just nostalgia; they’re lifelines when doubt whispers. Forgetting our roots breeds fear, but rehearsing God’s deeds fortifies faith. Like punchlines in a roofing story, the “good parts” of God’s faithfulness remind us He’s still writing our narrative. What stories do you cling to when the future feels shaky? [35:10]

“I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many.”
(Joshua 24:3, ESV)

Reflection: Whose faith story strengthens you? How can you share God’s deeds with someone feeling untethered?

Day 3: The Danger of Unspoken Miracles

One generation after Joshua’s fervent vow, Israel’s children didn’t know God. Red Sea crossings went unmentioned; manna became myth. Silence breeds spiritual amnesia. Busyness—raising kids, chasing goals—drowns out testimony. Yet buried beneath daily exhaustion lies a sacred charge: speak. Your words bridge the gap between God’s miracles and a child’s unasked questions. What miracles have you left unspoken? [46:54]

“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”
(Judges 2:10, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear how God has guided you? What one story will you share this week?

Day 4: Altars That Keep Crawling Away

A living sacrifice wriggles off the altar daily. Careers, relationships, even ministry plans tempt us to reclaim control. Yet Paul insists: you’re not your own. Like a hot dog resisting the campfire, we squirm when God’s fire refines. Surrender isn’t a graduation stage moment; it’s the daily grind of saying, “Your plans, not mine.” What part of yourself are you clutching today? [51:14]

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
(Romans 12:1, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you subtly taken back control? What does “living sacrifice” look like in your current season?

Day 5: When God Wrecks Your Ten-Year Plan

The pastor’s detailed decade-long blueprint crumbled—and he thanked God. Human plans often shrink God’s imagination. Israel expected conquests; God demanded dependence. Our finite scripts can’t contain His wild, redirecting grace. True freedom lies not in achieving goals but releasing them, trusting the Author who pens better stories. What dream are you gripping too tightly? [56:04]

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
(Proverbs 19:21, ESV)

Reflection: What unmet expectation frustrates you? How might this “detour” reveal God’s deeper purpose?

Sermon Summary

Joshua gathers Israel at Shechem near the end of his life and walks them back through God’s track record so they can stand steady at a pivotal moment. Joshua starts with Abraham’s family serving other gods, then shows how God took Abraham, led him, multiplied him, and kept making a people where there had been nothing. God then hears Israel’s cry in Egypt, draws a line of darkness between them and their oppressors, and lets their eyes see what he did. God brings them through enemy lands, turns cursing into blessing with Balaam, delivers them again and again. The story makes two questions unavoidable: do they know who God is and do they know what he has done.

Because God is who he is and has done what he has done, the therefore lands with weight. The text calls Israel to fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness. The idols that hid in backpacks since beyond the River have to go. The choice is not optional. Someone will be served. If serving the Lord seems evil, then choose the other masters, but “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The call to choose this day cuts through yesterday’s memories and tomorrow’s plans. Belief at the Red Sea is not the same as faithfulness in the ordinary Tuesday.

Israel answers rightly. Far be it to forsake the Lord. Therefore, they say, they will serve and obey. Joshua ends on a high note, but Judges shows the crash. A generation rises who does not know the Lord or what he did. Forgetfulness unravels faithfulness. Telling the next generation is not a nice-to-have. It is obedience.

Paul picks up the daily shape of this choice. Romans 12 calls for bodies presented as a living sacrifice. Living sacrifices keep trying to crawl off the altar, so the call is daily and even hourly. First Corinthians 6 reminds why this surrender is right. The Spirit dwells within, so the believer is not his own. He has been bought with a price, so glorifying God in the body is the only fitting outcome.

The pattern is clear. When Israel lives committed to God, God shows up, provides, protects, empowers, and delivers. When Israel lives for itself, life spirals. Plans fall apart, but grace holds. The better story is not every plan fulfilled, but a life laid down, decisions held with open hands, and a heart that keeps saying today to the God who has proven himself again and again.

Key Takeaways

1. Remember God’s track record first The story of rescue and provision steadies the heart before hard decisions. Memory is not nostalgia here, it is fuel for obedience. The more specific the remembrance, the clearer the present choice becomes. Forgetfulness is not neutral, it is dangerous. [39:47]
2. Choose this day, not someday Yesterday’s faith will not carry today’s disobedience, and tomorrow’s intentions will not fix today’s compromise. The text presses a present-tense decision that must be renewed when plans shift or disappointments hit. Faithfulness sounds like yes in the moment, again and again. [41:24]
3. Lay down a living sacrifice Romans 12 envisions a life that keeps returning to the altar with open hands. The struggle to stay there is expected, which is why surrender is renewed daily and hourly. God does more with a yielded life than any clever ten year plan can engineer. [50:35]
4. Live as not your own The Spirit’s indwelling means ownership has changed hands. Calling, body, time, and future belong to the One who bought with a price. Freedom, then, is found in glorifying God with everything, not in calling the shots. [52:34]
5. Tell the next generation the works Judges shows how quickly faith unravels when the story is not told. Silence about God’s deeds breeds amnesia and then idolatry. Passing on names, dates, and deliverances is itself obedience and protection. [46:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:02] - Turn to Joshua 24
[32:55] - Naming pivotal moments
[34:00] - Shechem and the gathered elders
[36:22] - God takes Abraham
[37:23] - God hears and delivers
[39:47] - Therefore fear and serve
[41:24] - Choose this day whom you serve
[42:22] - As for me and my house
[46:32] - A generation that forgot
[48:34] - Faithfulness as a daily decision
[50:35] - Living sacrifice in Romans 12
[52:34] - You are not your own
[54:26] - God shows up or the spiral
[56:04] - Plans undone, providence better
[57:43] - Graduates called to serve today

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Joshua 24:14-15 (ESV)
“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 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.”

Romans 12:1 (ESV)
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Judges 2:10 (ESV)
“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”

Observation Questions

In Joshua 24:14-15, what two actions does Joshua command Israel to take, and what choice does he emphasize they must make?
According to Romans 12:1, what does Paul say believers are to present to God, and how is this described?
What reason does 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 give for why believers are “not their own”?
Judges 2:10 describes a generation that “did not know the Lord.” What key failure led to this reality?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Joshua frame serving the Lord as a daily choice (“choose this day”) rather than a one-time decision? How does this connect to the warning in Judges 2:10?
Romans 12:1 calls believers to be a “living sacrifice.” What challenges might arise in living this out, and why is daily surrender necessary?
How does the statement “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) redefine ownership of our time, decisions, and future?
The sermon mentions that “forgetfulness unravels faithfulness” [46:32]. How does remembering God’s past faithfulness guard against idolatry or compromise?

Application Questions

What specific moments in your life (e.g., answered prayers, provision) can you intentionally recall to “steady your heart” before making a hard decision? How could writing these down help?
Identify one area where you’re tempted to delay obedience (“I’ll choose tomorrow”). What would it look like to say “yes” to God in that area today? [41:24]
The sermon says, “Living sacrifices keep trying to crawl off the altar” [50:35]. What practical step could you take daily (e.g., prayer, Scripture) to recommit to surrender?
Where do you most struggle to live as “not your own” (career, relationships, finances)? What would it look like to hold that area with “open hands” this week?
Who in your life (family, friends, younger believers) needs to hear stories of God’s faithfulness from your journey? How can you intentionally share these with them? [46:32]

Sermon Clips

53s

“Joshua is reminding the nation whether you like it or not, you will serve someone. There will be something my dad used to say. Somebody's always your boss. There's always somebody higher. There's always somebody over you. There's always somebody that you answer to but Joshua says, you have a choice. You can serve god or you can serve your sin. You can live a life that is fully dedicated and faithfully submitted to the lord who is protected and provided and delivered and done all of these things, poured out his love on you or if you really think it's better, if it's evil in your eyes to serve the lord, then you can choose to serve these other false idols that will never fulfill. The end of that verse, Joshua says, but as for me and my house, we will serve the lord.”

47s

“Verse 14 begins with it therefore, because of all these things, because of who god is, because of what god has done, fear the lord and serve him in sincerity. This is this is with your whole heart, with everything that you are to serve god, to fear god, and in faithfulness, put away the gods that your father served beyond the river and serve the lord. He is he is calling them out. He is throwing down the gauntlet. He is saying to the nation, hey, you've seen god do incredible things. You've seen him protect and provide. You've seen him deliver in supernatural ways that can only be attributed to him and now you have to make a choice. Now, you've seen god do all these things, you must decide.”

37s

“is this is important. This is essential for us to remember. Joshua starts all the way back with Abraham. Actually, with Abraham's father And he says, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor, they served other gods. But then I, this is Joshua speaking for god, god took Abraham from beyond the river and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offs pring many. He's recounting to them. Do you know where all this started? When you look around nation of Israel and you see where you are today, do you know how all of this began? It began with Abraham.”

52s

“I'm saying you take the decisions that you've made and every single day, god, this is where you want me, if this is what you want me to do, I'm all in. And if you change your mind, please change mine. Make it obvious. I've shared with the teenagers before one of my favorite prayers is, father, I am so foolish. I'm wrestling with this decision. I think you want me to head this direction. If that is what you want me to do, please make it so obvious that not even I could miss it. Please make it so obvious that I can't do anything else except that one thing. Graduates, do you know who God is? Do you know what he's done? And will you serve him today? And will you serve him for the rest of the todays that he gives you? Will you be fully committed and sold out to god?”

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