Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness…

choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…

But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

Joshua 24:14a, 15,24

I sometimes watch a fun little show on HGTV called “Love it or List it?” The homeowners have a problem with the design or layout of their house which bothers them.  An excellent designer comes in, remodels, and presents the homeowners with a brand-new beautiful version of their home.

Then the decision-making process begins. Do they love it or do they list it? The homeowners must make the choice.

Here we are in our humanity. Something about ourselves bothers us. We have to admit it; we have some flaws. We have a big problem called sin. Our excellent designer, God, offers to come in and make us new. Ultimately, we have to decide if we believe he can do it or not. He leaves the decision up to us. Do we love it or not? Do we accept it or reject it?

God loves us so much that he offers us a choice. He does not force himself upon us, but oh friends, if we allow him to do it, he will come in and make us new – clean and without blemish. He wants to fill our chasms of need, regret, and shame with his glory.

First, we choose him as our Savior, our Redeemer, our Forgiver of sin. With that decision made, we choose daily to serve and obey him. Why does he want us to obey him? It shows him our sincere love and respect (fear). It puts our eyes more on him and less on ourselves. Obedience gives our lives a calling and purpose.

What will we choose?

Father God, we choose You. We will serve you and we will obey You. You are worthy. You are what we search for. We choose to “love it”.

Susan Partida