“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.” Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
If total, exclusive commitment to the living God seems unattractive to you, Joshua reasoned, then consider the alternatives. They may be initially appealing because they are less demanding, but take a long, hard look at where they will lead you.
You could worship the gods your forefathers worshipped. This was before God spoke to Abraham. Joshua said, If you think serving the Lord seems too tough, then look at the alternative—you, standing outside all His promises. That was the position of the people before Abraham. If serving the Lords seems undesirable to you, perhaps you would like to go back to the position where you did not know Him and did not belong to Him. Is that what you want?
Then Joshua suggested another alternative: If you find the Lord’s total and exclusive claims on your life too much, you could opt for the gods of the Amorites. Since the Amorites had just been routed in battle, it didn’t seem very wise to start worshipping their gods!
Look at the alternatives. Don’t just look at them superficially but look at them deeply. If you do not follow the Lord wholeheartedly, what will your life be? A little bit of money? A little bit of sex? A few friends? A lot of laughs? Some trophies? All these things have their place, but is this your life? Is this what you were made for? You were made for something bigger.
When Jesus calls us to count the cost, we have to count both sides of the ledger. You have to count the cost of following, but you also have to count the cost of staying behind.
In your own words, what is the cost of staying behind?
