A committed relationship

Joshua 24:24"And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord God will we serve, and his voice will we obey."

Joshua didn't sigh in relief when the Israelites responded to his challenge to serve the Lord and him only.Instead, he questioned them to say,"Do you really mean what you say?"He wanted them to make a conscious decision for God,and he even presented the alternatives so they could make a clear choice.(saints without conviction there is no real conversion or committment,distractions will draw us away from God.)He then presented to them the consequences of failing to follow through on their commitment.

This was wise on Joshua's part. Sometimes people are made to feel that choosing God is simple and easy, so they choose to serve Him,but then wonder if they knew what they were doing.Or they choose to follow God,but then don't think much about it. They allow their days just to flow without a focus on serving Him.

Those who haven't chosen to serve God, need to hear Joshua's challenge."This day", right now is the time to choose to follow Him.See this is a serious lifetime commitment, that involves putting Him in charge of your life.Even if we have already chosen to serve God, we choose everyday whether we will honor that commitment in the things we do and say.It is through conviction that we will cleanse ourselves of the things in life that might distract us from our committment to God.God has lead us through life and with his shepherd's rod, he has pulled us out of ruts and fought off the enemy.

God still calls us to follow Him by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.Once we have made that commitment, we must still choose to keep our lives free of those things that can keep us from feeling the joy of his presence, or that divert our attention away from a single-minded devotion to him.