Epicenter: Corinth (Exchanging Idols for Jesus) — Wednesday
Joshua 24:15
But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD. (NLT)
The city of Corinth was a wealthy port city. Because of this, the city welcomed a diverse multitude of people with a plethora of different ideas, religions, beliefs, etc. Pagan idolatry and philosophy ran rampant, and even infiltrated their way into the church. As we know, there is nothing new under the sun, and we can look back at the book of Joshua and see a very similar situation taking place hundreds of years before the one in Corinth. Just as the Corinthian believers struggled to separate themselves from other gods, the Israelites—God’s chosen people who witnessed His power and faithfulness many times—struggled to trust in the Lord and, instead, often chose to trust in themselves or other gods.
The importance of life can be summed up by Joshua’s statement. Each person has to decide for themselves who they will choose to serve. Will it be Jesus or literally anything else? Whatever your answer may be, the consequences are both temporary and eternal. The choice to serve Jesus is a matter of life and death. When Joshua asked his questions to the Israelites, he wasn’t actually giving them a choice to worship something else, as if that would help them. He was making a bold declaration by stating that he and his household were going to follow and serve God. His hope was that the Israelites would follow suit. Joshua made it clear that God will not share His glory with anything or anyone else, and our desire should be only for Him. After all, there is only one right answer: Serve Jesus, and abandon anything that gets between you and Him.
Wednesday’s Reflection
Spend some time meditating on and praying through Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:37-38: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command” (CSB).
