Grace World Outreach Church
Day 17
A Covenant of Renewal
By: Tony Gallimore
“If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve, if it should be the gods your fathers served beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
(Joshua 24:15, MEV)
“Is it displeasing to you to serve the Lord?” What a hard question to ask the people of God. Joshua, the leader, their pastor so to speak, was challenging their commitment to the Lord. He was calling them to examine their hearts and decide who they would serve.
Joshua declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” But how? What example does this leader give for serving the Lord? How does he teach his house to serve Him?
God gives us the answer in Scripture. Let us look at what He instructed Moses to teach Joshua and the children of Israel before they crossed into the land of promise.
Deuteronomy 6:4–7 (MEV) says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God; the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
This passage reveals how we and our households can serve the Lord. It begins with love, loving Him with all our heart, soul, and might, and continues with obedience. Faith is passed from one generation to the next through daily devotion and example.
We teach our children to love the Lord diligently when we sit in our homes, when we walk along the way, when we lie down to sleep, and when we rise in the morning. At all times, the love of God and loving God is how we teach our house to serve Him.
In my home, a practical example of this is sharing a Scripture with my children, explaining its meaning during family devotions, and then learning it together. We recite it daily until it becomes a part of us. We began this practice when our children were very young, and it has planted the Word of God deep in their hearts.
In John chapters 13 and 14, Jesus says that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, and calls us to love one another as He has loved us. When we live out love and obedience, we show our families what it means to serve God with sincere hearts and to love others through our actions.
To serve the Lord is to walk in His love. It is a daily decision to obey His Word and to let His love guide how we treat those around us. When we do, we build homes that honor Him and reflect His covenant of renewal for generations to come.
Reflection:
- How is God calling you and your family to serve Him more faithfully?
- What daily practices can you begin in your home to teach your children or loved ones about loving and serving God?
- How can you model the love of God to those in your household this week?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for inviting me and my family to walk in covenant with You. Today, I choose to serve You with all my heart. Help me lead my home by example and teach my family to love You in every season. Let Your Word guide our conversations and our days. As for me and my house, we will serve You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.