Today is a Choice

Joshua 24:15

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

At the end of Joshua’s life, he presents Israel with a choice to serve the LORD, or to serve the gods of the land that they drove out. However, he also made a very clear principle about the importance of making this choice each day. He said, choose you this day whom ye will serve. This little phrase carries several meanings that are critical to you serving God. Let me share these meanings with you.

First, every day is its own entity. Today is the only chance you have to make a difference. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is a dream, but today is the most important day for you to choose to do right for God. It does not matter what you did yesterday or plan to do tomorrow; today is the key to building on yesterday and giving hope for tomorrow because today is its own entity.

Second, yesterday’s failure does not have to be today’s failure. Just because you failed yesterday does not mean that today has to be a failure. The great thing about today is that it is a new day that brings new hope that you can do something great for God today if you so choose.

Third, yesterday’s success will not guarantee success today. Just because you succeeded yesterday does not mean you will succeed today. Today will only be a success if you make the right choices as you did yesterday.

Fourth, tomorrow’s consequences are a result of today’s choices. You cannot stop the consequences of decisions. Every decision has a consequence or reward that you must endure or enjoy, and they often determine tomorrow’s pleasure. If you want to great and bright tomorrow, make wise choices today.

Fifth, you can’t live off the decisions of others. Joshua said, choose you this day. Nobody can make the choices for you; you must make your own choices. Trying to live on the choices of others eventually causes failure because you must make your own choices. Yes, you can make the same choices that others want you to make, but you must make them yourself if you want the blessings they have had on their lives.

Sixth, today is filled with many choices that will determine if you served God today. One good choice does not make all the bad choices right. Just because you read God’s Word in the morning does not mean that you will make the right choices for the remainder of the day. Yes, it will help you to make the right choices, but each decision is an entity in itself, and every decision often affects the next decision; therefore, be careful with the decisions you make.

Seventh, the power of choosing today is critical to living a life for God. A life that is successfully lived for God is a life that makes the daily choice to serve God each day. You must wake up each morning and choose to serve God. The power of starting your day off serving God is critical to the rest of your day. If you don't start your day off reading the Scriptures and praying, you will find the rest of the day is filled with bad decisions. The determination of a life is determined by the decisions it makes. Make the choice daily to serve God, and you will find a blessed life because of that daily choice.