December 24 Daily Devotional

Bible Readings:

Joshua 24:1-8, 11, 13-18, King James Version:
¹And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
²And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
³And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
⁴And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
⁵I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
⁶And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
⁷And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
⁸And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you....
¹¹And you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand....
¹³And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
¹⁴Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
¹⁵And 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.
¹⁶And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
¹⁷For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
¹⁸And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God....

Matthew 6:24, KJV:
²⁴No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Hebrews 11:24-26, KJV:
²⁴By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
²⁵Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
²⁶Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Devotional:

"Once to every man and nation
   comes the moment to decide
In the strife of Truth and Falsehood,
   for the good or evil side.''

So writes the poet Lowell. But contrary to those words the Bible makes plain that there are choices to be made every day. Life is a series of forks in the road. At the opening of a new year and at the beginning of each new day we are faced with problems that call for decisions. And deceived we are if we think that we can separate one choice from another, Each decision in life forges a chain the links of which inevitably join each other.

Ruth the Moabitcss like Joshua chose to serve the Lord. Her life which followed the decision to remain with Naomi was ordered by that decision. So it is with the Christian. Casting his lot with those who serve Christ Jesus, the Christian's subsequent choices either contribute to God's praise or bring reproach upon Him.

Before every person who hears His gospel is set life and death, blessing and cursing with the exhortation to choose life. That decision to receive blessing is made by God's sovereign grace and is, therefore, a wise decision. For a wise choice is one motivated by love for God and a desire for His glory. It is made in accordance with God's will as set forth in His Word. And it is made by only those who have been born again by God's Spirit.

In the [coming] year ... many situations will arise which will call for wise decisions. There is no dependable guide save the Bible. And in the pondering of God's Word, illumination by the Holy Spirit is a necessity for proper choices. Let us like Moses in maturity

of faith choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. For all the forks in the road of life have the same signs, God or Mammon. "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve!" May this daily and momentary call bring an eager response: "We will serve the Lord!"

We are very happy to make available to you this month these devotionals by the late Rev. LeRoy B. Oliver. They originally appeared in The Presbyerian Guardian during the late 1940's.

The description of his "Your Family Altar" page in The Presbyterian Guardian also fits this Web page: "The page is designed for both private and family use, whichever is most convenient in your case. If you do not have family worship in your home, we hope you will begin, and suggest using these readings. They should not, however, take the place of reading books of the Bible, or the Bible itself, through in regular course." It is those who abide (continue) in the Word who are truly Christ's disciples, who know the truth, and who experience freedom in Him (John 8:31-32). May these devotionals be used for the building up of God's people and to the glory of God.