By Gina Caswell Kelly
“Choose you this day whom you will serve . . . As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
These are important words in our Bible. Joshua had come to the end of his life. He had served God so faithfully. He had led the people following the death of Moses. He had followed God and gotten the people to the land God had promised them. They had seen miracles worked through Joshua’s time as their leader, the same as they did with Moses. The people had seen God part the Jordan River for them to cross safely. They had seen God hurl huge hailstones from the sky to knock out their enemies. They had seen God cause the sun to stand still in the sky so the battle could be won. They had seen what happened when there was disobedience among the people. They had seen it all. It would seem to be an easy choice for the people, wouldn’t it?
And it was! They answered Joshua’s call with shouts of,” We too will serve God because He is our God!” And they all lived happily after, serving God. Right? I wish that were the case. The book of Joshua ends there with the death of this great leader. Judges follows and begins with the death of Joshua, but already, in chapter two, it says, “After a whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD, nor what He had done for Israel.” Oh my goodness! How sad is that? They did not share the stories of this great God who had delivered them on so many occasions! They did not tell of the wonders of this great God! They did not tell of His overwhelming love and mercy toward them. They did not tell their stories.
It is so important that each generation pass down those important stories. Those stories that made you who you are. Those stories that made you laugh. Those stories that made you cry, and most importantly, those stories that tell about the goodness of God in your own life. When people can see how God has worked in the life of someone they know, it becomes more meaningful to them. The stories of God’s goodness in the Bible are great and certainly are our foundation of faith. But, if I am leading someone to know my Savior, the stories from my life are what makes the most impact.
Are you telling your stories of the goodness of God in your life? Are you telling the story of the day you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Do you have these stories in your life? If you do not, please do not let another day go by. Know the Savior! And then share your stories! It will make a difference!!
