Choose Whom You Serve: God or the World

After Joshua reminded the nation of Israel all that Yahweh has done for them, he said:

So now, fear Yahweh and serve Him in integrity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh. If it is evil in your sight to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh (Joshua 24:14-15).

He said to the children of Israel, choose this day whom you will serve whether Yahweh or another god if serving Yahweh was not desirable for them. In today's culture, Christians have the same choice before them. There are many so-called gods in this world. 

In fact, Christians have a choice today to whom they will serve whether it is God or the world. The Bible says:

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world (1 John 2:15-16).

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God (James 4:4).

The Bible is clear that loving the world comes not from the Father and friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God. The church is filled with too many Christians who want to serve the Lord while at the same time want to please the world by catering to its desires.

The world does not want to serve God, they only want to serve itself. The world wants nothing to do with God. People in the church want to play this 50/50 allegiance with God and the world. They call themselves Christians while serving the world. 

Charles Spurgeon wrote:

If God is God, serve Him and serve Him fully. If this world is god, serve it and do not claim to be a Christian...Serve your master, whoever he is. If you do profess to be a Christian, be so completely. If you are not a Christian, do not pretend to be. If you love the world, then love it, but cast off your mask and do not be a hypocrite.

Both Spurgeon and Joshua are saying for those who serve God and the world, choose who you will serve and renounce the other. If you are a Christian, serve Yahweh your God and not the world. If you want to serve the world, as Spurgeon would say, do not call yourself a Christian. 

Choose this day, whom you will serve.