Joshua 24:15
15 "And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
If you want to sell something you can take your goods to a local thrift store. Most of them will sell your items on consignment. Meaning, they will act as a third party seller, and will charge you a percentage of the price of the items. This is usually a contractual agreement that provides you the assurance of being able to sell your items, and it protects the third party seller by granting them a commission of the sale.
As we go through life, we are always being offered a consignment in the spiritual sense. However, this type of consignment isn't your typical third party sales method. It is a condition of selling out, or selling your soul. When Satan, then Lucifer, fell from grace, he prepared in his heart before the fall to go against God. He sold out to himself. Then, he was able to convince by consignment, to take a third of the angels with him.
When he tempted Eve in the garden, he did it by a cunning and persuasive charm. He sold her and Adam, a bill of goods, promising them something they could not have or could ever be -- to be just like God. He offered them a consignment, and it cost them an eviction and disgrace.
Satan would love nothing more than to offer you a consignment. The item you possess is your soul. He wants it, not for personal wealth or gain, that is useless to him. But he wants to use you, by selling your soul to him, in order to remove your worship and allegiance from the Lord God.
When Joshua was at the end of his time as leader of Israel, he charged the people to decide who they will follow - the gods of the world, or the God of heaven. He gave them a choice, just as our Father in heaven gives us a free-will choice. Just like He gave Satan a free-will choice to do what he did. Just like Adam and Eve had a free-will choice to stay under God's protection and grace or give in and sell out to Satan,
Joshua decided to stay the course and follow and serve God. The last part of verse 15 - "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." - is one of my life verses. I try to stay true to it. But it's hard sometimes, because the enemy wants to come in and tempt me to give up, give out, and give in to his demands. And it is not so easy to fight off that temptation. It is however, essential and imperative to remain committed to the Lord, once that choice has been made to serve Him and Him alone.
Life isn't fair sometimes. It sucks sometimes. It's a roller coaster with no apparent end sometimes. But if you stay on track and ride the rails, with all of its ups and downs and twists and turns, the ride will eventually come to a stop, and you can get off and enjoy the life that God has promised for all who put their trust and faith in Christ.
Don't let temptation to do evil in the sight of God be the one thing Satan can use to get you sell your soul over to him.
Your servant in Christ,
Tom
Pastor, Still Waters Home Fellowship
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