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 It is a commonly known fact that people of the ancient world believed there were many gods.  In the early biblical history, each nation was thought to have its own deity whom they worshiped and upon whom they depended for the necessities of life.  Later, in the times of the Greek and Roman empires, people believed in gods who overreached national boundaries but had limited categories of concern and responsibility.  For example, there was Apollo, god of the sun; Bacchus, god of wine; Minerva, goddess of wisdom; and Venus, goddess of love and beauty.

This ancient theology is generally thought to be obsolete.  In this modern, more enlightened age, we now believe in only one God, who is creator and sustainer of all things.  But whether that conclusion is true or not depends upon how we are using the word God.  If we are speaking of our theological theory, then it is true that we all believe in only one God.  If, however, we are speaking of that factor in life which we truly serve and worship, that something or someone to which we give our devotion, then it is obvious that we have more than one God in our life.  We may no longer use the ancient vocabulary, but nonetheless we do serve and worship many different gods. 

If we hold that thought in mind for a moment, I would like to introduce a passage from the Old Testament.  It is from the book of Joshua.  Moses was dead and Joshua had assumed leadership of the people of Israel.  It was now time to lead them across the Jordan River into the land of promise.  But before doing that, Joshua called everyone together and said to them: “Decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling.  As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  If we read that passage in terms of theological theory, then it is ancient and outdated.  But if we read it in terms of life and practice, then it raises an important question that we need to think about because it becomes as modern as this morning’s newspaper.

One of the deepest truths about our human life is that we must give ourselves to something; we must belong to something; we must have gods in our life to serve.  We all have them – modern conveniences such as a car, a TV, a computer, electric lights, vacations.  These things are nice to have, but some of us have made them gods in our life.  But all the conveniences or pleasures in the world cannot make life worth living unless the things we serve are worth serving.  Each of us is faced with a forced decision.  We will have gods in our life; that is inevitable.  Our only option is in choosing whom or what our gods will be.  So, the challenge of Joshua is just as relevant today as it was the day it was spoken: “Decide today whom you will serve.”

I hope that we truly know that Jesus is the answer!  To worship and serve Him is to pull all aspects of our life together.  To serve and worship any of the “lesser gods” is to rip life apart.  Make your decision that of Joshua: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  Then live by it.