A Focused Mind

                It has been said that the most powerful weapon on earth is a focused mind.  When one thinks of it, the body and actions of man tend to go in the direction of the person’s mind-set.  Even while driving a car, if the driver is distracted by something alongside the road, he tends to drive the car in the direction he is looking.

    
            When Joshua knew that his time on earth was almost over, he gave a final address to the Israelites.  His speech was given with the purpose to encourage the people of God to remain faithful to Him.  He states,

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of 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.” (Joshua 24:15)

                Joshua had the predetermined mind-set that both he and his family would serve the Lord faithfully regardless what the rest of the people decided to do.  Joshua remembered being a slave in Egypt, seeing the very power of God poured out on the Egyptians; he knew how God had provided for His people throughout the wandering years in the wilderness, and he saw God at work again when He fulfilled His promise of victory over Canaan.  Joshua had no desire or intention of serving any other besides the Lord.  No amount of worldly influence or peer pressure was about to change his mind.

   
             Today, we also should be encouraged to follow Joshua’s example.  No matter what kind of ungodly influences may try and lead us astray, we will serve the Lord.  We remember what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did for us upon the cross of Calvary.  We are not “forgetful hearers”, but take the message to the core of our very hearts and remain steadfast in the Lord.  Many forces may attempt to tug us away from Christ such as: Atheism, evolutionary beliefs, peer pressure, or a relaxed perspective of sound biblical teaching.  When we are confronted with such adversity, may we have the heart like Joshua to boldly say, “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

                                                                                                                                                                  -Eric Hicks