Choose Whom You will Serve.

We must commit ourselves anew every day to follow the Lord. I prefer to tell people it is not so much a day-to-day commitment to serve God but rather a moment-by-moment decision to serve.

And Jesus answered and said to him, Get you behind me, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. Get. Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve..

American Standard Version : Luke 4:8.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

The quote “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” is a biblical statement found in the book of Joshua. It reflects a commitment to faith and devotion to God. Joshua, a leader of the Israelites, spoke these words to the people, emphasizing their choice to follow God’s commandments and worship Him. Essentially, it signifies a resolute decision to remain faithful and prioritize a life dedicated to serving God. —Joshua 24:15.

No one can serve two lords. This ancient wisdom reminds us that divided loyalties can lead to inner conflict and confusion. Whether it refers to spiritual devotion or the challenges of balancing multiple responsibilities, the message remains relevant across cultures and time.

Here we find Joshua, one of Israel's most faithful leaders, clearly calling the people to make a choice between serving other gods, or serving the one, true God. Then Joshua sets the example with this declaration: "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Today we face the same dilemma. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (NLT)

Maybe money is not a problem for you. Perhaps something else is dividing your service to God. Like Joshua, have you made a clear choice for yourself and your family to serve the Lord alone?

Total Commitment or Halfhearted Devotion?

The people of Israel in Joshua's day were serving God halfheartedly. In reality, this means they were serving other gods. Choosing the one true God means giving our total, wholehearted commitment to him alone.

What does halfhearted service to God look like?

Halfhearted service is insincere and hypocritical. It lacks honesty and integrity. Our devotion to God must be authentic and transparent. True worship of the living God must come from the heart. It can't be forced on us by rules and commands. It is rooted in genuine love.

Are you hiding parts of yourself from God? Are you holding back, unwilling to surrender areas of your life to him? If so, then perhaps you are secretly worshiping false gods.

When we are more attached to our things—our home, our car, our career—we cannot serve God wholeheartedly. There can be no neutrality. This verse draws a line in the sand. You must choose this day whom you will service. Joshua made a radical, public statement: "I have chosen the Lord!"

Years earlier Joshua had made the choice to serve the Lord and serve him only. Joshua had made a once-and-for-all choice, but he would continue to do so daily, choosing God over and over again throughout his life.

Like Joshua did for Israel, God extends his invitation to us, and we must decide. Then we put our decision into action: we choose to come to him and to serve him daily. Some call this invitation and response a transaction of faith. God calls us to salvation by grace, and we respond by choosing to come by his grace as well.

Joshua's choice to serve God was personal, passionate, and permanent. Today, will you say like he did, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

The fact that we should serve God is obvious in Scripture ( Luke 4:8). Why we should want to serve God is a more difficult question. Every Christian asked might have a different reason for serving God; different people are motivated by different things. However, the Bible does make clear that, when a person is in a real relationship with God, he will serve God.

We should want to serve God because we know Him; an inherent part of knowing Him is a desire to serve Him.

It’s always been God’s intention to make us like His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). When we look at Jesus’ life, there’s no denying that He was a servant. Jesus’ entire life was centered on serving God—by teaching, healing, and proclaiming the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23). He came not “to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). Then, on the night of His arrest, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, leaving them with a final teaching to serve one another: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (see John 13:12–17).

So, if Jesus is all about serving, and God wants to make us like Him, then it’s pretty obvious that we should be all about serving as well.

Genuine service cannot be separated from love. We can go through the motions of serving God, but if our hearts are not in it we’re missing the point. First Corinthians 13 makes it clear that, unless our service is rooted in love, it’s meaningless. Serving God out of a sense of obligation or duty, apart from love for God, is not what He desires. Rather, serving God should be our natural, love-filled response to Him who loved us first ( 1 John 4:9–11).

The apostle Paul is a great example of how having a relationship with God through Christ results in a life of service. Prior to his conversion, Paul persecuted and killed believers, thinking he was serving God. But after he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he immediately devoted the rest of his life to truly serving God by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ ( Acts 9:20). Paul describes this transformation in 1 Timothy 1:12–14: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Once Paul became aware of the love and grace that God had given him, his response was to serve God.

The Bible offers several motivations for our service. We want to serve God because “we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28), because our service supplies “the needs of the Lord’s people” (2 Corinthians 9:12), because our service proves our faith and causes others to praise God (2 Corinthians 9:13), and because God sees and rewards our labor of love (Hebrews 6:10). Each of these is a good reason to serve God.

We can give away only what we’ve first received. The reason we can love and serve God is that He first loved and served us through Jesus Christ. The more we are aware of and experience God’s love in our own lives, the more prone we are to respond in love by serving Him.

If you want to want to serve God, the key is to get to know Him! Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal more of God to you (John 16:13). When we truly know God, who is love (1 John 4:8), our natural response is a desire to love and serve Him in return.