Joshua 24:14-21 “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve;”

Joshua’s ministry was coming to a close when he assembled the nation of Israel for the opportunity to make a choice; “choose you this day.” I’m afraid that most of us have never totally comprehended the potential within choice; you are the product of choice! In an effort to magnify the vastness of potential that rests within the commodity of choice, I want to magnify the principle of options; choice demands that there be two or more options. Joshua placed before the people; three options of service; “the gods which your fathers served”, “the gods of the Amorites”, or “the Lord”. The choice of one option opens up opportunity in one area while closing all the other opportunities! Let me emphasize this with an illustration. You are driving down the road and come to a stop sign and must chose to go north or south. Whichever direction you chose opens up all the potential in that direction; towns, amusements, stores, lakes, streams, and such. But, that same choice closes all the potential in the other direction no matter how good, pleasant, and inviting they are; you can’t go in both directs at the same time. This principle holds true in every facet of life; spiritual, social, and secular! While the examples are endless; let’s take something as simple as choosing to read a chapter in your Bible. You’re in a hurry and got things to do so that can wait. You now have time to read the paper, watch TV, play with the kids, stop for coffee, call a friend on the phone; your get the idea. But, that same choice closed the door to the opportunity of God speaking to you and reassuring you of His love. No opportunity to implement a spiritual principle for growth that could change your life forever. No opportunity for spiritual enlightenment that could equip you to lead you child to Christ or aid a friend in the midst of spiritual warfare. No opportunity to receive spiritual strength that would help me to avoid the pitfalls of sin thus maintaining a good testimony; “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). The possibilities are endless; but look on the bright side; you got an extra cup of coffee, got the latest gossip, and know if they think it is going to rain. You can’ have it both way; it’s the potential that lies within choice!