You can walk into a home goods store and find a nice tea towel, framed print, or carved wooden artwork showcasing a verse from the Bible. Things like a nice segment of scripture from Psalms, John, or Proverbs will be featured in a lovely, curved font with pastel coloring. On the counter separating the open space between my kitchen and living room, I have a carved plank of stained wood displaying Joshua 24:15, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. We all have favorite verses from the Bible and artwork can be a great way to remind ourselves daily of the impact of God’s Word in our lives. However, do we know how to apply that tea towel scripture to our lives?
One thing I’ve learned in my years as a Bible study teacher is that surprisingly, the answer to that question is often times no. In fact, one of the things I try to cover the most in what I teach is not just to learn the scripture, but how to apply it. As a husband and as a parent of a 7 and 5 year old, I can attest to you that the Word of God truly is living and active. Scripture can and should be used to help guide us and point us towards living in a Godly manner. When my daughter started kindergarten, I read her Matthew 15 and how we are to be the light of this World. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5 is often times used as reminders to us when we are having a hard time being patient with each other. And Joshua 24 is a constant reminder of the rules of our house and how they might be different than the rules the kids in the neighborhood abide by.
If you are not familiar with the story of Joshua 24, let me catch you up. After leading God’s people into the promised land, God’s people started to sin and worship other gods. Stories like that jump out to me. These are the same people that witnessed the crumbling of the walls of Jerico. Their parents ate the mana that God provided while they wondered around the wilderness. Yet, despite seeing God deliver them again and again, they still wonder. But it also serves as a good reminder to us. While I might not have seen Jerico, I’ve seen God perform miracles in my life just as big. Yet I have to remind myself daily of how He’s opened doors and protected me every day. So, as Joshua was getting on in years, he pulled all of God’s people together. He called out their sinful nature and challenged them not to stray. But in the middle of his speech, he stands firm in his faith and declares that no matter what choice they make, he and his household are going to hold fast to God’s ways. They will not stray, even if those around them are.
For me, I’ve always loved the strength and defiance Joshua shows here. We live in a broken world full of sin. If you don’t hold your standard of life to God’s design for us, then it’s easy to base on our lives on the standards of the world. But Joshua reminds us that even in a world of brokenness, we can still live our lives to God’s design. While we can’t always fix the world, we can at least affect our own little corner of it. By doing so, we can hopefully inspire those around us to do the same.
So, now that we know the basis of the story of Joshua 24, the question still comes up…how do we apply it? How do I take the scripture from the carved artwork from my counter and bring it to life? The first step is believing that God’s word really is living and active. If I follow the words of Joshua and remind myself and my family that we can stand firm to God’s design no matter what is going on around us, then I know we have a chance to be the light of God’s world within the confines of my corner lot subdivision. Even in all the brokenness, we can choose to follow God’s plan. Practically speaking, that means when my kids ask me why the kids in the neighborhood aren’t always kind, I can remind them of the standards we live our lives to, even if those around us forget. When they ask why they can’t watch the show their classmates were talking about, I can remind them of Joshua 24.
One of the cool things about finding scripture to base your lives around is that after a while, you start to see how consistent God’s word is. When Joshua stands firm to God’s design, I can walk my kids through Genesis and what started the world’s brokenness to begin with. Following Joshua’s words also reminds us that we can be a beacon of light to this world, as Matthew 15 reminded us. Joshua’s example brings conversations about how easy it is to stray, unless we remain focused on God’s design and plan for our lives.
While it’s great to have scripture around us and on our walls, it doesn’t do us any good if we aren’t applying it to our lives. And while I may not be able to solve the world’s problems, I can at least be the light in my house and point my family to the Lord. How we treat those around us should be a reflection of the impact God’s plan has in our life. We have Joshua 24 to help us remember.