A good mind and a good heart

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve... But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

Mathematician Rene Descartes said, "It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well." I would have to add, "It is not enough to have a good heart; the main thing is to use it to serve your God and King, Jesus Christ." There is always a choice in serving the Lord, but it is the commitment that comes along with that choice that seems to give so many an issue. Humility, love, selflessness are all character traits of the one who has chosen to serve Jesus. Do these things come naturally to the one who serves? No, they are ongoing active choices to draw closer, learn at his feet, and then do as he says.

Stewardship is always best when it stems from a heart that is willing to serve, no matter the cost. There are all kinds of options to give of oneself, some requiring little to no sacrifice at all, while others actually call for a much deeper and lasting commitment and connection. I think Joshua stood before that congregation of Israelites that day, knowing his heart was willing to maintain the connection with the Almighty God, but realizing there would be challenges to 'connect' and 'commit' to other gods as they 'incorporated' into the society around them. His call to the people: "Serve the Lord alone."

As we live IN this world, it is hard to not incorporate this world's philosophies into our lives, isn't it? If you said 'Yes' to Jesus and then all the other choices to serve, commit, or connect with things in this world was somehow taken away, it would be easier to serve Jesus, wouldn't it? Yet, we are called to live IN but not be OF this world. We will always have to make active choices to connect with Jesus - to commit our day, minute by minute to him. A good mind might get us so far, but a good heart will challenge us to do things we never imagined possible with our minds. 

The instruction given by Joshua that day: "Destroy those things that keep you from serving the Lord with all your heart." In those days, they were called 'idols' - the gods of the land that held no power, were based in superstition, and did nothing more than distract one from the true God. We have lots of those things seeking our attention today, don't we? Will we forsake all other distractions in order to both connect and commit with Jesus? Just askin...