Full Commitment
by Dan Jones, M.D.
Joshua 24:16-20
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD , because he is our God."
Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD . He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you."
The words describe the conversation between Joshua and the people of Israel just before Joshua's death. He is asking them to commit to whether they will follow the Lord or other gods. The people seem surprised at the need for the conversation. Of course, they wanted to follow the Lord. But Joshua had good reason to feel the need to press them to think deeply and be sure of their commitment. He asks them not to take this decision lightly.
Why is Joshua so skeptical of their initial response? These are the same people who time and again disobeyed God and did not trust God's word. After the battle of Jericho, they were told clearly not to take any plunder for themselves, some could not resist. And soon after the miraculous victory over Jericho, they became over-confident - confident in their own strength - and were severely defeated in battle. Time and time again, God had been faithful to them and they had been unfaithful to God.
How about us? Are we prone to depending on ourselves rather than God? As health professionals, there are huge traps out there for us. In our training, we are taught to depend on our own skills and judgment. Daily, we are told how wonderful we are and how important we are. Becoming self-reliant is part of the culture of our professions.
So many times I have fallen into this trap in my own life. Many times I pray for God's guidance to give me direction. Once I sense that direction, I often depend on my own wits, my own judgment, and my own strength to accomplish what God has laid out for me. Just as that approach didn’t work for the people of Israel, it doesn't work now, either.
God expects us to rise each day and move forward in His strength and His direction. That will never change. He will never depend on our power to accomplish His will.
Lord, make us fully committed to you and your Kingdom. Take away any sense of self-sufficiency.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
Rounds with the Master, Spiritual Pearls from the Great Physician Devotionals are released every Monday and Thursday.
Photo by Steven Lelham on Unsplash
