Joshua 24
Theme: This week, we are continuing a marriage series called “When Sinners say I do.” Our focus for the week is priorities. In our passage for this week we see Joshua make a conscious decision to set priorities. Serving the Lord was a commitment that held priority over all things in his life. As Joshua is speaking to the twelve tribes he reminds them of all that God has accomplished on their behalf. His call to them was to make it a priority to live in light of the Gospel. We should follow these instructions today and set some priorities in our life.
Major Points:
Draw a line in the sand
Joshua stated “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Joshua drew a line in the sand and made a commitment. The reality is that we have a choice to make, choose whom you will serve. This is a choice that must be made daily. Satan and the world will pull your focus in every direction in an attempt to bring division between you and the people you love. If we don’t take a hard stance on serving the Lord then we will surely walk in opposition to the Gospel. Make a choice and make it a priority.
Honestly asses where your priorities are currently
This seems like a simple task yet is very difficult for many people (not just in marriage) to perform. We naturally hate being honest about ourselves because more likely than not we will not like the things we find. Because of this people tend to just push it all to the back burner and live reactive lives, meaning we only deal with things when they become a huge issue. How can you begin to take next steps in serving the Lord if you aren’t even sure where you are currently at? We have to reflect and figure out what we make a priority, for example money and time. How many times have you used the phrase “well we’ve just been busy”? Instead of making excuses for not serving the Lord what if we started to prioritize it over the selfish things we make time for? Once we dive into where our priorities currently are we tend to find some disorganized priorities that we can repent of.
Adjust your priorities to match God’s vision
A good order for our lives are:
God
Marriage
Kids
Everything Else
After we’ve made the decision to draw a line in the sand, committed to assess where our priorities are, then we can begin to shift them into this order. We have to learn to practice things like rejecting complacency (stop being lazy), reject passivity (don’t settle for status quo, actually fight for a more Christ-like marriage), reject child centered homes and remember why God has given you children (teach them about God, don’t teach them to think they are God), and remember that everything else is an opportunity to leverage what you enjoy to make the name of Christ known. Each of these things has its own place but we have to put in the work to make sure they stay in their rightful place.
Question Bank:
How has your week been spiritually? / What is God teaching you?
What sins are you struggling with that you need to confess?
What type of action steps are involved in “drawing a line in the sand”?
Is there a time where you have made the decision clear that your family will serve the Lord?
How has your life changed since then? How has the kingdom of God changed since then?
What is the true health of your relationship with Christ at this moment? What about your spouse? Your children?
What are some practical ways we can monitor our spiritual health continually?
What are some things you have failed to address that have hindered your fellowship with God?
Explain how you think you align with this order of priorities?
What are your major problem areas when it comes to aligning your priorities to match God’s vision?