In the last chapter of Joshua, there is a nugget that can be uncovered in regards to what true worship is and what it is not. This chapter starts out with Joshua gathering all the tribes of Israel together to charge them to trust and serve the Lord. He begins by reminding the people of all that God had done for them and everything from which they’d been delivered. He established the covenant with Abraham and continued it with Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. He calls out Moses to bring the Israelites up and out of captivity from the Egyptians. He led them through the Red Sea and sustained them in the wilderness. He delivered many nations over to the Israelites as He led them to the Promised Land. Just in case any had any question as to who was responsible for their deliverance and their protection, Joshua was reminding them. God alone is responsible for our deliverance!
After this, Joshua charges the people to “fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.” (v. 14) This would seem to be the appropriate response given all that Joshua had just reminded them of and it seems at first glance that the people respond accordingly. Their response to Joshua’s charge is this, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods…” (v.16) “Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” (v. 18) Everything seems ok on the surface of this response. The people acknowledge God’s hand in their lives and they are grateful. They even admit and submit to worshipping Him. But, here is where we need to dig and reach below the surface. There is one word that changes everything. ALSO. This word, “also,” reveals itself in this passage as an idol… something standing in the way of God receiving the glory, honor, and praise that is rightfully His. The Israelites weren’t saying that they wouldn’t worship God. They knew He deserved it for all that He had done for them. They just wanted to worship their other idols as well. We can’t worship God and other things at the same time. By definition… that is not worshipping God as “God.” It is merely worshipping Him as “a god.” To not worship God as “God” is to not worship Him at all. God will not share the worship that belongs to Him with anyone or anything else.
Joshua’s responds by saying, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God…” (v. 19) He goes on to say, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (v. 23) I believe many believers and worshippers of Jesus today need this same charge and rebuke. It is not enough to simply worship God as a “god”, we must worship Him as the God! One shares worship while the other demands it in its entirety. You see, our enemy wants to tell us that it is enough to just worship God in part, while ALSO having other things that get the rest of our worship. Our relationships, our image, our reputations, our entertainment, our ego, our phone, our music, our jobs, etc. The list goes on and on. If the enemy can keep our worship divided and distant by putting the “ALSO” idol in front of us, he keeps us from truly worshipping God the way He desires and deserves to be worshipped. The sooner we put away the ALSO idol, the sooner we experience more of God’s power and presence in our lives. What ALSO idols are standing in the way of you giving God ALL of your worship?
Avoiding Burnout