Every day, even during a lockdown, we are presented with choices. "The Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other" (Gal. 5:17). The fruits of the sinful nature are all negative. The fruits of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, and self-control" (Gal. 5:22) are all positive. What will we choose today?

Then there are the choices between best and second-best; easy and difficult; superficial and thorough; short and long; brave and cowardly; transparent and secretive; acting and procrastinating; positive thoughts and negative thoughts. The list goes on and on and many are not a simple right or wrong decision. We can trust the Holy Spirit to guide us, but choosing to die to self will always be involved.

On the eve of the Israelites entering the Promised Land, Joshua gave them a very serious choice: "Honour the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord" (Jos. 24:14-16).

He had already said to them: "Be careful to obey and do everything that is written in the book of the Law of Moses" and "Be careful to love the Lord your God". Now he was saying: "Be careful to get rid of the gods your ancestors worshipped". In this short summary "the gods" are mentioned three times. Yet although the Israelites promised to get rid of their idols, they never really did. It was their idolatry which eventually caused their exile to Babylon some 800 years later. They tolerated their idols, refusing to choose between serving them and serving God. Even a good thing that becomes an all-consuming thing can easily become an idol. They big choice is about whom we will serve, whether in the day-to-day decisions or for life.