SAINT JOHN EUDES, PRIEST (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Decide today whom you will serve.

Joshua stood before the Israelites as they were about to settle in the Promised Land. Decades had passed since that pivotal day when God led them out of slavery in Egypt. But in a land surrounded by pagan gods, Joshua knew that each person would face temptations on every side. It would be a challenge to learn how to live in freedom as God’s people. It’s a challenge we deal with as well.

Decide. This was Joshua’s appeal to the Israelites, and you face the same decision. God gave you free will—a gift that no one can take away from you—so that you can choose whom you will follow. And part of choosing is to take hold of one thing and set aside something else. It means you’re saying yes to the Lord and no to the things that separate you from him.

Today. Your decision is not a onetime event but a daily choice. Each morning before your feet hit the floor, take the opportunity to choose to serve the Lord. Granted, each day will hold different challenges, different joys, and different opportunities. But the question is always the same. And the promise is always the same as well: a new beginning. You can leave yesterday behind and start new again. Today.

Whom you will serve. Will you serve your own self-interest and the false gods of pleasure and power and riches? Or will you serve the Lord? God is the One who created you, who called you as his own, and who sent Jesus to lay down his life for you. He is holy and mighty, and he is merciful and loving. He cares for you, and he never gives up on you. He gives you the Holy Spirit to help you follow him. Keeping these truths in mind, consider the many ways the Lord has led you to this “today.” Let them remind you that he is trustworthy and completely reliable.

Then decide. Choose today. Whom will you serve?

“Lord Jesus, I choose you today. I lay my heart and my mind before you and ask for the grace to walk in your ways.”

Joshua 24:14-29
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11
Matthew 19:13-15