Tiny gods

Joshua 24:15 "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

I'm starting to realize that the Promise Land for me seems to be less a physical location and more of a spiritual place. When the Israelites moved into the promised land, they were told to completely destroy the gods and idols that were flourishing at that time. They were given very clear instructions on what would happen if they left even just a little bit of idol worship in the land. In Joshua 23 and 24, Joshua tells the people that God has delivered on every good promise he made to bring them out of Egypt, across the desert, and conquer an entire land. But he also reminds them that God will remember the punishments He promised too. It's here that Joshua gives the Israelites a choice-worship the idols of their ancestors and these new people or worship the one, true God who gave them their lives and their livelihood. As most people know, the Israelites failed and in Judges, we see one downfall after another. But one person who did do right was Joshua. 

Now I can see that I can choose to worship idols, whether they be past or present, or I can choose to completely destroy them. Not keeping even the tiniest shred of their being. It's my job to deal with the gods I struggle with before I can completely enjoy my promised land-full reliance and peace with God. God even promises that if I chose to worship Him, He'll help me get rid of all the junk in such a way that will give Him glory. It's a win-win! Destroy idols-glorify God! Sweet :)

Joshua chose to worship God, and God granted him a fulfilled life of peace. Was Joshua's life perfect? Not by any means. But overall, he was a great man of God who fulfilled God's will for his life and his people. What a dream!