Choosing to Follow God 选择跟随上帝
Dexu Xia
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
“The average person will make 773,618 decisions over a lifetime,” claims the Daily Mirror. The British newspaper goes on to assert that we “will come to regret 143,262 of them.” I have no idea how the paper arrived at these numbers, but it’s clear that we face countless decisions throughout our lifetime. The sheer quantity of them might become paralyzing, especially when we consider that all our choices have consequences, some far more momentous than others.
After forty years wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel stood at the threshold of their new homeland. Later, after entering the land, Joshua, their leader, issued to them a challenging choice: “Fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness,” he said. “Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped” (Joshua 24:14). Joshua told them, “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (v. 15).
As we begin each new day, possibilities stretch before us, leading to scores of decisions. Taking the time to ask God to guide us will influence the choices we make. By the power of the Spirit, we can choose to follow Him every day.
By: Bill Crowder
What choices have you regretted making? How might you have handled those situations more wisely?
Father, sometimes life can feel overwhelming—and so can the many choices that confront me. Please guide my steps and my decision-making so that I honor You in the choices I make.
[你们]今日就可以选择所要事奉的……至于我和我家，我们必定事奉耶和华。—约书亚记24章15节
英国《每日镜报》有篇报导宣称：“一般人在一生中会做出773,618个决定，⋯⋯并且会对其中143,262个决定感到后悔。”我不知道这篇报导如何得出这些数字，然而，你我在一生中显然要做无数个决定。其数量之多可能会让人胆战心惊，尤其是当我们想到所有的选择都会产生后果，而有些后果又比其他的更为严重。
经过旷野四十年的漂流后，新一代的以色列百姓终于站在新家园的边界。在进入那片土地之后，他们的领袖约书亚敦促他们做一个具有挑战性的选择：“现在你们要敬畏耶和华，诚心实意地事奉祂，将你们列祖……所事奉的神除掉”（约书亚记24章14节）。约书亚对他们说：“若是你们以事奉耶和华为不好，今日就可以选择所要事奉的……至于我和我家，我们必定事奉耶和华。”（15节）
每当我们开始新的一天，都会面临各种可能性，以至我们要做许多决定。若我们愿意花时间寻求上帝带领，祂就会影响我们所做的选择。靠着圣灵的能力，我们每天都可以选择跟随上帝。
作者： 柯贝尔
你曾做了哪些选择，让你懊悔不已？
如今你会如何更明智地处理那些状况？
天父，有时生活连同我所面临的诸多选择，都让我觉得压力很大。
请引导我的脚步和我做的决定，好让我做的选择都能荣耀祢。