Lessons of Faith from Joshua - Sabbath School Lesson 14 - Monday
In Sincerity and Truth
Joshua 24:14–15
As Joshua nears the end of his life, he gathers Israel at Shechem for a solemn covenant renewal. This is not a sentimental farewell speech. It is a clear, urgent appeal. After recounting God’s mighty acts—deliverance, provision, protection—Joshua presses the people to respond. Grace has been given; now a decision must be made.
Joshua’s words cut through complacency: “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:14–15, NKJV).
What Joshua Appealed to Israel to Do
Joshua appealed to Israel to fear the Lord, put away false gods, and serve the Lord alone. This was not merely a call to external obedience but to an exclusive, wholehearted loyalty. Israel could not cling to the idols of their past—whether the gods of Mesopotamia, Egypt, or the surrounding nations—and still claim faithfulness to Yahweh. The choice was unavoidable: serve the Lord fully, or serve something else. Neutrality was not an option.
Joshua understood human nature well. He knew Israel’s history of mixed devotion and half-hearted obedience. That is why he emphasized how they were to serve: “in sincerity and in truth.” God was not asking for empty rituals or verbal promises, but for authentic, undivided hearts.
What It Means to Serve the Lord in Sincerity
To serve the Lord in sincerity means to serve Him with an undivided heart—without pretense, hypocrisy, or hidden loyalties. Sincerity speaks to motivation. It asks why we serve God, not just whether we do.
God desires honesty at the deepest level of our being. David captures this truth when he prays, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts” (Psalm 51:6). Sincere service flows from a heart that is transparent before God—one that admits weakness, confesses sin, and seeks Him genuinely rather than performing righteousness for appearance’s sake.
Sincerity means we stop pretending we are more devoted than we are. It means bringing our whole selves—faith, doubts, fears, and failures—before the Lord and saying, “Search me, and lead me.” God can work with honesty; He resists pretense.
What It Means to Serve the Lord in Truth
To serve the Lord in truth means to serve Him according to who He truly is and what He has revealed, not according to our preferences or cultural assumptions. Truth grounds sincerity so that passion does not drift into error.
Jesus explained this clearly when He said, “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23–24). Truth anchors our devotion in God’s Word, His character, and His will. It keeps us from reshaping God into something more comfortable or convenient.
Serving in truth means submitting our lives to Scripture—even when it confronts us, corrects us, or calls us to change. It means letting God define faithfulness, obedience, and holiness rather than deciding those things for ourselves.
What Serving in Sincerity and Truth Means Personally
To serve the Lord in sincerity and truth means refusing to live a divided life—one where God has a place, but not the central place. It means choosing daily faithfulness over occasional enthusiasm. It means aligning private life with public confession.
It also means recognizing that service to God is not limited to church activity but encompasses every area of life—home, work, relationships, priorities, and decisions. Paul echoes this when he urges believers to present their lives as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). True devotion is comprehensive, not compartmentalized.
Serving in sincerity and truth is costly, because it requires surrender. Yet it is also freeing, because it releases us from the exhausting task of maintaining appearances and managing divided loyalties.
Distracting Factors That Hinder Full Devotion
Like Israel, we live surrounded by competing “gods.” While they may not take the form of carved images, they still demand loyalty. Common distractions include busyness that crowds out prayer, success that feeds self-reliance, comfort that dulls spiritual hunger, and technology that fragments attention and devotion.
Other distractions can be more subtle: fear of people, unresolved sin, bitterness, or the desire for control. Even good things—family, ministry, responsibilities—can become idols when they take precedence over obedience to God.
Joshua’s challenge confronts us with an uncomfortable truth: whatever consistently pulls our hearts away from trusting and obeying God has become a rival. The call to put away false gods is as relevant now as it was at Shechem.
A Choice That Must Be Renewed
Joshua did not assume that past faithfulness guaranteed future obedience. He called Israel to choose “this day.” Serving the Lord in sincerity and truth is not a one-time decision but a daily recommitment.
The same choice stands before us. God has been faithful. The question is whether we will respond with wholehearted devotion—or settle for partial allegiance.
Prayer
Lord God,
You have been faithful to us in every season of life. You have rescued, provided, guided, and sustained us by Your grace. Forgive us for the times we have served You with divided hearts or followed You only when it was convenient. Create in us hearts that are sincere—honest before You and free from hypocrisy. Ground us in Your truth, that we may worship and serve You according to Your Word. Reveal the distractions and rival loyalties that hinder our devotion, and give us the courage to put them away. Today, we choose to serve You. May our lives reflect that choice in sincerity and in truth.
Amen.
More: You Were There!- Sabbath School Lesson 13 - The Lessons of Faith from Joshua
Sabbath School Quarterly Online: The Lessons of Faith from Joshua
See Next Quarter's Lesson Here: Christ in Philippians and Colossians
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