ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 TUSITE MA’ASI 17, 2026

SIOSIUA 22-24; MATIU 6:19-24

Between the "already" of our conversion and the "not yet" of our homegoing, the big question is, Where the rubber meets the road in our daily lives, whom or what will we give our hearts to?

‘I he vaha’a taimi ‘o hotau fakamo’ui mo ‘etau ‘alu ki Langi, ko e fehu’i leva, ‘a e fetaulaki’anga ‘o ‘etau tui mo ‘etau mo’ui faka’aho, ko hai pe ko e ha ‘a e me’a ‘oku foaki ki ai hotau loto?

I have made many ministry trips to India. I have seen the dominating power of overt idolatry. I have experienced how idol worship forces itself into every area of a person's life. Those who worship physical idols in the temple also bow before idols in their homes, along the road, and in restaurants. The presence and power of idols cover every place and every activity like a dark and ominous cloud. The presence and influence of these things made of wood and stone seem inescapable.

In the book of Joshua, the children of Israel find themselves in a significant spiritual moment. They are in the place God had promised, but they are surrounded by the false gods of the nations around them. Will they surrender their hearts to God and God alone, being careful to keep his commands and resist idolatrous temptations? Or will they wander away from the Lord and progressively give their hearts away to false gods? Joshua gives the children of Israel this charge:

Be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day. For the LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God. (Josh. 23:6-11)

Joshua reminds the leaders of the children of Israel that, by the display of his awesome power, God has again and again demonstrated that he is the one true God and that no one can stand against him. As the one true God, he gives power to his people so that just one Israelite can drive a thousand enemies away. The one true God has fought and will continue to fight for his people. So Joshua charges them to bow down to no other god and to surrender their lives to the moral code written in the Book of the Law.

Again, it's important to remember that this passage was preserved for our instruction, conviction, and guidance. You might think, "I don't serve any idols." That may be true of physical idols. But the broader definition of idolatry in Scripture includes anything that takes the place in your heart that only God should have. Anything can be an idol. What has the power to control your thoughts, emotions, and desires? May God alone lay claim to our hearts.