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 ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

There is a corilation between these 2 scriptures that tie us to our motives and movements everyday of our lives. Many times we are unconscious of where we are truly focusing our lives unless we focus and face where we are putting our treasure, our time and our passion.

I have mentored several people who have faced financial dilemmas and they often tell me they don’t know where their money goes or they say they can’t seem to make ends meet. The end of their monthly income comes way before the end of their month. Most, when I ask to see their budget, get this “deer in the headlight” look and admit they have not made a budget. I usually give them the task of monitoring their spending for one month. Keeping every receipt for an accurate accounting. Everything they spend money on is tracked and documented for 4 weeks, even down to a soda at the 7-11 or a pack of gum out of a vending machine, everything is to be tracked. At the end of the 4 weeks, they get to sort the receipts and find where their treasure has gone. Everyone I have done this exercise with, within a week of starting the tracking, start to change their spending habits. They feel there is an accountability they have to live up to because at the end, they will need to determine if the expense was a true need, a want or an impulse buy. They are forced to examine their priorities. I had one person who was homeless, squatting in the house that she had been evicted from with no utilities working. We worked on her priorities. It was not an easy task for her, but eventually she sorted out what was important to her and how she could make sure those priorities were met.

What you may ask does they have to do serving God. Serving God is an act of examining your priorities and taking stock in what and where you put your resources, money and time. the first line of Joshua 24:15, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, Then choose who you will serve.” You are serving who or what ever your resorces are going too. For my friend in the story, she found she was serving possessions. She had been paying over $400 a month for a storage unit on top of what she was paying for her home. She was spending money recklessly and not focused on what should have been her main priority.

If your main priority is your relationship with God, where are you spending most of your time? Is God a part of the life you live daily or do you pull Him out once a week or on special holidays? Does God have a place in your work? Have you dedicated your work to God? Do your children know what it looks like to see mom and dad pray and worship God? Are your children more familiar with who Jesus Christ is over the latest popular cartoon character or even elf on a shelf? Do you spend time reading the latest social media postings, but have no time to read the word of God? Do you sing more pop songs (country, rap, soul,etc…) than you do the praises of Jesus Christ.

I think we all need to evaluate our treasure and time to see if we are living the relationship priority we want to have with God. I challenge you to completely examine your time and treasure. Get a journal and write you time and finances and see if you are where you want to be in your relationship. Determine if serving the Lord is desirable to you or if you would rather serve someone/something else.

May you find your voice and speak truth!