Their leader rose to speak. Joshua was now an old man, white-bearded and bent with age. Many a man in the congregation remembered him as a stalwart young man who led them over the border into the "land of milk and honey," who had so ably gone before them during the many battles with the heathen kings of the land.

As he stood before them he reminded them of the many times God had led and saved His people. From the time of Abraham, down through the lines of Isaac and Jacob he traced their history. He reminded them of their deliverance from Egypt. He pointed to the time when God had saved them from the Egyptians at the Red Sea by working a miracle in their behalf. He reminded them of the battles that had been won in their new homeland. He pointed out the fact that God had kept His promise and had brought them to the land He had promised to them.

"Now," he said, since God has done all these things for you, "fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity." Again he begged them to "put away the gods" which had been such a stumbling block to them in the past.

Then Joshua reminded them that in spite of all that God had done for them, they were free to serve Him or not, just as they chose. "If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord," he said, "choose you this day whom ye will serve." As far as Joshua was concerned, he desired them to serve God. But that decision was up to them. They might choose to pursue other gods, but his own course was clear. "As for me and my house," he said, "we will serve the Lord."

Here is another way God shows us His greatness. He made us and He loves us, but He wants us to love Him only because we want to. He will not force us to serve Him. He does not want the love of slaves. He wants the love of free people.

I have heard people say, "It would be so much simpler if God had made us so we could not sin." Yes, it would. But what kind of people would we be? We would be merely automatons, incapable of decisions, living meaningless lives. That was not what God wanted of the people He created. He wanted beings who would love Him because they wanted to, who would do His will because they loved Him, who would turn to Him because they saw Him as a friend.

No, we don't have to serve God. We can do wrong if we wish to. That is the way God made us. But if we really love God we will want to live for Him.