Everybody Serves Somebody

“But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD”

 Joshua 24:15


Singer Bob Dylan had a hit song titled, “Gotta Serve Somebody” that he wrote in what was considered the “gospel” period of his life and won a Grammy for it. The song was reminiscent of the bible verse in Joshua 24:15 that adorns many homes declaring who that somebody is. Read the lyrics below,

“You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

Might be a rock'n' roll addict prancing on the stage
Might have money and drugs at your commands, women in a cage
You may be a business man or some high degree thief
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

You may be a state trooper, you might be an young turk
You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be living in another country under another name

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

You may be a construction worker working on a home
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome
You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody's landlord you might even own banks

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be working in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

You may call me Terry, you may call me Jimmy
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody”



When a Christian father posts Joshua 24:15 in his home he is declaring, “But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD”, proclaiming like Joshua that everyone under his roof is going to live their lives dedicated to the Lord in the same way Joshua was stating publicly. Christian parents have a responsibility to make sure that what goes on “under their roof” is honoring to God. Idolatry was enemy number one in the Old Testament to the nation of Israel and it still remains enemy number one in our world today, Christian home or otherwise. Everybody does in fact serve somebody and not only is it the job of Christian parents to make sure the activities that take place in their home honor the Lord, they also are responsible to seek to eliminate anything and everything that does not bring glory to God.

Though parents cannot force their children to love and serve the Lord, Christian parents can create an environment within the home that does. When it comes to raising children, it’s important to remember that behavior is both caught and taught. Joshua understood that and is why he said, “as for ME and my house”. Joshua wasn’t saying “do as I say not as I do” but just the opposite. Like the apostle Paul, Joshua was saying, “be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” Thats the best way to get your children to love and honor the Lord. Let them see you serving the Lord, consistently and faithfully every day of the week at home and not just on Sundays at church!

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”


1 Corinthians 10:31

I LOVE YOU!