A friend of mine used to like to ask people if they believe in God. If the answer was "yes," he would ask, "Which one?"

This usually caused a look of alarm, as most people assumed that the question was about some kind of spiritual deity. They would go on mutter something about the god of church or religion that they practiced. My friend would then ask, "What about money? Power? Beauty? Success?"

It was a good trick, and would get people to think about what they really worship. What do they spend their time, energy, money and other resources trying to satisfy? Is it the Lord? Or is it the potent forces of materialism that seem to promise so much?

In today's first reading, Joshua gathers the people of Israel and challenges them to name the god or gods they will trust: "If it does not please you to serve the Lord," Joshua announces, "decide today whom you will serve --- the gods your fathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

We don't often think of ourselves as choosing between the God of our church and other gods, but in practice we do so all the time. We must decide every day if we are putting our trust in money, power, appearance or our careers to bring us happiness and fulfillment.

In today's Gospel reading, after Jesus issues some difficult teaching that people find hard to follow, many of his followers give up and go home. "Do you also want to leave?" Jesus asks the twelve disciples. Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

We all must answer the questions that Joshua and Jesus pose to us today. Who or what will we worship? Who or what will we follow? Do we believe that Jesus holds the key to life, or do we believe that the forces of this world really have the power to shape our lives and our destinies?

I don't know about you, but I tend to talk like Peter, but act like the people who turn away from Jesus. I want to follow Christ and experience all that he promises. But I am easily discouraged by the difficulty of living by his words, and I am easily distracted by the allure of money and success.

The bad news, I suppose, is that Jesus does not always tell us what we want to hear. He calls us to make hard decisions. Following him will often force us to say "no" to other apparently pressing priorities.

The good news is that he calls us to life, and has life to give us. This is in stark contrast to the other "gods" who ask us for everything and promise us only the shallow pleasures of pride and vanity.

Jesus, of course, wants us to do more than merely "believe" in him. He wants us to follow him. To live as he lived. To serve as he served. It is not easy. But as Peter asked, to whom else shall we go?

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.