Decide Before You Decide

“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.”
Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

When I was a teenager, I made a few decisions before the decisions ever came. I decided never to date a non-Christian, never to drink, never to smoke. So when those moments arrived, it was easy, because the pre-decisions had already been made.

The hardest choices in life don't happen in the moment. They happen before it. Whatever you decide in advance is what you follow when the pressure comes. And that decision can lead to life, or cost you everything.

A man in East Chicago, Indiana had already decided to trust his GPS over everything else. So when it told him to keep going, he drove past barricades, orange cones, concrete barriers, and signs reading “Road Closed.” He drove off a bridge that no longer existed, and his wife did not survive. 

You may not drive off a bridge. But you face your own pre-decision every day. Pre-decide to get money at any cost, and you may gain a bank account while losing your job, your reputation, and everyone who trusted you. Pre-decide to honor God, and you not only avoid the consequences of cutting corners, you also hand your children a legacy of integrity they can build on.

Joshua understands this in today’s verse. He isn’t just making a personal declaration, he’s making a generational one: As for me and my household. He knows that the pre-decision he makes that day will shape not just his future, but the future of everyone connected to him.

That same opportunity sits on your pre-decisions today. Pre-decide that before you get anxious about the headlines, you’ll trust God with His world. Pre-decide that when your kids aren't coming home this year to visit, you’ll choose grace over hurt. Pre-decide that every morning, before you reach for your phone, you will reach for God first. 

As for me and my household. That pre-decision shapes all that comes next. Make it today.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your faithfulness to the people of God, even when they were unfaithful. I praise You for being faithful to me, even in the times I have wavered. Help me tune my heart to Your voice, and help me set my direction to obey You, before every other decision today. You’ve chosen me—now help me choose you in every moment. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.