A handful of decisions carry great consequences throughout life. Who should you marry, or do you marry at all? Will you have children? Do you take that job on the other side of the country or settle in here?

The most far-reaching decision involves our relationship with the Lord. Joshua shared his perspective with the nation he led by making a simple declaration:

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

The gods of their ancestors and the gods of their new land lined the shelves. Joshua knew that choosing them led to disaster. But he needed the people around him to join in that conviction, to put their stake in the ground for the Lord.

The same decision exists for you and me. Do we serve the gods of our ancestors, repeating mistakes handed down to us from the past? Maybe we choose the gods of this land, deities of money, power, likes and self-promotion?

Joshua implores us to kibosh the old gods, and step across the line into the Lord’s camp. Here lies liberty and life, hope and flourishing.

But we must choose. Not choosing is actually a choice. You and I cannot float on this opportunity. We first commit, then trust God for the resolve to keep his ways (the false gods won’t be happy, and will continue to entice).

Resolve starts with a simple declaration. Say it out loud—as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. You might be surprised by the freedom that follows such a decision to commit wholeheartedly to the Lord.

Joshua 24 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Tyler Nix