Two passages from my recent Bible readings have stuck in my mind these past few weeks:

Joel 3:14 – “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!  For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

Lamentations 1:9 (in part) – “She did not consider her destiny; therefore, her collapse was awesome.”

My attention is particularly drawn to two key words within these passages – decision and destiny – and I cannot help but consider how the two are intertwined.

Although the “valley of decision” referenced in Joel is actually speaking of a day of judgment during which God will be doing the deciding, this verse additionally paints a picture in my mind’s eye of the entire human race (i.e., multitudes) and the decisions that are made by it each day. Some decisions have a short arm, perhaps only affecting the outcomes of the next minute or hour, but others are much more far-reaching, affecting our life’s trajectory or our destiny as the verse from Lamentations alludes to. In that particular verse, the writer was speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the children of Israel, who had not considered the consequences of their sin and their abandonment of God, which resulted in their “awesome collapse.” 

At any moment, any of us can make destiny-determining decisions. As is oft quoted: 

Thoughts Become Words (or decisions, if you will), Words (Decisions) Become Actions, Actions Become Habits, Habits Become Character, Character Becomes Your Destiny.

But beyond character and speaking purely from a spiritual perspective, the decisions we make regarding who we say Jesus is and what we believe of Him affect our very eternity. Because I firmly believe in a hereafter consisting of a heaven and a hell (one of which each of us will eventually inhabit), and because I don’t believe my ultimate end is to merely become worm food, I also firmly believe it behooves each of us to soberly consider our destinies with the realization that the decisions we make will have direct bearing on those destinies. Sadly, though, there are multitudes of people standing in the midst of a “valley of decision,” who will unwisely “not consider [their] destiny,” and their ultimate fate will be one of ruin – an eternity of separation from the great God Who so desperately loves them and has provided a way of salvation and eternal togetherness through His Son Jesus Christ.

If you are journeying through life with no consideration of your destiny, I urge you to stop and start considering.  And as part of that exercise, also contemplate the decisions you need to make to ensure an eternally secure destiny. Scripture reveals to us instances in which others put off such important decision-making.  In Acts 24, Paul communicated the concepts of righteousness and judgment to Felix, but Felix sent Paul away, saying he would send for him again at a more convenient time. And again, in Acts 26, King Agrippa, after hearing Paul’s testimony of his conversion, said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”  Many “almost” come to Jesus, but in their decision-making moment, they conclude, “Not now.  Maybe later, when it’s more convenient.”  But none of us are promised a “later.”   In the words of Isaiah, “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near.”