Jeremiah 16:12
“And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:”
An alarming command was given to Jeremiah to show him Isreal’s future. God told Jeremiah in verse 2, “Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.” God gave this command because He knew that impending judgment was near. God’s love for His prophet is evident because He didn’t want Jeremiah to marry and his wife and children have to go through the judgment or die in it.
What was it that caused this impending judgment? It was that each generation continued to do worse than the previous one. God said that the fathers forsook Him to walk after other gods, and the next generation did worse than their fathers. God was not allowing the next generation to use their fathers as an excuse for their sin because they knew better. They had seen what sin did to their fathers, yet they continued to do worse than the previous generation.
We often make much about being a first or second generation Christian. We almost excuse a first generation Christian for their lack of Christianity, but we also excuse the second generation because they continue in the sin of their fathers. God’s warning to Jeremiah carries some lessons and warnings that each family needs to heed.
First, every parent needs to realize that they are influencing their children’s future. A parent can tell their child, “Don’t do as I do, but do what I say to do,” but a parent’s actions will influence their child. Instead of telling your children not to follow your sinful ways, the best thing you can do is to forsake your sinful ways. Your actions are influencing your children, and that should alarm you to be careful about what you do in public and private.
Second, just because your parents do something doesn’t make it right. You can use the age-old excuse that you are the way you are because of your parents, but God holds you personally responsible for your actions. You don’t inherit the sins of your parents, you choose the sins of your parents. Stop using your parents as a crutch to commit sin. You are ultimately responsible for your own actions.
Third, each generation should do more for God. Instead of committing more sin than the previous generation, you should endeavor to do more for God. You have learned the experiences from previous generations, so take what you do for God to a higher level. Don’t let sin be the only thing we take to a new level. There needs to be a generation that turns the table and does more for God and not more sin.
Whether you are an adult or a child, what you do right now is influencing another generation. What are you influencing them to do? Let this devotional be a warning to carefully choose your actions, but let it also be a challenge to take what the previous generation did for God to a higher level. Don’t let excuses be your downfall.