Remind Me of This With Every Decision

After hearing a Sunday school lesson on an overview of the book of 2 Kings, I have been reading through it this week in my personal devotions. This is not the first time I have ever read 2 Kings, but I must say that I have never enjoyed it so much as I have this week. There are so many amazing and wonderful acts of God, and it is full to the brim of God's mercy toward the wicked kings of Israel. However, there are some very disturbing stories and phrases written in this book. One particular phrase that has caught my attention (perhaps because it is continually repeated) is "And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of [King] Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin." What is it that strikes me about this phrase? I think it is the fact that the sins of one man effected his descendants that reigned on Israel's throne for generation upon generation. Jeroboam's posterity was absolutely ruined by a mere decision...or was it a 'mere' decision? His decision was to utterly abandon the law of Jehovah, the God of the universe, and walk in his own ways instead of the ways of God. I wonder if Jeroboam ever took into consideration the effects his sins would have on future generations. I wonder how often I think about it.

Sara Groves, one of my favorite Christian recording artists, sings a song called "Generations". The chorus says this:

Remind me of this with every decision:

Generations will reap what I sow.

I can pass on a curse or a blessing

To those I will never know.

This is a sobering thought. Do I realize that my decisions can either be a curse or a blessing on people that I will only see in heaven, God willing? Every time I sin (choosing to walk in my own ways instead of God's ways) I am sowing seeds that will be reaped by my children, grand children, great grandchildren, and so forth. This song has become my prayer. If God grants me generations of descendants, I pray that my decisions will be such that they will reap the blessings of a life lived for the glory of God. I pray that God will "remind me of this with every decision."