I spent most of the day and night at princeton review studying for finals. It was interesting looking out the window at telegraph avenue, and seeing the sunlight move across the ground throughout the day. At night, a lot of dwight people went there to study also. I went home a few times to eat and take breaks.

Devotion time questions:

Jeremiah 11

Notice that God has Jeremiah repeat the terms of the covenant given during the exodus centuries ago. What does this reveal about God, and the nature of faithfulness?

God does not change over time, and his faithfulness does not either. The God we serve today is the same God that made a covenant with Israel during the exodus. He holds true to his promises and is faithful to the covenants he makes. We can be fully assured of his promises of salvation and what is to come in the future. However, to receive the blessings and results of his covenant, we must first satisfy the conditions. If we do our part, he is faithful to do his.

How does this apply to me as I examine the state of my current walk with the Lord?

God holds me to the vows and dedications I have made in the past, so I must be sure to be mindful of them and fulfill what I have promised to God. Also, less specifically, as a Christian I have made a covenant with God to walk with him and live a certain way that he lays out. I need to be mindful of not breaching this covenant.

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Mark 8:34

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
Romans 6:22

Reflect on the words: “I warned them again and again, saying, "Obey me." But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts.” Is there an area of my life in which this pattern is true for me?

Thoughts omitted here.

Reflect on the words: “They have returned to the sins of their forefathers…” How do the sins of one generation affect later generations?

Sin is something that can easily be passed through generations, as the sinful behavior becomes normalized in a family, group, community, society, or culture. Younger generations learn from older generations, so it is easy for the sins of one generation to be passed to their children. An example would be the idol worship of the Israelites, and the lack of obedience and faith towards God. These are some things that each subsequent generation would observe and learn from, and perpetuate when they become older.

If each generation takes its baseline of obedience to God from the practices of the previous generation, what responsibility do I have to future generations, or those who will come after me in my church?

I need to set a solid example for everyone who comes after me in their own walks of faith, whether it be my brother, my children, or just younger people in church. Being a role model isn't limited to how we behave ethically and morally, but also spiritually. I have a responsibility to model a strong spiritual life for those who come after me, and this is a big way we can be used by God.

Are there some generational sins that I need to particularly repudiate, or be vigilant against because they run in my family?

Thoughts omitted here.

Reflect on the extreme degree to which Judah had gone in its idolatry, involving morally repugnant practices. How does generational build-up of sinful practices that enters the very culture and sense of what is normal, as well as God’s actual patience in punishing lead to such a tragic breakdown among the people of God?

God's love and patience was misinterpreted by the people as tolerance and acceptance of their lifestyles and behaviors. They did not address the cancers of sinful practices that were growing in their culture, but ignored them and allowed them to become part of who they were. Since these practices were contrary to God and his nature, the people became more and more alienated from the ways of God, causing them to dive even further into sin.

What spiritual precautions must I take in light of this?

It is not punishment that should cause us to turn from sin, but the awareness of sin itself. I need to examine my life even when things are going well in order to address the sins that I might be committing. I cannot become complacent or passive in how I deal with sin, but must be active and vigilant against it, for the Israelites became indifferent towards their behavior and over time their behavior spiralled out of control into sin.

I must guard myself spiritually and examine myself often, whether or not I am being corrected or guided in that way.