It is frequently asked if a child (even an adult child) who has committed a crime or gone “astray” in some way, and the parents have not been good parents or role models, is considered to be innocent?

In a recent Sunday School lesson, some light was shown on this problem. The scripture was taken from Chapter 31 of Jeremiah.

Verse 29 states: “In those days, people will no longer say: ‘Sour grapes eaten by parents leave a bitter taste in the mouths of their children.’ Because everyone will die for their OWN sins: whoever eats sour grapes will have a bitter taste in their OWN mouths.”

The sour grapes here are symbolic of sin. Have we conveniently labeled the sins of our parents (sour grapes) as the cause of the sins (bitter taste) in the mouths of our children?

Verse 33 further states: “I will put my instructions within them and engrave them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. They will no longer need to teach each other to say, ‘Know the Lord’ because they will ALL know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord; for I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sins.”

What an awesome promise! However, there also is an awesome condition, summed up in Joshua 24:15: “Choose you this day whom you will serve.” And the saving reply is “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

In my working with young people, I have tried to teach them that THEY have the choice of what to choose and God has put his instructions in THEIR hearts and engraved them there. I tell them that God has given US a built in “do-notter” and it is up to US to pay attention to it.

Joshua's choice is available to all of us and will change our lives. There will be no bitter grape taste in our mouths and we will never have to doubt if God has forgiven us. We will live a life in complete obedience to God's instructions because they are engraved on our hearts.

So choose you this day whom you will serve.

Anne Butler attends Christ Central Church in Rainbow City.