Let us own it!

In the eighth month of the second years of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo:

The Lord was very angry with your ancestors.  Therefore, tell the people:  This is what the Lord

Almighty says:

‘Return to me,’

Declares the Lord Almighty,

And I will return to you’ says the Lord Almighty.

 Do not be like your ancestors to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed:

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’

But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.

Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?

But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?

Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’” (Zechariah 1:1-6)

 

This is truly a beautiful passage in the Bible.  We see the heart of God calling nonstop his people back to Him because he knows that without Him, we are nothing.  We desperately need Him or the alternative in our lives is evil.  He called even their ancestors who finally repented.  This would have been an event that caused great joy in Heaven.  The sound of repenting in God’s ears The ownership for their sins was up to them.  Each generation is responsible for its actions.  Its up to us, individuals to change attitudes and to follow God who is very patient and merciful to us.  We cannot blame our ancestors for the way we turned out.  We are responsible for our own lives.  We will have to answer to God in the end and even now.  They lived their lives best or worse they could, and we are not to imitate them in doing evil.  Of course, if they followed God, we can follow their example but our lives will only be independently saved when we call on God.  In the end we will all give glory to God himself.