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A Spiritual Second Generation
Deuteronomy 5:3
"The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day."
When you think of second generation Christians, you mostly think of Christians who are not very dedicated to the work of the LORD. Sadly, most second generation Christians are not very spiritual. I am personally a sixth generation Christian. I believe that second generation Christians can be spiritual, and in fact, do more than the previous generation.
In the verse above, the generation of the children of Israel were second generation. Their father's were the one's who refused to go into the Promised Land, so this generation wandered forty years in the wilderness because of the sins of their fathers. However, when Moses addressed this generation, he addressed them as a spiritual generation. There were several things that made this second generation a spiritual generation.
First, they made their Christianity personal. Notice that they said that the LORD made this covenant "with us." They understood that they couldn't live off of mom and dad's spirituality. They realized they had to make it their own. Spirituality is not inherited. Just because your parents were good Christians does not make you a good Christian. Too many young people believe they are spiritual because of their parents. The only way you will make it as a second generation Christian is to make your Christianity personal.
Second, they learned from the previous generation. These people realized the mistakes of their fathers, and they did all that they could to avoid making the same mistakes. One of the blessings of being a second generation Christian is that you can learn from the successes and failures of previous generations. If you are wise, you will avoid the mistakes your fathers made and follow their patterns of success.
Third, they made God's commands personal. This generation understood that God's commands were for them. They didn't pass it off as something they didn't need to do, but they understood that the commands God gave were to them as well. Second generation Christians must be careful about thinking that the commands from God for the previous generation do not apply to them. God's warnings apply to you as they did to your fathers.
Fourth, they made God's promises personal. You will never be successful as a second generation Christian until you make the promises of God personal. The same promises that your parents claimed are the same promises you must claim. God's promises are multi-generational. In other words, they apply to every generation. Take the same promises that your parents claimed and make them personal by claiming them as your own.
Finally, they made God personal. This is the most important thing you must do to be successful as a second generation Christian. You should not serve God because your parents served Him, but you must serve God because you choose to serve Him. Joshua made that very clear in Joshua 24:15. Every generation must make God their personal God if they are going to succeed in the Christian life.
You will fail as a Christian if you live off your parents Christianity. You need your own victories. You need your own answered prayers. You need your own personal experiences with God. You will never be successful as a second generation Christian until you make God and the Christian life personal.