LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Yesterday I related one of the joys of being a grandparent. But I confess that there are challenging times as well. One such challenge is to see your grandchildren behaving in a way that is disrespectful to others and to God and not feel comfortable correcting them. After all, that’s the parent’s job, right? But we live in a world that minimizes correction and exaggerates personal choice. To whatever degree we did it as parents we would have been offended if our parents tried to correct us. So, we don’t believe we have the freedom to correct other parents as they raise their children, and we certainly get in trouble if we try to correct the grandkids.

Such is the context of the story of Eli in the book of 1 Samuel. Eli’s sons are described by the Lord as “worthless.” That seems offensive but look at what caused such an evaluation. The sons were extremely selfish, taking anything they wanted from the temple worship for themselves. That included taking women who were dedicated to service in the temple and using them for their own sexual gratification. They blasphemed the name of the Lord, and in the Lord’s eyes that made them worthless to His service.

Eli tried to rebuke them and correct them, but only after the effects of sin had totally captured their hearts and they were unwilling to listen to him. God was about to take action, and He would use Samuel to deliver the message of the consequences or Eli’s poor parenting.

Now let me say something right now so you don’t misunderstand. Great parenting can still produce rebellious children because they all make their own choices. But poor parenting that tolerates sin and disrespect for the Lord will not go unpunished.

God sends a man to tell Eli that his family is going to be cut off from Israel and his sons would be killed. You can read it in 1 Samuel chapter 2. Then because God is also compassionate along with His justice, He comes to tell Samuel, Eli’s ministry assistant, what He is about to do, He says, “Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

Oh dear people of God, there are severe consequences to rebelling against God. There are also severe consequences for not getting involved in correcting those who are rebelling. One day the Lord will hold us all accountable for how we parented our children. We live in a culture that is constantly bombarding our children with images and words that are in direct rebellion against God, and we do nothing about it. We allow our children to become involved in the corruption of sin and we justify it by saying it’s their freedom to choose for themselves. That’s what Eli did and look at the price he paid on that day when the Lord visited him..

Parents. Grandparents. Don’t minimize the activity of sin in your family’s life. Correct their disrespect. Remove the access to the images and influence of Satanically motivated movies and music. Work together as parents and grandparents to raise children who fear the Lord and desire to remain pure before Him. The reward will be far greater than any temporary pain your children may try to inflict on you for being unreasonable.

Pastor John