A friend of mine says that she didn’t get serious about living for Jesus until she was an adult. Oh, she had been raised in the church. She believed in the Bible and in Jesus, but she was actually riding on the coattails of her mother’s faith. It wasn’t until her mother passed away that she realized that her faith was something that she needed to live out for herself.

Some of the Jewish people that Jesus spoke with had the same sort of problem. Since they were descendants of Abraham, they thought that they would automatically be in good shape with God. Jesus taught them that this was not the case.

Everyone must decide for themselves to pursue a life of faith. It’s not something to be assumed because of your spiritual heritage.

“Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do the things Abraham did.”—John 8:39.