In an effort to motivate myself to blog more often (that is more than the once a year that it's happening now) I have decided to launch a new project. This project correlates with my goal of reading the entire New Testament one book at a time over the next few months. I don't plan on speed reading or even the usual sifting through verses to find the most exciting or provoking; instead I plan to prayerfully read one book each day with the expectation that the Holy Spirit will reveal something to me even in the most mundane seeming passages. And what better place to record this journey then right here?! Well now that I've laid out the guidelines of this study I will begin by posting my thoughts on the past day's reading. (On a side-note there is a high chance my summer employment will not be in the vicinity of wifi or internet of any kind, however we shall cross that bridge when we get there.)
Genealogy of Greatness (Matthew 1)
Okay I will admit it, generally when I read through the parts of the Bible that span generations and give record of who was the father of who and married whom, I do a little skimming...okay a lot of skimming. Let's just be honest, often I sort of jump over those passages all together. However how could I justify beginning a project of observing the New Testament book by book and then skip the whole first half of the first book? The answer is I couldn't. So I did what I seldom do, I read every line of the genealogy of Jesus and actually paid attention.
My observations were surprising (sorry if this reads a bit like a lab report I've been writing a lot of those these days), I think what caught me off guard the most was the number of names I recognized and not only recognized by knew who and what that person had done. God is so fascinating in the way he intricately works everything together. Here in this one passage each story of the Bible builds to become the one superior story of God's greatest gift. Each deliverance, provision, prophecy, and command of the Old Testament leads to the ultimate provision found in the New Testament. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
God's will was worked out in each generation and continues to be worked out through his people today. Those men listed in that family tree could not know that by following the will of God in their lives they would be a part of the genealogy of the world's Savior. Abraham could not have fully comprehended the important of his obedience, or Ruth the impact of her second marriage, nor Jacob the value of raising Joseph to be a Godly man. However each of these people by faith and pursuing the will of God in their lives were weaved into this greater plan of salvation for all. We have the opportunity to be used the same way, our lives on their own seem small, but placed in line with the plans of God they have more magnitude than we could ever imagine on our own. We have our own chance to be a part of a genealogy of greatness.
The last thing that was brought to my attention in this passage pertained to the birth of Christ. Mary became pregnant out of wedlock, we of course know that this was by the Holy Spirit, but to those around her this would have appeared to be a horrible sin. In my own life God may call me to do things that don't make sense to others, even other Christians. Of course he wont ask me to do something like give birth his son, but perhaps walking away from a relationship or career or pass time. The point is I should be listening for his direction, sensitive to the leading of his Spirit, not the opinions or actions of others. There will always be many other people in the world, with many different views. But there is only one God, and above all my desire should be to serve him even if it alienates me from others, because how else will I be a part of His genealogy if I am not completely surrendered to him?
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