Reverend J. Loren Russell
Matthew 1:5–6, 16 NKJV
“Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.”
“How sad to see a filled church of empty people trying to overflow.”
Those words remind us that sometimes the greatest barrier to experiencing the fullness of God’s grace is not what God is withholding from us, but what we have convinced ourselves we are unworthy to receive.
We can become prisoners of our own past, allowing our place of birth, how we were raised, the schools we attended, the mistakes we made, the failures we experienced, or the labels others placed on us to determine what we believe is possible for our lives. We write ourselves off before we ever give God an opportunity to write our next chapter.
But Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus reminds us that God has never been limited by human expectations.
Look at the people God allowed to become part of the lineage of Jesus. Rahab had a past; Ruth was a foreigner and a Moabite; David was a man who committed adultery, lied, and arranged for another man’s death; Solomon experienced tremendous blessing but also made serious choices that brought consequences into his life. Yet their failures did not prevent God’s purposes from moving forward.
Matthew does not hide the complicated parts of their stories. Their histories are included in the genealogy leading to Jesus because God was showing that your history may be part of your story, but it does not have to be the end of your story.
Perhaps that’s where some of us are today. We have allowed our past to become a prison. We tell ourselves, “Because I came from here, I can’t go there.” “Because I did that, God can’t use me.” “Because I failed, I don’t deserve another opportunity.” But God says something different. Through Jeremiah (29:11 NKJV), God spoke to Israel while they were living in captivity:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
God did not deny their circumstances. He knew they were in captivity. But He also knew their captivity wasn’t their conclusion. They had a future. They had hope. And so do you.
There may be a dark cloud over your life right now; a cloud of disappointment, regret, rejection, failure, or uncertainty. But don’t assume that because you see the cloud, there is nothing beyond it.
There is a silver lining.
And for the believer, the silver lining is not simply that circumstances will change. The silver lining is the believers assurance that God has a prepared future that extends beyond circumstances and situations. They might see the cloud but they keep looking for the silver lining. Don’t let your past keep you from believing in the future God has prepared for you. There is silver in every cloud. And that silver lining has a name…, Jesus.
Be Blessed!
Leave a Reply