OUR GRACIOUS KING
God recently used a message by John MacArthur to work conviction in my spirit about something. I'm still working through it with the Lord, and I'm sure it will be a lifelong fight of faith and humility. I guess I could summarize the issue with this question - "How can God use me and my family for ______ (insert any high and lofty goal) if we're not doing the things I think we should be doing to get us there?" Inherent in that statement is a feeling of responsibility for the outcome of my life, and my family's lives. I know what it should look like and I know how to get there. But the Lord has been graciously revealing to me how idolatrous that whole attitude is.
There are so many good things out there to do, and sometimes I feel we have to do it all in order to be OK. If we don't supply our part of the equation God cannot produce the kind of godly family I want, right? A certain level of performance is required to get the grade, right? It's startling when God really opens my eyes to the lies I've been believing.
The message by MacArthur had to do with the genealogy of Jesus. Who was in this genealogy? The Jews put a lot of stock in genealogies. A good pedigree was very important. So who specifically did God choose for Jesus' pedigree? Let's focus first on the women included in the genealogy. The four women in the genealogy can be categorized as follows ~ two harlots, an adulteress and one born out of incest. Tamar and Rahab were the harlots, Bathsheba was the adulteress and Ruth, who was a godly woman, was none the less a Moabite. The Moabites were not only Gentiles but they were a race born of incest (see the story of Lot and his daughters at the end of Genesis 19). Some of the men included in the genealogy were guilty of lying, adultery and murder ~ Abraham, Solomon and David to be specific. Here's the point ~
The Sinless One was born into a genealogy of sinners. This is grace.
It is idolatrous for me to think that I have control over the outcome of my genealogy. The Lord's sovereignty is over all generations, events and outcomes. Recently, He has been reminding me of how little I know and how little I can control. His thoughts are way above mine, and His purposes stretch from everlasting to everlasting. He is a redeeming God, a God of infinite grace. How could a godly woman such as Ruth, the grandmother of David, come from the incestuous relationship of Lot and his daughters? Grace. How could a godly man such as Boaz come from the harlotry of Tamar with Judah? Grace. How could a God fearing king such as Josiah come from the adultery of David and Bathsheba? Grace. How could God bring His Son into this world polluted by sin and suffering? Grace.
Can God use our family for His holy purposes and for His glory? Yes...but only by His grace, not my effort.
I think one of my goals for the new year will be to simplify and prioritize. The goal is not to copy other families, or worry about what we're not doing. My purpose is to love God, submit to His ways, and serve my family in humility, entrusting the outcome to His sovereign grace. This word picture has almost become cliche but it's still true and very effective. My life and my family are only a tiny thread in the tapestry of God's plan for history. As it says in Romans 9, God has the right to make one vessel for noble purposes and one for common use. It is enough that I belong to Him and that He has promised to work all things together for my good.
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