09/09/2026
A very good morning Saints. Welcome to a Wonderful Wednesday! I hope you enjoyed the long weekend with family and friends. Here we are, already at that mid-week point. If you are like me, a short week can add some pressure. Don’t miss the significance of this week as Friday marks the 25th anniversary of a monumental day for all of us. As we reflect on that, may we seek the Lord for those divine appointments and take advantage of those God opportunities to share our faith this week.
By now you know I like crime dramas. I especially like the true crime stories we can watch. All those forensic methods they can use to “catch a predator” or “catch a killer”. With all we have afforded to us by technology, it is truly amazing that anyone can get away with anything these days. From cameras literally everywhere, tracking through GPS on our phones and cars, DNA from “touch” much less a hair or nail or…. Well, you get the idea.
What has been interesting (and kind of fun) to watch is the use of genealogy. Forensic genealogy is all about using genealogy and evidence left via paper trails and historical information to find living people. It’s a backward version of traditional genealogy in order to find someone. It has grown in popularity as it has been used to track down murderers from Cold Cases almost forgotten collecting dust on a shelf inside an evidence locker. For instance, it was used to track down the infamous Golden State Killer. It is not a new technique it just has a new name. For years it was used to identify long lost relatives or perhaps to find a beneficiary. It is a reverse family tree…that utilizes not only a paper trail but DNA as well.
“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.” Matthew 1:17 (NKJV)
Now I know that any of you that have read through the Bible, perhaps on a 1-year schedule, or maybe just at your own pace, have experienced the same thought-provoking situation. You hit certain parts of the Old Testament, and it is all about who “begot” who, how long they lived, and then another “who begot who”. This might seem boring to most and it can be tempting to skip past all of this, I know. So why is it there? It is there to show us a direct timeline of God’s creation.
The lives and number of years they lived are invaluable in determining just how long things have been around. Not only that, but we can also look back and see who was whose father. We can see the amazing hand of God throughout time. For instance, did you know that the pr******te Rahab, who helped the two spies sent out by Joshua, saving them from the enemy (Joshua 2), was the mother of Boaz who married Ruth. Their descendent was Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). So, she was the great, great, great grandmother of Jesus. (I might need a few more “greats”) The point is, it is all written down for a reason.
So, what does this mean for you and me? Well, it means first and foremost, we shouldn’t skip over those seemingly boring passages. It also means that God obviously had a perfect plan from the very beginning of time. There are no mistakes in the Genealogy of the Son of God. That means, and here is the point, there is not a mistake in yours. It is all a part of His plan; He uses the good, the bad & the ugly.
Let me encourage you today. Embrace your identity. One thing we certainly have no choice over is whose earthly child we are. Who our birth parents are isn’t up to us. If you were adopted, in most cases, you were not a part of that decision either. God, however, is not caught by surprise in any of it. Your genealogy is most certainly a part of who you are. It might seemingly set you up for failure, but God ultimately is working it all out for our good (Romans 8:28). The good news for all who claim the name of Jesus is that we are a child of God. Our Heavenly Father is that “abba – daddy”. We are spiritual sons and daughters of the Most High God. Your family roots are attached to The Vine (John 15). Rest in His promises for not only who you are, but whose you are!
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“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:5-8 (NKJV)