By Austin Bishop
2 Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, and Hezron fathered Ram. 4 Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon. 5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse. 6 Jesse fathered David the king. David fathered Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
— Matthew 1:2-6 (NASB)
Have you ever felt disqualified to do anything of value for the Kingdom of God?
Perhaps it’s your family’s status in life, the way others look at you, or what you perceive as a lack of giftings that have you convinced your opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of others is limited. Maybe, you have truly failed and made serious mistakes, negatively affecting the lives of others. Perhaps you feel misunderstood and undervalued.
Be assured, that the enemy of your soul will use everything and anything to tear away your spiritual confidence in the hopes of limiting your spiritual growth.
But, we must be reminded that the devil is a liar. Even when he shares “facts,” he uses them improperly and out of context. His conversation with Eve in the Garden of Eden is prime evidence of this.
Here is the truth: no matter how badly we have failed, God can use our lives in a positive way if we will just turn it over to Him. God always has, and always will, use who He chooses to use to promote His Kingdom and bring His will to pass.
The scripture above (Matthew 1:2-6) is a part of the Earthly lineage of Jesus Christ. I would like to highlight a few of the names on that list — Judah, Tamar, Rahab, David, and Bathsheba. In scripture Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, is ofter referred to as the wife of Uriah.
Judah, who was one of the brothers who sold Joseph into slavery, was a manipulator and a man who failed to keep his word. He also sought after a harlot on at least one occasion. That event, led to the birth of Perez, who is in the direct lineage of Jesus Christ. Perez’s mother was Tamar, who played the role of a prostitute in order to conceive a child through Judah.
Rahab played a huge role in the Israelites’ victory in their battle with Jericho. She housed two men who were sent to spy on the city, which was at the time regarded as one of the most powerful in the region. For her kindness and assistance her life and that of her family was spared when Jericho was overthrown.
This is important because Rahab gave birth to Boaz, who was the great-grandfather of King David. By the way, Rahab was widely known as a prostitute and was considered to be part of the lower class of society.
Then there is King David and Bathsheba. King David was so enamored with Bathsheba that he sent her husband Uriah to the front lines of battle, knowing that he would most certainly be killed. This occurred after David knew that Bathsheba was pregnant with his child. While the son of that adulterous affair died soon after birth, Bathsheba gave birth to another son through David. His name was Solomon.
God CHOSE these five people to be a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. If he chose them, in all of their failures, He can also choose you.
Don’t allow your fleshly past to hijack your spiritual future. Trust God and turn your life and your future in its entirety over to Him. What He can and will do with that gift is both amazing and supernatural!
Austin Bishop is an ordained Assemblies of God minister and has been a journalist for 50 years. Those wishing to receive his daily devotional/Bible study notes may text their name to 601-938-2471 and ask to be added.
