www.bible.com/1713/rom.6.14.csb
Though Paul advises Timothy “to have nothing to do with endless genealogies”, it is important to know where you come from, as the first chapter of Matthew and the third chapter of Luke attest. Those genealogies are not endless, and begin and end with specific persons. Jesus knee what lineage his humanity came from. That was important as a the prophetic Son of God. Our lineages are a bit more muddled.
I can trace living memory back to my grandfather on my mother’s side. He and his wife were my grandparents. My father’s mother was alive long enough to remember her, even to see my first child before she passed. Of my mother’s parents, only my grandmother ever met my future wife. She did not survive to see the wedding. So, my living lineage was actually a bit short compared to others. I’ve learned a lot from working on family genealogy, had some good information to share with my living relatives, and feel like I have a good handle where I came from. I was surprised that my family was adventurous but hard workers. My family had a role in the settlement of the west and made their mark.
To know this is important, but doesn’t define who I am. My genes may put me in a particular bent, but it doesn’t define the course of my life. Neither do yours. For where every believer comes from is defined by grace. We are not under the law, neither from our genes nor from our culture. We are under grace, and that comes through faith. We put our faith in the most important genes of all, the Son of God.
Where have you come from? It’s important to remember. As Paul once wrote, remember some of you were not great. Remember your privilege in Christ was bought by His blood, not your effort. His cross, not your works. Grace, not obedience to law.
God bless you today!
Meritt Musings 