Friday, December 26, 2014

Grace

A Reminder
Tamar: Probably a Canaanite. Seduced her father-in-law because he wouldn't have one of his sons marry her and provide her with a child. One of her illegitimate sons is in the lineage of Jesus. Grace.

Rahab: A Canaanite. A prostitute. Citizen of Jericho. "Scheduled" to die when the walls came down. By her testimony everyone was terrified of the God of Israel. But only one said, "I know that the Lord has given you the land . . . The Lord your God, He is God in heaven and above and on the earth beneath." They all feared Him; one reverenced Him. One by her courage said, "I am on the Lord's side." She and her entire family were saved--when the walls came down. And she is in the lineage of our Savior. Grandma Rahab. Grace.

Ruth: A child of Moab. Moab--a child of incest. Moab a descendant of Lot--Abraham's nephew who chose to leave Ur of the Chaldees to follow the Lord with Uncle Abraham. Ruth married a man who obviously was raised by a righteous, God-fearing mother. Her name was Rahab. Yes, that Rahab. Her son, Boaz. Ruth--great-grandmother of David--is in the lineage of our Savior. (Now you know as well why David kept fleeing into Moab when Saul was chasing him. Kinfolk.) Grace.

Bathsheba: Jewish? Probably. But she married a Hittite. Adulterous. The son of adultery died. The second son--Solomon. Bathsheba is in the lineage of our Savior. Grace.

And read through the list of those kings found in Matthew. Far, far from flawless. Manasseh is called the wickedness king Judah ever had. He sacrificed some of his sons to the gods, practiced witchcraft, put an idol in the temple. Related to Jesus. All--each--of those kings were a part of God's plan of redemption. Grace.

I think we should all be incredibly grateful that our family tree is not written down for everyone to see. Doubtless, we have some monsters on those limbs.

We are indeed saved by a grace that is greater than all our sin. We are indeed all saved by a grace that can transform evil into eternal good. We are all saved because before the cross we have admitted how desperately we as the chiefest of sinners can only be redeemed by such marvelous grace. Grace--the gift of God's love.

Reverence Him with your life--be unafraid of collapsing walls. Praise Him with your lips. Rejoice in your Boaz. Not a Boaz? There's more than enough grace and an eternally gracious Lord eagerly desiring to lavish you with eternal grace. His heart's desire is to include you in the lineage of His Son on the other side of the "Tree." The "born again" adopted side of the "family." It's not "full" yet. Humble yourself before the mighty--yet gracious--hand of the Lord. Repentance is the path to grace. The only path.

And family members of the sovereign God of grace. Remember--always--grace is triumphant! Our suffering Savior is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

And our loving Father.

Grace.

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