Matthew 1
Pastor Farrell Lemings
As you read the first chapter of the New Testament, if you are like me, you have a tendency to quickly skip the names in the genealogy of Jesus. We have no idea how to pronounce some of them, and they just seem to be part of the past with no present-day significance.
Yet buried in this list of names are some great discoveries that bring encouragement:
- Jacob was a deceiver.
- Rahab was a prostitute.
- David was an adulterer.
- Rehoboam was a prideful, failed leader.
The list goes on and on, naming individuals that God chose to include in His plan of redemption.
The good news for you and me is that God uses people that have messed up for His purposes. Our past failures do not disqualify us. If we respond properly, our failures can actually shape us to embrace the future God has designed.
So - since all of us have failures - take heart! We are not eliminated, or damaged goods. God can use each of us for His redemptive purposes.
Farrell Lemings serves as Lead Pastor.
