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Devotion / Jesus: The hope of all generations

Devotion / Jesus: The hope of all generations

Blog, Devotions

Your lineage

Who "begat" who?

Be honest now. How closely do you read those genealogies found in the Bible? So many names that are really pretty much unrecognizable to most of us. Is there a message hidden among all those names?

Yes, there is. But it remained pretty much a mystery to me until I started digging into the history of our family. That's my own personal list of mystery "begat" names.

It was actually pretty easy to trace one strand of my family line back to the time of Luther. In my research, I ran into an info blurb that blew my mind. It might astonish you as well. 

For you "to be born" requires not just your two parents, but four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, 16 great-great grandparents, and so on. By the time you trace down twelve generations (about 400 years), there are 4,094 ancestors directly related to you. They are the people God used to bring you into existence.

Isn't that mind-blowing? Consider all the joys, love stories, and sacrifices that led to you! Ponder the battles, struggles, and heartbreaks in those family stories. Your family line is filled with names and stories you will never know, but that were part of God's plan for the miracle of you. You are the dream or hope of thousands of ancestors.

Your lineage in Christ  

Of course, Jesus—the Babe born in Bethlehem—is the true hope of all generations! Through him we not only have our physical birth, but our spiritual rebirth! Consider these verses: 

  • Micah 7:7, As for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior.

  • Jeremiah 29:11, I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

  • 1 Peter 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

 At 316NOW, our mission is to share Jesus Christ, the Hope of the nations, with all the world and, especially, with our brothers and sisters of Chinese descent. May the Almighty Lord bless our efforts so that coming generations know their Lord and Savior. And may he bless your efforts, as well.