The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram. Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon. Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse. Jesse became the father of King David. David became the father of Solomon by her who had been Uriah's wife. Matthew 1:1 WEB

The first paragraph of the genealogy of Jesus Christ amazes me. When you look at the details, you would think that many of these people would not have qualified. But God chose to use flawed people with problems, then He made them better. He understands that life can be messy.

Here are some notes on a few of the people mentioned in this paragraph: Tamar became pregnant by her father-in-law Judah (Genesis 38:16). Rahab was a former prostitute who helped hide the spies that Joshua sent to Jericho (Joshua 2:1). Ruth was a Moabite, which means that she came from Lot impregnating his own daughter one night while he was drunk (Genesis 19:36). Solomon was born from David and Bathsheba, after David had her husband Uriah killed and then married her (2 Samuel 12:24). That is quite a list.

All these people had problems, yet God chose them to be in the lineage of the Lord Jesus. Their lives were successful because there is forgiveness when we make mistakes. His grace is sufficient. Your problems will not stop God from using you, only you can do that. The things that you do not want to talk about, He already knows about.

When God calls you to do something, He will also equip you to do it and He will use you right now, just as you are. Yet we often resist and say that we are not worthy, and we will not let Him flow through us. We withdraw into a corner and shrink back because we feel that we are not good enough. Life is not all about your faults and frailty, so stop looking at your own weaknesses. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for today. Please use me. Open the door and I will step through it. Give me a clear vision and speak to me in a way that I understand. Let me show Your love on this earth, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Note: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people" (Ephesians 6:18). If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network

> You can subscribe to our daily devotional here <