June 22, Day 29

1 Chronicles 1- 1 Chronicles 9:17

Ever have trouble concentrating? Surely I found myself there today as I was reading the list of names and genealogies. As it does often, my mind started to wander to "what is the purpose of this? and What is God trying to teach me here?"

This is what I came up with... we each matter to God? In order for us to know who we are we have to know whose we are. God's promise to the Israelites was that they would be His chosen people. This genealogy clearly shows how God has preserved and recorded their lineage. They could look back and then see where they came from. Additionally, we also know God has made some big promises already... and peeking ahead in the prophets, we know He is going to make some bigger promises to come. So knowing that Jesus is the Messiah and that many people would challenge this in the future, it is important for God to record the lineage of His chosen people in advance, so they can see how improbable it is that just anyone could be the Messiah in the future. Rejoice with me today, that God knows your name. He knows where you've come from and what (or whom) will come after you. Do you know Him? Is your name written down in His book?

On an earthly note, do you tell your children where you've come from? Do you share with them the stories of their ancestry? I didn't grow up with many of those stories, but I was fortunate to grow up with family close in proximity to us. So I what I didn't hear, I could observe. Yet, I often wish I would know more about where our family came from and the personal issues that those before me struggled with. Did they follow God? Would they have done anything differently about their life? Friends, today, I promise to be more transparent with my children so they will know not only who they are... but whose they are!