Past Performance and Future Results

Once again I began my yearly trek through God’s Word on Friday, January 1. As I read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1, I was struck by two observations. First, Jesus had some pretty awesome people in his ancestral line—men who shaped Israel’s history and walked with God; however, the second observation was more intriguing than the first: Jesus had some notoriously infamous people in His line as well. Some were ruthless rulers like Rehoboam and Manasseh; others were pagans, adulterers, and harlots like Ruth, Bathsheba, and Rahab (Ruth and Rahab became followers of the true God and were changed by His grace).

Most of us think (or maybe it’s just me) that to be used by God we must come from a long line of ancestors who were faithful saints. We tend to think that if our preceding familial line has any scoundrels in it, then we cannot be used of God for any good. We let our past determine our future and usefulness to the Lord and His kingdom; the investment industry attaches a disclaimer to all information regarding investments that holds true for our spiritual lives as well: past performance is no guarantee of future results. When I survey those ancestors of Jesus, it gives me hope—hope that I can be used of God even though I don’t have many Christians in my immediate family or extended family. My family line, to my knowledge, is not full of faithful followers of Jesus. I praise the Lord that He does not look at my ancestral past to determine my future usefulness and results for His kingdom. Even though Jesus had some imperfect people in His bloodline, He was still born the perfect Son of God, holy and blameless in all His ways, and faithful to the call of God on His life. 

Don’t get caught up in your past or the past of others in your family. Let the Lord Jesus live through you and in you so He can make an impact on your family and those around you.  As others long after you look back on their genealogy, may they find that you followed the Lord with all your heart.