Matthew 1:1-16 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah whose mother was Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz whose mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram. Jehoram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers born at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the Babylonian exile: Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Akim. Akim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
Girlfriend, awake with hope for your future!
Did you read the scripture passage above? Notice a handful of notable women in the mix: Tamar, Rehab, Ruth, Bathsheba … their tainted past would’ve knocked them out of the ballpark by our human standards.
But God … (my fave two words in the Bible) …
Picked them all up ~~ dusted them off ~~ and gave them their heart’s desire: a closer walk with Him. And so He used them for His Purpose and Glory.
They didn’t look back to allow their sordid past to hold them captive, Sister ~~ instead, they wrapped their grip around their God and Savior and moved forward by His Holy Spirit.
You and I are free to do the same; and the Invitation is available to all. Don’t let anything or anyone stand in between you and Your Savior ~~ close that gap with your commitment to remain steadfast and let Him take the Lead.
If these women could trust God, so can you. They had nothing to lose but their hopelessness ~~ and gained all in return. All it takes is a conscious decision ~~ will you go there?
Note: this is not a guarantee that you’ll never mess up ~~ you will. But God is faithful to redeem you daily as you confess it all to Him (like unloading at the end of the workday). So you don’t have to carry today’s burdens into tomorrow. I like that!
So let us begin anew and refreshed ~~ and I celebrate alongside you this day:
Here’s to new beginnings, Girlfriend❣
I love you to Heaven and Back ~~
LindaRJohnson
T2T Visionary
Titus Two 