Today's reading brought me to the family history of Jesus! As I read the names, the weaving of life stories spoke to my heart. Boaz--the Kinsman Redeemer for Ruth and grandpa to David, the man after God's own heart; Rahab--the lady of ill-repute who recognized the hand of God and was used by Him to forward His purposes. We are children of people who were children of another...there are legacies being created and lived out day by day. And seeking God transforms lives and legacies!
The grace and power of the eternal King transcends every trial. My heart rejoiced and rested in the goodness of God as I read over that list this morning. God did not make a mistake when he allowed Satan to speak through that snake. He had a plan and purpose that is still being worked out. Think of that song..."He'll make a Bible story out of you." and rejoice in Him today. God is unchanging. Our legacies are beautiful portraits in His hand.
But before I leave, there's another neat thing. All history--secular and 'church'--is really His Story! I love to learn tidbits of how the Bible accounts weave into secular stories. (That is why I'm reading a chronological Bible this year :)). Between Malachi and Matthew, the Bible has a lot of silent years...but He was busy in individual lives. That is an encouragement when we don't 'feel' Him...anyway. We've been watching Persia help restore the Jews to the Promised Land...resettle and rebuild. Then, in earthly reigns, Alexander the Great came on the scene. He was kind to the Jews and actually helped them settle in other places (Alexandria, Egypt being a main site). The Greek culture with all its earthly opulence sucked in many of God's people (sound familiar?). Yet in about 280 BC a group of 72 faithful Jewish scholars decided to translate the Hebrew scriptures into the common language of the Greek. That translation is called the Septuagint. But here's the thing I was most excited about:
The grace and power of the eternal King transcends every trial. My heart rejoiced and rested in the goodness of God as I read over that list this morning. God did not make a mistake when he allowed Satan to speak through that snake. He had a plan and purpose that is still being worked out. Think of that song..."He'll make a Bible story out of you." and rejoice in Him today. God is unchanging. Our legacies are beautiful portraits in His hand.
But before I leave, there's another neat thing. All history--secular and 'church'--is really His Story! I love to learn tidbits of how the Bible accounts weave into secular stories. (That is why I'm reading a chronological Bible this year :)). Between Malachi and Matthew, the Bible has a lot of silent years...but He was busy in individual lives. That is an encouragement when we don't 'feel' Him...anyway. We've been watching Persia help restore the Jews to the Promised Land...resettle and rebuild. Then, in earthly reigns, Alexander the Great came on the scene. He was kind to the Jews and actually helped them settle in other places (Alexandria, Egypt being a main site). The Greek culture with all its earthly opulence sucked in many of God's people (sound familiar?). Yet in about 280 BC a group of 72 faithful Jewish scholars decided to translate the Hebrew scriptures into the common language of the Greek. That translation is called the Septuagint. But here's the thing I was most excited about:
72 separate translators produced identical words and phrases in their work!!! How cool is that? Taking a piece of literature in one language and putting it into another is not a neat packaged process. CLEAR guidance of the Spirit in my mind!
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