faith.

I have been reading A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers and I have really been enjoying it.  It has been an eye opener and an encouragement in one.  You should definitely put it on your ‘to read’ list.

In this book we follow Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary through their lives as they are each intricately woven into the Lineage of Christ. Tamar shows the story of a woman betrayed, yet a woman determined to do what is right in the eyes of God. Rahab, a harlot, shows that no matter the sin God can still do wonderful things in each of our lives. Ruth, a love story of epic proportions…we see love given from daughter-in-law to mother-in-law, but we also see love shown from man to woman as Ruth takes her rightful place as the wife of Boaz. With Bathsheba, we again see how God can turn a sin into something that is for His glory, if only the participants are willing. And finally with Mary we get an interpretive look into the life of Jesus’ mother and the struggles she went through watching her son, who she knew to be the Christ, grow up and be rejected by a world that was supposedly waiting for his arrival. We see with Mary how God can take the most illogical person to be someone that is important to His plan.

In reading this book (and reading the scripture upon which it is based) my eyes were opened to the faith that these women and men had in God.  They had utter dependence on Him and realized that God has an enormous plan for their lives.  They didn’t always quite understand why God would choose to use them, but they didn’t question His choice-they willingly excepted what God had called them to do.

The stories of these women are an encouragement to us today.  We can see that God used unlikely women to be the vessel for bringing His son into the world.  He has taken sinful choices and turned them to be used for His glory-because He is God.  He has taken family discord and turned it around to be used for His glory-because He is God.

I am excited to start re-reading some of the Old Testament over the next months. I can’t wait to dig in to our history and learn and study! Because these stories…they are part of who I am.  I am a member of this family…as cliche as it may sound-the family of God.

Tonight I will be reading Genesis 1 and I can’t wait to see what new things I can discover!