Your life matters

Jesus was born as a baby, to a real family, with real heritage and a list of forefathers, like yourself. Some were good godly people, some weren’t, some have impressive stories to tell, others seem to be just names in a list. Yet they were all related to The Son of God. They didn’t know it, but their life meant something special. They all had to live because of the the plan of God for The Messiah to come. If one person was missing, then Jesus could not have been born in this family line. Your life also means something, you matter. You are fulfilling something of the purpose of God just because you are breathing! God can do something through you and after you that is so special that it changes the lives and purpose of people to come. Are you living like your life matters? 

You exist now because God planned it. You have a part to play in the kingdom of God being displayed on Earth in your generation and for future ones. It doesn’t matter if you know your heritage ir not, but your life counts. All of the names in the list of Jesus’ genealogy, whether we know the story of their lives or not matter, so do you. 

As you read the genealogy of Jesus below, you may recognise some names, you may not, but be encouraged that they were all important. Without them, the next generation would not come, each person had a part to play in God’s purposes being fulfilled, and the birth of the Messiah, Jesus.

Matthew 1:1–17 (ESV): 

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. 

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. 

Isn’t it incredible how God plans things?! The beauty of the time line and number of generations between different stages of Israel’s history. All of it significant because of the salvation that God has always fought for for His people. There are generations of; captives, prophets, warriors, kings, men, women, rich, poor, working class, good men, evil men, foreigners (Gentiles), and Jews that led to the birth of Jesus. Jesus was descended from Abraham - the father of the nation, he was also born form the lineage that included women from other nations like Rahab and Ruth, whom had been grafted into the nation of Israel because of their love and respect of God. Even Jesus’ genealogy demonstrates God’s acceptance and elevation of people. It demonstrates His acceptance of those who were once far off, that they too can be loved and valued as part of His kingdom. It also shows quite simply that Jesus really was human! He was born into a family with a known history, a mixed one at that full of ups and downs, faithful and unfaithful people, probably like yours. All of these people are linked through blood to culminate in not just a great king’s life like David’s, but the son of David and the son of Abraham - the Lord Jesus Christ - The Son of God! 

Each person’s life previously had led to this moment, the birth of The Messiah, Jesus! The people in his heritage matter because they existed, Jesus’ geneaology proves that whatever your lineage, or place in the generations, God can redeem all things. Jesus descended from foreigners, prophets, exiles, kings, fathers, faithful and unfaithful people. You do not have to live the same life as your forefathers, you can redeem or build on what has gone before. God wants to demonstrate His love and power in and through your life and for the generations to come. Your life matters. You have the opportunity to re-write the history of your family if that is needed and to leave the investment of a story of faith for the future generations. So how you live and the choices you make today matter, what will your legacy be for the people who come after you? 

Can you live in hope for the generations to come?

 Psalm 102 (ESV): 

1  Hear my prayer, O Lord; 

  let my cry come to you! 

 2  Do not hide your face from me 

in the day of my distress! 

  Incline your ear to me; 

answer me speedily in the day when I call! 

 3  For my days pass away like smoke, 

and my bones burn like a furnace. 

 4  My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; 

I forget to eat my bread. 

 5  Because of my loud groaning 

my bones cling to my flesh. 

 6  I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, 

like an owl of the waste places; 

 7  I lie awake; 

I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. 

 8  All the day my enemies taunt me; 

those who deride me use my name for a curse. 

 9  For I eat ashes like bread 

and mingle tears with my drink, 

 10  because of your indignation and anger; 

for you have taken me up and thrown me down. 

 11  My days are like an evening shadow; 

I wither away like grass. 

 12  But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; 

you are remembered throughout all generations. 

 13  You will arise and have pity on Zion; 

it is the time to favour her; 

the appointed time has come. 

 14  For your servants hold her stones dear 

and have pity on her dust. 

 15  Nations will fear the name of the Lord, 

and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory. 

 16  For the Lord builds up Zion; 

he appears in his glory; 

 17  he regards the prayer of the destitute 

and does not despise their prayer. 

 18  Let this be recorded for a generation to come, 

so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord: 

 19  that he looked down from his holy height; 

from heaven the Lord looked at the earth, 

 20  to hear the groans of the prisoners, 

to set free those who were doomed to die, 

 21  that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord, 

and in Jerusalem his praise, 

 22  when peoples gather together, 

and kingdoms, to worship the Lord. 

 23  He has broken my strength in midcourse; 

he has shortened my days. 

 24  “O my God,” I say, “take me not away 

in the midst of my days— 

  you whose years endure 

throughout all generations!” 

 25  Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, 

and the heavens are the work of your hands. 

 26  They will perish, but you will remain; 

they will all wear out like a garment. 

  You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 

 27  but you are the same, and your years have no end. 

 28  The children of your servants shall dwell secure; 

their offspring shall be established before you. 

Sometimes days get so desperate and there is such despair, that people forget to eat, their bodies wither away, sleep evades them and they feel vulnerable like there are enemies on every side seeking their demise. Tears flow, heartache is poured out, anger swells and life seems so close to death that it is hard to see hope. Have you ever felt like that or known someone who has? The author of this psalm felt this way, they were more than miserable, they were heartbroken and in great anguish, and they admitted it. Often people of faith can experience this level of despair, but feel awkward or ashamed to admit how desperate they feel because they know that God is good and He exists. We need to shake off that mindset of embarrassment. You can still believe and trust in God and be utterly miserable. You can be choked with tears and broken, and still have faith in Him because your feelings are real, and so is God. I mean, if you want some examples of people that have felt this level of despair consider; David, Job, Elijah, Jonah or Hannah and then read the psalms! It is ok not to be ok. It is ok to feel like the world is against you, for, lets face it, if you are following God, it is. 

No matter how you are feeling though remind yourself that, ‘you, O Lord, are enthroned forever’. Even if you experience mental anguish and physical depletion, you can still know that God is enthroned forever. Even when your life seems poured out, you can acknowledge that God is in charge. You can remember who He is and what He has done before. You can call on Him and trust Him to, ‘arise and have pity’. For God cares for you. God cares about building His kingdom and His family, so you can ask Him to ‘have pity’, and to ‘favour’ His people. He wants to do those things anyway! You can approach Him and call upon Him, no matter how weak or strong you are, no matter if you feel like a ‘shadow’ or that your ‘heart is struck down’. For God, ‘regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer’. When you are desperately low, when you have are in need, God listens. He pays attention and regards you. How many people in real poverty can say that they are looked at and paid attention to? Yet you, as a believer in God, when you pray and call to God in your weakness and poverty, He looks up and pays attention to you. He will not overlook you or ignore you, instead He takes seriously your prayers. Therefore, do not just weep and walk in despair, but undertake the mighty act of prayer! God listens.

The psalmist writes, ‘let this be recorded for a generation to come’. They recorded their level of distress, and their prayer because they knew that the situation would change, and they wanted to inspire others that distressing times end because God intervenes. The writer knew that this present trouble would turn into a testimony. They understood that no matter what, God is in charge and that in time their prayers would be answered. It may not be fulfilled in their lifetime and their present suffering may not cease, yet one day it would. The psalmist trusted that ‘a people yet to be created may praise the Lord’ because they recorded what was going on and there was a future when these sufferings would be overcome. Therefore, you too can have confidence that God will respond. Just probably not in the way, manner or time frame that you desire. So, you need to learn to carry the hope of a better future even if you don’t get to see it. Moses did not get to enter the promised land, David did not see the temple built, the disciples did not get to see Jesus return. Yet they all lived in hope for the time to come ‘that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord’. Do you carry that same hope, is that what you are living for? Are you able to live through today knowing that the future will be better for the generations to come because God will look with favour upon His people? There will be a day when ‘peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the Lord’ and, ‘The children of your servants will dwell secure’. So, even if you feel like your strength is broken, and your days shortened (v13), you can still carry hope like this writer did. 

When you live your life in faithfulness to God until your life ends, then you can trust that God will be looking out for those you have invested in. You will not always see the outcomes of your work or the answers to your prayers, but God is faithful. He will not forget. He listens, looks, and acts. So can you now look to the uncertain future and trust Him with it? Can you live in hope for the generations to come?

Dwelling Place

 Psalm 90: 1-17 (ESV):

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 

 2  Before the mountains were brought forth, 

or ever you had formed the earth and the world, 

from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 

 3  You return man to dust 

and say, “Return, O children of man!” 

 4  For a thousand years in your sight 

are but as yesterday when it is past, 

or as a watch in the night. 

 5  You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, 

like grass that is renewed in the morning: 

 6  in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; 

in the evening it fades and withers. 

 7  For we are brought to an end by your anger; 

by your wrath we are dismayed. 

 8  You have set our iniquities before you, 

our secret sins in the light of your presence. 

 9  For all our days pass away under your wrath; 

we bring our years to an end like a sigh. 

 10  The years of our life are seventy, 

or even by reason of strength eighty; 

  yet their span is but toil and trouble; 

they are soon gone, and we fly away. 

 11  Who considers the power of your anger, 

and your wrath according to the fear of you? 

 12  So teach us to number our days 

that we may get a heart of wisdom. 

 13  Return, O Lord! How long? 

Have pity on your servants! 

 14  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, 

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 

 15  Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, 

and for as many years as we have seen evil. 

 16  Let your work be shown to your servants, 

and your glorious power to their children. 

 17  Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us, 

and establish the work of our hands upon us; 

yes, establish the work of our hands! 

God, ‘our dwelling place in all generations’. What a powerful concept to consider. Eternal, consistent, comfortable, accessible, strong, inviting, restful, every day. These are some of the things i think about when i think about God being our dwelling place. The writer of this psalm, Moses, had experienced a lot in his life and he knew the power of God being his dwelling place. He grew up in a palace, made a life and got married in Midian, returned to Egypt, then lived in a desert for the rest of his days. Yet throughout these different experiences and locations he knew the security and constancy of the ‘dwelling place’ of God. This was his security and constancy. He knew that no matter what happened or wherever he lived, he dwelt with God. The God who had been faithful through every triumph and trial in every previous generation and proceeding one. Moses knew the truth that God could even be your ‘dwelling place’ when you have no place to call home. God is the same today. He is just as; accessible, strong, welcoming, eternal and restful today as he was yesterday, thousands of years ago and in thousands of years to come. This psalm was probably written 3,400 years ago,  isn't it wonderful to see that God hasn’t changed! You can learn from this ancient scripture just as if it was written a few hours ago in your home town, in your own language, culture and context because the nature of God, ‘our dwelling place’ is eternally consistent. 

Man has not changed either. We came from dust, and to dust we will return (v3), our lives are but a moment, ‘like a dream’ (v5) and we go wrong (v8). That was true at the beginning of time, in Moses era and still is today. In comparison to God, we are momentary, of little significance and sinful. We have obvious and ‘secret sins’ none of which are hidden from God. In fact all are brought, ‘in the light of your presence’. Can you even begin to understand that?! All the things you do, say or think that no-one knows about, and the jealousy, anger and fear that you harbour is all set before God as clear as day. Yet, He still loves you and is your dwelling place! Even though you are but dust, your life like a sigh and you are not very good - God desires that you know the security and love of abiding in Him. He is your dwelling place. You can live your life, as Moses did, understanding that wherever you are or are up to, you can live your life with God always and everywhere. It does not matter what journeys you take, the twists and turns, ups and downs, God remains secure. You can dwell with Him.

Your life is not as long as you think it is. God considers your life ‘like a dream’, momentary and fleeting. Moses acknowledges this brevity and asks that God would, ‘teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom’. That is pretty powerful. For if you can learn that each day is a gift from God, and that one day there will be no more days, how different would you live? Would you hold onto resentment, pain, anger, fear or disappointment? Or would you live with the knowledge that ‘This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24)? Learning to number your days can make you incredibly grateful for each one, as well as recognising that you are dependent upon God for every breath, and the hope you have for tomorrow. It is good to remember that your life is finite, and short like the grass. What would you live for, what would you do and who would you spend your time with if you knew you only had a little time left? Because you do. It really does matter what choices you make today for one day your dream-like life will end and there will be no more time, no more breaths to do or say the things you need to. 

Do not live afraid though at this brevity of life. For God is still your dwelling place and He can, ‘make us glad for as many days as you (God) have afflicted us’. God can bring you peace and joy in the life you do have, for as many days as He has ordained for you. Maybe some of that peace comes from recognising that life is short, and that God has ordained each day. Therefore any difficulties you face are only temporary, yet your dwelling with God is for eternity. You can have hope and joy today because God made today, and today isn’t the end of the story for there will be a tomorrow. 

The psalm concludes by asking God to allow His people see His work, and for Him to bless their work. It is good for you to see God’s work as it is encouraging and motivating to see the awesome things He does. It inspires and builds faith. It is easy to forget what God has done as life goes on and memories fade, so it is ok to ask God to remind you of what He is doing. God works in many ways; internally and externally and you can ask that God, ‘Let your work be shown to your servants’. You may see signs, wonders and miracles, breakthroughs, quiet internal revelation or something else. Allow yourself to see that God is working so that you can be inspired to fulfil your own work. For just as God works, so too you are expected to work. It doesn’t matter what type of work it is whether it is; working at home, studying, in the community or through having a job. Whatever your work looks like, you  are fulfilling something of your purpose as you actively contribute. Whether you like what you have been tasked to do or not, ask God to, ‘establish the work of our hands’. Ask for His help, strength and guidance so that you grow and make a positive contribution. Consider both the work of God and your own work, what is God showing you?  Work can be difficult, rewarding, time-consuming, boring and valuable, sometimes all at the same time. This is partly why you need to see where God’s is working, so that you can see what your duty is and follow Him in it. God has designed you to work, so do it well for you are demonstrating something of who He is through it. Even in this little life, no matter how short it is, you have a purpose, hope and a future. God is your dwelling place forever and He can establish the work of your hands right now - are you trusting Him to?

God's promises are secure whether you like it or not!

 Psalm 89 is a long one and seems to have 4 parts, so we will look at each of them;

1  I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; 

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. 

 2  For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; 

in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” 

 3  You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; 

I have sworn to David my servant: 

 4  ‘I will establish your offspring forever, 

and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah 

 5  Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, 

your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! 

 6  For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? 

Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, 

 7  a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, 

and awesome above all who are around him? 

 8  O Lord God of hosts, 

who is mighty as you are, O Lord, 

with your faithfulness all around you? 

 9  You rule the raging of the sea; 

when its waves rise, you still them. 

 10  You crushed Rahab like a carcass; 

you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. 

 11  The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; 

the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. 

 12  The north and the south, you have created them; 

Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name. 

 13  You have a mighty arm; 

strong is your hand, high your right hand. 

 14  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; 

steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. 

 15  Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, 

who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, 

 16  who exult in your name all the day 

and in your righteousness are exalted. 

 17  For you are the glory of their strength; 

by your favour our horn is exalted. 

 18  For our shield belongs to the Lord, 

our king to the Holy One of Israel. 

• God is worth worshipping forever for His steadfast love, righteousness, justice, faithfulness and strength. He is always worthy to be praised and made much of for He is the source of love and joy and He displays His glorious might through guiding, loving and protecting those who love Him. Those who follow God can see how God has demonstrated His power, justice and righteousness not just in their own lives, but before and beyond their existence. What characteristics of God are you seeing today?

20  I have found David, my servant; 

with my holy oil I have anointed him, 

 21  so that my hand shall be established with him; 

my arm also shall strengthen him. 

 22  The enemy shall not outwit him; 

the wicked shall not humble him. 

 23  I will crush his foes before him 

and strike down those who hate him. 

 24  My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, 

and in my name shall his horn be exalted. 

 25  I will set his hand on the sea 

and his right hand on the rivers. 

 26  He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, 

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ 

 27  And I will make him the firstborn, 

the highest of the kings of the earth. 

 28  My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, 

and my covenant will stand firm for him. 

 29  I will establish his offspring forever 

and his throne as the days of the heavens. 

 30  If his children forsake my law 

and do not walk according to my rules, 

 31  if they violate my statutes 

and do not keep my commandments, 

 32  then I will punish their transgression with the rod 

and their iniquity with stripes, 

 33  but I will not remove from him my steadfast love 

or be false to my faithfulness. 

 34  I will not violate my covenant 

or alter the word that went forth from my lips. 

 35  Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; 

I will not lie to David. 

 36  His offspring shall endure forever, 

his throne as long as the sun before me. 

 37  Like the moon it shall be established forever, 

a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah 

• Here the psalmists proves how God has delivered on His promise over David. God has; anointed him king and strengthened him, protected and fought for the nation of Israel, extended the nations boundaries, developed an intimate relationship with David (v26), been honest and revealed what will happen if David’s descendants turn their backs to Him. Isn’t it incredible the promises given to one man and his family?! Due to David’s trust and faith in God, God gave him incredible promises not just for his life, but for generations to come. Promises of steadfast love, peace, and a legacy. I wonder what promises God has given you. For He will surely be faithful to every single word He has spoken. God wants to bless you and your family for generations to come - are you getting close enough to Him to hear His voice and His promises?

38  But now you have cast off and rejected; 

you are full of wrath against your anointed. 

 39  You have renounced the covenant with your servant; 

you have defiled his crown in the dust. 

 40  You have breached all his walls; 

you have laid his strongholds in ruins. 

 41  All who pass by plunder him; 

he has become the scorn of his neighbours. 

 42  You have exalted the right hand of his foes; 

you have made all his enemies rejoice. 

 43  You have also turned back the edge of his sword, 

and you have not made him stand in battle. 

 44  You have made his splendour to cease 

and cast his throne to the ground. 

 45  You have cut short the days of his youth; 

you have covered him with shame. Selah 

• The tone radically changes in these verses. The psalm abruptly veers from one of joy, worship, praise and acknowledging God’s power and steadfastness, to the reality of disobedience. For God keeps His promises when we are faithful and when we are not. The anointed king, still a descendent of David, has become an object of wrath as they did not follow the ways of God. So, God fulfilled His promise that, ‘if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,  32  then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes’. God keeps ALL the promises He makes even the ones we don’t want Him to. If you ignore God, break His commandments and are disobedient, then although His steadfast love will last, you will be; cast off, experience God’s anger, become ‘breached’, lose the strength you once had, see enemies elevated, and be ‘covered with shame’. This is as much a promise of God as the fact that when you delight in God, bless Him, worship and follow Him, you will enjoy the benefits of living in His favour.It is like a child that leaves home; they no longer have access to all the household has to offer for they have distanced themself from it. It is not God being cruel, it is a choice you make in how close you choose to live to Him - in His household following His ways, or outside of it. There are promises for what life will look like in both circumstances. Take some warning from this psalm. We see that the tone abruptly changes from joy, peace and contentment of godly leadership, to one of defeat and descent as the kings desert God. So, today, which promises of God are you living in? The promise of favour due to obedience or the promise of disobedience - being cast off and rejected?

46  How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? 

How long will your wrath burn like fire? 

 47  Remember how short my time is! 

For what vanity you have created all the children of man! 

 48  What man can live and never see death? 

Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah 

 49  Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, 

which by your faithfulness you swore to David? 

 50  Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, 

and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations, 

 51  with which your enemies mock, O Lord, 

with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed. 

 52  Blessed be the Lord forever! 

Amen and Amen. 

• How long will the wrath of God not only be poured out on the king, but also the nation? This is the question the psalmist now asks. The whole nation of Israel was suffering due to the lack of godliness within the king. The psalmist is a faithful follower of God, as are many others, but they are still oppressed and distressed because of the consequences of the king not following God. Innocent people suffer when there is ungodliness. The king’s decisions, values and actions affect the whole nation, not just himself. Do you know that the same is true for you? You are probably not a king, but whether you choose to follow God or not, this decision has consequences for not only yourself but those around you too. The disobedience of the king led to the suffering of the whole nation - the godly and ungodly people. In the same way your obedience or disobedience affects your family, friends and community - you have wider impact than you realise. There are wide reaching consequences in your decision to live a faithful or unfaithful life. 
• It is clear that the psalmist clearly does not like the situation they are in, and he is not afraid to say so to God. Although he acknowledges that this suffering is due to disobedience of leadership, he does not like the fact that the steadfast love of God and faithfulness seem to be missing in his lifetime as he sees fellow believers mocked and downtrodden. So, he asks God to remember this suffering and to remember, ‘how short my time is!’ I like this, it is like the writer is trying to hurry God up into bringing about a change so that he can know some relief and joy in his life. Although the writer acknowledges the reason for this hardship, he does not accept that nothing will change because he knows the power, might and love of God. So why should he and the fellow faithful ones put up with this suffering?! Yes, the king has walked away from God’s ways, but there are still faithful people within the kingdom, so what is God going to do for them? It is good and right to seek God’s intervention, grace, love and favour for your life and those around you. Even if you are not someone with much power or authority like a king, you do know the One who holds it all. So do not be afraid of seeking His favour for yourself and those around you. Ultimately it is God is who reigns and is faithful. So even if there are things happening around you that you know are due to someone else’s disobedience, you can still ask God to demonstrate His steadfast love to those faithful to Him. Why not ask Him to remember how short your life is and seek Him to show you joy, peace and love?! ‘Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.’