We have come to the end of Ruth, but instead of ending the story with Ruth living happily ever after with Boaz, we end with a genealogy.

If we are honest we’ll admit that most of us don’t like reading biblical genealogies. We often skim over them or skip them all together. They are usually filled with names we can hardly pronounce and people we have never heard of. But genealogies are important – otherwise God would not have included so many of them in Scripture.

Through genealogies we see how God uses ordinary people for His extraordinary work.

As beautiful of a love story the book of Ruth is, we see that Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz are part of a much larger story: a story guided by the hand of God in order to bring about the future events that would lead to the coming of a Savior. We see Him accomplish this by using normal people, like Ruth, with common lives, like that of a field owner, in a small insignificant town called Bethlehem. God, in His sovereign wisdom, uses what we might deem as insignificant and humble to bring about the extraordinary. And what is more extraordinary than the true Kinsman Redeemer being born to the undistinguished descendants of Ruth and Boaz?!

Genealogies also show that we belong. When you study your genealogy you will quickly find out that you belong to a family and a heritage; to a certain culture and ethnicity. But for those of us whose trust is in Jesus, we have the unearned privilege of belonging to the family of God. We have been gifted with a heritage rich in grace, mercy, forgiveness, and sacrificial love.

We belong to a culture where beauty is measured by a changed heart, not the shape of our bodies or the style of our hair; where acceptance is received and given because of the shared blood of Jesus that runs through our veins.

Genealogies are important because in them we see God using imperfect people for His perfect plan. In Matthew 1 we see the genealogy of Jesus and in this list we find a bunch of people who messed up. We have Jacob who was a liar and a thief, Rahab who was a former prostitute, and David – an adulterer and murderer – and yet God brought the Messiah through this line of misfits.

This should give us encouragement. There are no perfect people, and yet God uses us anyway. He uses us through our ordinary lives in order bring about His kingdom work.

Continue in your faithfulness to the calling God has for you no matter how ordinary you may feel it is. You, also, are part of a larger story… a story that involves the kingdom of God.

Looking To Jesus,

___________________________________________________________

ANNOUNCING OUR FALL STUDY:
J O N A H

Begins: September 3rd
Study Length: 4 weeks

The story of Jonah is more than just a story of a disobedient, runaway prophet and a hungry fish.

It’s a story of a compassionate God who longs for everyone to come to salvation, even a nation who has done great evil in His sight. His heart of compassion is not limited by the severity of their sins…or ours. He desires for them to turn from their evil ways and repent, rather than continue down their destructive roads which lead to judgement.

Read more in our announcement post and join us for our NEW fall study on September 3rd!

Did you know when you purchase a Love God Greatly journal, you are helping to give God’s Word away in over 20 languages and change the world…one journal purchase at a time? THANK YOU for supporting our ministry and joining us as we break down financial and language barriers so more women around the world can have access to God’s truth in their native languages!

You can grab your copy in our Love God Greatly store!

Jen Thorn

Jen Thorn grew up in Germany and then spent her teenage years in Africa, where her parents were missionaries. She moved to the United States for college and attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where she met her husband. They have been married for twenty-two years and have four children. Jen lives in the suburbs of Chicago, where her husband is the pastor of Redeemer Fellowship. Jen is passionate about theology and the connection to daily living.