What do the women Tamar, Bathsheba, Ruth and Rahab have in common? Let’s look at their common traits. Rahab and Tamar both at one time worked as prostitutes. Ruth and Rahab were gentile outsiders, citizens of enemy nations of Israel. Bathsheba and Ruth were both married more than once. Bathsheba and Tamar had children with men that were not their husbands. So what connects them all? In the first chapter of Matthew they are all listed in the genealogy of Jesus. This is unusual because ordinarily women were not mentioned in Jewish genealogies. But these were not ordinary women. They each had a unique, and at times an unsavory history. It goes to show us how God can use anyone to do his will. Even when we have not been perfect and might be rejected by others, God still find ways to use us.
I always hated buying gifts for my Mom. If I got her something like a new set of pans, it was like saying “Here’s something you can use to go make me something to eat”. A gift for her was seemingly a gift for me. There are however gifts you give that benefit you more than the receiver. For example, forgiveness. When you give it, you are giving it to yourself as much as you are giving it to them. Jesus said that when we forgive others it means God is forgiving us our wrongs (Matthew 6:14-15). I once read: “ Heaven is where everyone's forgiven. Hell is where nobody's forgiven. So, when we forgive we pull heaven down into our lives. When we withhold forgiveness, we pull hell up into our lives ” Give yourself something nice today, Forgive.
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