Some people use their family name to boast about wealth, power or prominence. But the genealogy of Jesus shatters expectations. God’s raw, unfiltered family album includes prostitutes, pagans, adulterers, and murderers—people who wouldn’t be welcome in most churches! But God didn’t airbrush their stories; He wove them into His redemptive plan, proving that Jesus didn’t come for the perfect, but for the broken. In these names, we see ourselves—flawed, faltering, yet invited into a family where we are forgiven and made whole through faith in Him. That means your failures, your shame, your past don’t disqualify you. They make you the kind of person He came for. The genealogy of Jesus reminds us that grace doesn’t find good people to reward; it finds broken people to restore. And if He could use those people, He can surely use you!

Having the Guts to Be Who God Wants You to Be
2009 and 2010 have been years of dramatic economic decline, collapsing financial institutions, staggering job loss and shrinking retirement accounts. People’s hearts are filled with fear and anxiety, wondering what the future holds. As we step into 2011, is it possible — even thinkable — that we could face this shaky new year with an unshakeable faith?
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