His qualifications ... NOT yours!

          God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). This scripture comes to mind as I remember reading the book of Matthew Chapter 1 this morning. It began with the genealogy of Jesus. I usually don’t pay much attention to genealogies with their long list of names of who begat who, but this time I did. As I read through the list of names in Jesus’ bloodline, a few names caught my attention. These were the names of women. That was interesting to me because women are not usually included in genealogies, just the males. And what made it even more interesting was the type of women involved in most of the cases. 
          Tamar deceived her father-in-law, Judah, and became pregnant by him; Rahab was a harlot from Jericho, the first city to be destroyed by the Jews when they crossed over into the Promised Land; Ruth, although not shady in character, was from Moab and this nation was born out of an incestuous relationship between Abraham’s nephew Lot and one of his daughters; king Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, committed adultery with king David who later killed her husband to hide the fact that she was pregnant for him. Yet, for all that, these women not only made it into Jesus’ bloodline, but special mention was made of them where the other women with the exception of Mary, Jesus’ mother, were not even included.
          As the reality of what I was reading washed over me I started to write the following thoughts. When we make mistakes, we are not automatically disqualified. God’s redeeming grace can transform us and make us useful for Him. Our past does not disqualify us. God’s grace can redeem us and make us useful for His Kingdom. These women did not seem like likely candidates for Jesus’ bloodline, yet, they were. It tells me that when God intervenes, He can and will do great things in and through us. There is no sin that is too great that can disqualify us from being used by God; no mistake so great that will cause God to turn His back on us. In fact, Jesus came to die for sinners, not perfect people. He is willing to use us even with our imperfections. Sometimes, we may want to clean ourselves up first before we feel comfortable enough to be used by God. But, guess what? God will use us right at the point where we are – imperfect, messed up, inadequate … unqualified. 
          Think about it. God must have wanted these women to be a part of His Son’s bloodline for a reason. Maybe He wanted them and us to see His mercy and His grace, that He really loves us and wants the very best for us. He has our best interest at heart even though we mess up. I look at my own life. God chose me before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), yet I have messed up and continue to mess up too many times! Yet, God chose me. Even though I was unfaithful to Him for a season, when I decided to return to Him, He not only welcomed me back with open arms, but has been using me in ways that I could never have dreamed or imagined the second time around. 
          So, as I look at these women with all their spots and blemishes, I feel encouraged because the God of the universe included them in His Son’s bloodline. He loved them enough and He qualified them. They were not qualified for this position through their own good deeds or by the world’s standards, but by God’s. We, too, can be encouraged that we don’t have to qualify ourselves, God has already done that. And if He chooses us for a task, it’s about purpose, it’s about destiny. We can’t change God’s mind about us. When He calls us to a task, He has already equipped us with everything we need for the job … whether we feel equipped or not. He has deposited the qualifications we need into us so we don’t need the world’s approval to be used by Him. He has already downloaded into us all that we need to be and to do what He has called us to be and to do. God’s done it. Trust His purpose and HIS qualifications … NOT yours!

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