FAMILY TREES. John 4:37-38; 1 Peter 2:9.

Posted bySteven WalesPosted inGenealogiesTags:, , ,

Things you think about while working on a family tree:

  1. Your ancestors could fill a college football stadium (100,000 seats) in only 17 generations (~400 years).
  2. Many in your tree are connected to you in multiple ways. Think about it: at twenty generations there are a million grandparents (with 20 “greats”) and at forty generations, there are a trillion. But there have not been a trillion people in all of history. Thus, a single person may occupy hundreds of positions on your family tree. In short, your British blood makes you related to nearly everyone else with British blood. Same for German, French, whatever.
  3. Online databases have collected data on millions, and prove you (my children) are related to—seemingly everyone—including forty of the forty-six US presidents. However, most of these are >10th cousins. Considering researchers calculate that you probably have over one million 10th cousins, the connection is mathematically insignificant. Meaningless.
  4. Nevertheless, in some ways, we are all related. We are the human family. We are God’s children.

The Bible contains two truths on this subject:

First, your close family members will shape your life. You will reap what they have sown.

“One sows and another reaps…. Others have labored and you have reaped the benefit from their labor” John 4:37-38.

THANK GOD FOR THE BLESSINGS OF YOUR FAMILY AND FOR ANCESTORS WITH INTEGRITY, GODLINESS, AND HARD WORK.

Second, you still need to be fixed. “Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God,” John 3:3. No matter who you are, who your relatives are, or how great your family, you need Jesus to ADOPT YOU into His family—that is the only family that matters–

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, REDEEMED SO THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE PRAISE OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU out of the darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9.

God, thank you for calling us, re-making us, and adopting us into Your family!

ΑΩ

Published by Steven Wales

Dad's Daily Devotional began as text messages to my family. I wanted my teenagers to know their father was reading the Bible. But they were at school by then. Initially, I sent them a favorite verse or an insight based on what I read each day. That grew into drafting a devotional readng which I would send them via text. I work as an attorney and an adjunct professor, and recently wrote a book called HOW TO MAKE A'S.

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