Tag: Book of Life

“A Connectedness”

Date: 03-03-15

The Big Idea: Lifestyle worshiper, let us not miss the miracle that the Lord will surely bless you with.

My Thoughts: One of my uncles has done a lot of work on our family genealogy. He has collected a lot of information along with some rather rare & old photos. I am so grateful for all this hard work because each time I scan the pages and view the pictures I get a sense of connectedness.

This connectedness presents a sense of privilege and grace as I peruse the annals of my family history.

The same can be said for the people in Nehemiah’s day found in the main text below. From the nobility to the ‘common’ folk, each presented their family’s genealogy and established their family’s special place in the land of their forefathers.

Lifestyle worshiper, do you have this same sense of connectedness that I have in the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father? Perhaps our names are not literally written in the genealogies of the Bible, but most definitely they are literally written in the Book of Life! And our Lord Jesus is not ashamed to call us, “Brother.” Pretty outstanding, eh?

Main Text: — Nehemiah 7:4-5 — 4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:  [NIV84]

Additional Scriptures to Renew Your Thoughts

Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

— Hebrews 2:11 (NIV84)

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

—Ephesians 3:14-15 (NIV84)

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.

— John 15:15 (NIV84)

   I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. —Ephesians 3:16-21 [NIV84]

Pastor Mike